Local government tackles revamp of district with all-around approach

With the commitment to organizing a good sports event and improving the city environment, Linping district in Hangzhou — the main host city of the 19th Asian Games — is making efforts to improve the urban environment, governance level and civilization of its residents.

In order to create a pleasant urban environment, the local government invested about 90 million yuan ($12.3 million) to renovate 11 entrance ways into the city. They have repaired 18 commuting roads and key roads for the Asian Games with an construction area of 96,500 square meters.

As for the environment around the Asian Games venues, the local government picked 14 locations and upgraded the surrounding facilities. They created two boutique blocks to give a warm welcome to visitors from all over the globe.

To tackle environmental pollution, the local administration created cleaning areas on eight major roads and launched a water quality improvement project on three key rivers. They also replanted green spaces with an area of more than 14,500 sq meters.

In addition, seven old residential areas were given a facelift, 61 elevators were installed and secondary water supply facilities were renovated, bringing convenience to residents.

According to officials, criminal incidents in the district have declined significantly this year and the social security situation remains stable.

The district is establishing an intruder prevention and control system in the surrounding areas, has identified 72 potential river-entry points and upgraded 160 intelligent devices on the roads at the borders of Haining, Tongxiang and Deqing regions.

As part of its zero-tolerance law enforcement, the district has conducted inspections at more than 24,000 enterprises or locations and identified 48,000 hidden dangers so far.

The Linping Sports Centre, as one of the two designated Asian Games training bases in the province, has been completed and opened to the public, allowing residents to enjoy sports on their doorstep.

Working together under the theme of the Asian Games, the district organized nearly 3,000 activities such as the Walking along the Grand Canal event, oxygen music festival and various cultural performances, bringing the spirit of sports and the Asian Games to every household.

By organizing colorful neighborhood events such as park visits, neighborhood markets and outdoor concerts, it advocates good habits such as civilized dining, travel, internet use and spectating.

It has established a three-layer volunteer service system consisting of district, town and village communities, with 184 civilized practice stations and 259 volunteer service points to provide guidance, information, traffic guidance, language services, emergency assistance and other forms of service.

To promote a meticulous style of governance, the district has applied digital tools in communication, inspection and volunteer services.

An Asian Games city volunteer service team has been established to mobilize urban and rural residents to practice civilized etiquette and participate in voluntary service. The team strives to shape a civilization trend through public participation and dedication to the Asian Games, officials said.