China Turns Urban ‘Edge Spaces’ Into Community Goldmines
Across Chinese cities, a quiet transformation is taking place beneath the nation’s highways and overpasses. Once-neglected “edge spaces” — the barren, underutilized areas under bridges and along expressway ramps — are being reborn as cinemas, basketball courts, farmers’ markets, and community living rooms. The trend, highlighted in a CCTV News feature published June 7, 2026, is turning idle urban land into engines of new consumer demand and community vitality.
From Wasteland to Wonder: City Case Studies
In Wuhan, a 1,600-square-meter “bridge pier cinema camp” now operates under the Yangtze River Second Bridge in Hankou Jiangtan, where residents gather nightly for outdoor movies by the river. In the city’s Jiangxia District, a sprawling 6.7-hectare under-overpass space opened in March 2026 as a multi-functional “urban living room” featuring sports facilities, lakeside recreation, and camping grounds serving multiple surrounding communities.
Shenyang’s Tiexi District took a different approach. The 30-year-old Linggongli overpass underwent Phase 2 renovation in March 2026, transforming its under-bridge space into a football-themed plaza centered around the “Northeast Super” football events. Meanwhile, in Leshan, Sichuan, a chaotic open-air market was redeveloped into an orderly multi-functional complex featuring parking, basketball courts, a farmers’ market, and a food court.
Even parking is getting the edge-space treatment. On June 3, 2026, a parking lot accommodating nearly 100 vehicles with EV charging facilities opened under the Erhuan East Road expressway ramp in Jinan, as reported by Jinan Newspaper All-Media.
A National Movement with Deep Roots
This trend is not spontaneous. It is the fruit of a deliberate national urban renewal strategy that gained momentum during China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and continues into 2026. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, during the plan period, China renovated over 6,500 old neighborhoods and 700+ old factory zones.
Chengdu has been the pioneer. In November 2021, the city issued a “Three-Year Action Plan” to systematically identify and transform seven categories of surplus urban spaces. By the end of 2024, Chengdu had created 848 “golden corners and silver edges” sites — a term borrowed from the game of Go, referring to how strategic placement of small pieces can yield outsized advantages. As People’s Daily noted in a September 2025 feature, “rational use of well-located small spaces can play a big role.”
The concept earned national recognition in March 2025, when the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development selected Chengdu’s program as a national exemplary urban renewal case. The Sichuan Construction Release reported that the program was included in the second batch of national urban renewal典型案例 (typical cases).
Why It Matters: Economics and Social Fabric
The transformation addresses a critical challenge facing Chinese cities: land scarcity. Central urban areas are developed to near-saturation, making it difficult to create new parks, sports facilities, or public spaces through greenfield development. By activating previously wasted assets, cities generate new economic activity without consuming additional land.
A key innovation is the financing model. Rather than relying solely on government funding, cities are leveraging private capital through approaches like “EPC+O” (Engineering, Procurement, Construction + Operations), “paid use of operating rights,” and “city partner” arrangements. In Chengdu’s Shuangqiaozi overpass project, a company secured operating rights for 220,000 yuan annually, invested over 2 million yuan in renovations, and now sustains operations through ticket fees and commercial partnerships.
Community Impact
For residents, the benefits are tangible. “A few years ago, a park was built under the overpass, and we were all pleasantly surprised,” said He Meilan, a 76-year-old Chengdu resident. “Now there’s large green space right next to the fitness square, and the elderly gather there to chat very comfortably.”
These projects also build community identity. In Chengdu’s Jinniu District, a former vacant lot was transformed into the Fuqin Neighborhood Living Room, where residents now gather for tea, choir practice, and policy briefings. The space has become a hub for social cohesion in a community of 30,000 residents.
What’s Next
The movement shows no signs of slowing. Chengdu is targeting 1,000+ “golden corners and silver edges” sites by end of 2026. Cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai have launched similar programs. The July 2025 Central Urban Work Conference and subsequent State Council directives have explicitly called for activating stock resources and optimizing urban spatial structure, giving the trend high-level policy backing.
As Chinese urbanization transitions from rapid expansion to intensive renewal, these transformed edge spaces represent more than just beautification — they are a new model for how cities can grow smarter, not just bigger.