The space under highway bridges has long been a challenge and pain point in urban management, but the Fujian Highway Flower Expo Park has transformed this space into a “golden resource” that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and boosts the regional GDP by 60 million yuan. This has achieved the “revitalization” of the under-bridge space.
The Fujian Highway Flower Expo Park is located in Liulang Village, Fuzhou High-tech Zone, and is the first “floral + cultural tourism” ecological smart park in the country utilizing the space under a highway bridge.
This project innovatively transforms “blockage” into “flow” by upgrading the long-standing idle land plagued by clutter, illegal constructions, and street vendors into a large-scale hub for the floral industry development project.
Since its completion and operation in September 2022, the project has not only effectively addressed the environmental management issues of the under-bridge space but has also become a typical case for promoting local industrial development and rural revitalization, recently selected for the “Compilation of Typical Cases for Revitalizing Idle Assets of Local State-owned Enterprises” published by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.
1Project Background and Overview
The Fujian Highway Flower Expo Park originated from 423 acres of idle land under the Fuzhou Nanyu Hub Overpass, which had long been plagued by clutter, illegal constructions, and street vendors.
In 2022, Fujian Highway Group innovatively transformed “blockage” into “flow” by investing 52.35 million yuan to carefully upgrade this land into a large-scale hub for the floral industry development project, pioneering a new operational model of “using to manage” for under-bridge spaces.
The total planned area of the project is 423 acres, with the first phase covering approximately 182 acres, divided into six functional zones: premium seedling area, large seedling display area, sports and leisure area, floral horticulture area, logistics distribution area, and natural ecological area.
2Operational Model and Innovations
The Flower Expo Park adopts an innovative construction and operational model of “using to manage” and “integration of flowers and tourism”, which not only eliminates the chaos under the bridge but also brings wealth opportunities to nearby residents.
The park features a layout of traditional garden landscapes, pavilions, and corridors, connecting the flower stream, scenic pavilions, and greenery with wooden walkways, and setting up 16 business wooden houses around the landscape to create a scenic shopping and leisure environment.
In terms of space utilization, the project fully utilizes the idle space under the bridge, equipping it with 5 half basketball courts, 3 full basketball courts, 1 football field, and 89 parking spaces, creating a sports park that integrates basketball and football.
At the same time, by implanting functions and increasing floral varieties, the natural ecological area has added a “floral sea of grass”, complemented by local flowering seedlings such as cotton trees and jasmine, achieving a landscape effect with flowers and scenery in all four seasons.
3Economic and Social Benefits
The Flower Expo Park project has brought significant economic and social benefits.
The project provides over 200 jobs, with an average weekend visitor flow exceeding 3,000 people, and it is expected that the annual average visitor flow will exceed 650,000 in the next three years, boosting the regional GDP by 60 million yuan.
The no-power amusement park project attracts an average of 240,000 visitors annually, while the motor vehicle driving test site project provides driving test services to 300,000 residents and university students in Fuzhou each year.
The project has also promoted the intensive and modern development of the Nanyu floral industry, integrating scattered floral businesses in the surrounding area, and establishing seedling bases and floral industry parks as part of the industrial matrix.
Through linking cultural tourism research and study activities, more than 50 themed events are held annually, driving the intensive development of flower farmers and exploring a new model of rural revitalization where the tertiary industry supports the primary and secondary industries.
4Policy Support and Recognition
The innovative practice of the Fujian Highway Flower Expo Park has received recognition and support from various levels of government. Recently, the project was selected for the “Compilation of Typical Cases for Revitalizing Idle Assets of Local State-owned Enterprises” published by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.
This compilation collects and organizes 29 typical and innovative cases of revitalizing state-owned assets from across the country over the past two years, with the Flower Expo Park being selected as a typical case in the transportation infrastructure category.
In addition, the project has also won the Top Ten Cases of the First Highway Supporting Rural Revitalization Innovative Practice “Highway + Culture” Integrated Development, reflecting the important contribution of highway transportation in serving rural revitalization, promoting common prosperity, and assisting agricultural and rural modernization.
5Experience and Promotion Value
The successful practice of the Flower Expo Park provides valuable experience for similar projects:
1. Innovative space utilization model, utilizing idle space under bridges to develop characteristic industries, achieving efficient use of spatial resources;
2. Pathways for industrial integration development, centering on the floral industry, extending the industrial chain, achieving deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries;
3. Diversified business strategies, introducing various business formats to meet the needs of different customer groups and enhance the project’s economic benefits;
4. Government-enterprise cooperation mechanism, with state-owned enterprises taking the lead, government support, and local community participation, forming a win-win situation for all parties.
6Future Planning and Development Prospects
Currently, the Flower Expo Park project is planning its second phase, which will further expand into high-end floral cultural tourism, go-kart sports competitions, water-themed parks, and new energy industrial parks, becoming a unique space connecting cities and rural areas, economy and ecology, tradition and innovation.
The story of the Fujian Highway Flower Expo Park continues. This once dirty and chaotic area under the bridge is moving towards becoming a comprehensive demonstration area integrating the floral industry, ecological tourism, parent-child entertainment, and sports and leisure.
The practice of the Flower Expo Park proves that as long as there is innovative thinking and localized planning, even forgotten corners can bloom with brilliant flowers.
(Statement: News Source | Fujian Provincial Department of Transportation, Fujian Highway Group, copyright belongs to the author)
