Wenzhou's Transformation: A Greener, Smarter, and More Livable City

In recent years, Wenzhou has embraced a vision of"green views from every window, scenic beauty at every step, intelligent empowerment, and a warm, livable urban environment." By embedding precision into every facet of city management, Wenzhou is systematically elevating its infrastructure and public services. The result is a high-quality urban landscape that is now emerging with unprecedented clarity for its residents.

Expanding Green Spaces: Building a City-Wide Ecological Network

Urban greening lies at the heart of Wenzhou's efforts to enhance living conditions and urban aesthetics. Through a comprehensive strategy of adding greenery everywhere, planting in vacant spaces, and removing walls to reveal green vistas, the city has significantly expanded its green footprint. To date, Wenzhou has added 1.52 million square meters of new green space in built-up areas, raising the city's green coverage rate to 45.33%. The city has completed 639 new or renovated park projects, including 263 age-inclusive pocket parks. Additionally, 43 public green spaces—covering over 400 hectares of open lawn—have been opened for shared use. At Jing Mountain Forest Park, the Park Management Office has enhanced key areas such as the slope near Huguo Temple and the peony and tree peony grove. The park has also introduced biological pest control in collaboration with Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, using natural methods to manage thrips. More than 2,300 plant science education signs have been installed across specialized gardens like the Tea Garden, transforming leisurely strolls into immersive learning experiences.

Refining the Urban Aesthetic: Precision in Urban Management

This year alone, Wenzhou has addressed over 120,000 environmental issues and successfully supported more than 20 major city events. To tackle persistent urban challenges, the city has implemented a"bi-weekly themed inspection" under its digital urban management system, intensifying efforts to combat the"Ten Chaos"—including illegal dumping of construction waste and unauthorized encroachment on green spaces. So far, 288,000 administrative penalty cases have been processed, reinforcing urban order through the rule of law. At Wenzhou Zoo, smart crowd monitoring, indoor visitor limits, human-centered queuing systems, and cooling facilities have been introduced. By coordinating with multiple stakeholders, the zoo ensures a safe and comfortable experience for all visitors—proving that order is the foundation of beauty.

Revitalizing the Evening Economy: From Dining to Community Life

As dusk falls, restaurants such as Ou Culture Restaurant – Yixiang Hall, Meile Food Street, and Dongshan Seafood Building extend their offerings beyond indoor dining, presenting a variety of home-style cooked dishes at outdoor stalls. Braised pig trotters, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, scallion-flavored crucian carp, and over 30 other ready-to-eat meals attract passersby, turning sidewalks into vibrant culinary spaces. While the"outdoor dining economy" thrives, the city's"Law Enforcement Support for Enterprises" initiative advances steadily. Guided by the principle of inclusive and prudent regulation, the municipal enforcement system applies no penalty for first-time minor violations and exemptions for trivial infractions, ensuring that law enforcement is not only effective but also humane.

Illuminating the Night: Lighting as a Catalyst for the Night Economy

Wenzhou has transformed its urban nightscape through smart, sustainable lighting. Of the city's 380,000 streetlights, 99.6% have been upgraded to energy-efficient LED, with 82.6% under intelligent control. After 15 years of development, the Wenzhou Smart Lighting Monitoring Platform now centrally manages over 1,000 distribution boxes, 1.32 million decorative lights, and 50,000 streetlights—all controlled through a single unified system. This"low-carbon + smart" approach delivers multiple benefits. A scientifically designed Citywide Landscape Lighting Schedule balances public safety and aesthetic enjoyment while significantly reducing energy consumption. Thoughtfully designed"lighting + culture" installations integrate local heritage symbols into illuminated art, enriching the cultural depth of the night economy and boosting foot traffic along commercial corridors.

Digital Intelligence: Rethinking Urban Governance

Wenzhou is reshaping urban governance through a dual-driven model of"smart sensing + intelligent decision-making." Frontline data collection now includes AI-powered rapid inspection vehicles, autonomous patrol cars, and drones with automatic flight capabilities. Equipped with advanced AI image recognition, these tools automatically detect common urban issues—such as sidewalk vending, exposed garbage, illegal parking, and damaged infrastructure—forming a three-dimensional, human-machine collaborative inspection network. For instance, in Louqiao Subdistrict's Antong East Road, a drone detected a damaged storm drain cover. Using dual algorithms combining visual recognition and operational logic, the system automatically reported the issue, which was resolved within just two hours—an 80% reduction compared to traditional manual methods. The Urban Operations Management Service Platform integrates over 68.3 million data points from departments including urban management, utilities, and emergency services. Through deep data analysis, it generates real-time issue heatmaps and priority rankings, clearly visualizing when and where problems cluster. This enables a shift from"blanket coverage" to"precision targeting," improving response efficiency by over 30%.(Jiang Wenze Wen Zhongxuan)