"Civilized Ningbo" Features Numerous Innovative Practices from Yinzhou

On May 23, the front pages of Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily published an article titled "Providing Strong Spiritual Support for the New Journey—Overview of Achievements in Spiritual Civilization Construction Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC." The article highlighted Ningbo's efforts in deepening the creation of a civilized city and improving people's well-being, with the "Most Beautiful School Route" pioneered by Yinzhou as a prime example. Yinzhou has contributed numerous innovative practices to the "Civilized Ningbo" initiative.

The article noted: In recent years, Ningbo City has developed multiple "Most Beautiful School Routes" and "Safe Market Routes," implementing micro-renovations and micro-improvements tailored to various small, outdated, or neglected areas. These efforts have enhanced the sense of tangible benefits for residents, elevating the city's civilization creation to new heights.

In 2017, Yinzhou District established Ningbo's first "Most Beautiful School Route" by upgrading the hardware and software of pedestrian pathways. This initiative addressed issues such as congestion and safety concerns on school routes while enhancing the city's image. Over the past eight years, Yinzhou has invested 39.3 million yuan to build 58 such routes.

The "Most Beautiful School Route" has not only become one of Yinzhou District's top ten livelihood projects but was also selected as part of the first batch of "Zhejiang Courtesy" provincial civilization practice projects aimed at benefiting the public. In 2023, Yinzhou issued construction, maintenance, and civilization guidelines for the "Most Beautiful School Route," marking the nation's first set of such guidelines.

From "Most Beautiful School Routes" to "Warm Fitness Routes," from "Fashionable Shopping Routes" to "Safe Market Routes," Yinzhou has persistently focused on refining pedestrian pathways. Since 2024, this effort has expanded to include pedestrian areas around seven key locations: hospitals, supermarkets, transportation hubs, markets, communities, schools, and office complexes. To date, the district has created 67 "Seven-Color Routes."

In recent years, Yinzhou has actively explored the renovation of old neighborhoods through micro-renovations and smart updates, transforming neglected and disorderly public spaces. The "Shared Gardens" blooming across Yinzhou have become hubs for residents' civilized practices, sparking new momentum for grassroots social governance.

During the development process, various streets and communities have integrated historical culture and neighborhood architectural styles, using micro-creative approaches to drive micro-renovations. This has resulted in vibrant, scenic, and culturally rich "Shared Gardens," giving rise to "Practice Classrooms," "Chat Roundtables," and "Garden Discussion Halls," which serve as platforms for residents to collaborate and deliberate.

Additionally, Yinzhou has innovatively launched the "Shared Homeland Plan," establishing a co-construction and co-sharing "5L" model and formulating 25 shared construction guidelines to accelerate replication and promotion at the grassroots level. The "Shared Homeland Plan" won the gold award at the city’s New Era Civilization Practice Project Competition, and the "Shared Corridor" was selected as part of the third batch of "Zhejiang Courtesy" provincial civilization practice projects for public benefit.