Beijing will create 15 new parks this year, local authorities said Monday.
After their completion, 77 percent of citizens will be able to access a park or green place within 500 meters of their home, the Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry said.
According to the city's plan, 85 percent of local citizens will enjoy such benefits by 2020.
Beijing has 403 registered parks including the Summer Palace and Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park. Among them, 363 parks are in urban areas with a total coverage of 13,800 hectares, said Liu Lili, an official with the bureau.
Liu said Beijing parks receive around 300 million visits each year and that more than 88 percent of urban parks are free to the public.
