Plans for Sanlitun Bar Street Point to “Slow City” Shift for Beijing

Beijing local media was in a frenzy yesterday reporting on the closure of what remained of the Sanlitun Bar Street east of Taikooli. As for what’s to become of the strip, all signs point to it tying in with the capital's plans in what could hopefully be a more pedestrian-friendly city.

Most reports released earlier in the day on Jan 31 made mention of the redevelopment of the street into part of Beijing’s 慢行系统 mànxíng xìtǒng, which translates to something along the lines of a "slow traffic system."

It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that this simply means the street will become a pedestrian street – like what happened to Sanlitun’s infamous Dirty Bar Street – but another report published by Beijing Daily later in the evening sheds a little more light on the question.

Is it going to be a pedestrian street? Sort of. Is bar street making a return? Also sort of.

The report says that businesses including cafés, bookstores, various other lifestyle brands, as well as bars, will be encouraged to enter the strip. The section of Sanlitun Road running past the strip will remain a one way street, but is expected to be expanded to reduce congestion.

Meanwhile, for pedestrians and cyclists, sidewalks stretching all the way from Chaoyang North Road in the south to Liangmahe South Road in the north are going to be either enlarged or improved. This will essentially make it much easier and more pleasant to walk or cycle from the CBD to the Liangma River.

Whatever the plan for Sanlitun Road may be moving forward, this could all point to what could be a shift in Beijing’s city planning to more of a slow city blueprint. A slow city is defined as a city that provides a slow way and stress free way of life for residents by providing more unhurried spaces – be they parks, greenways, or pedestrian-friendly paths.

Closely related to the Slow Food movement, the Slow City movement, or Cittaslow, as it’s officially known, was initiated in Italy in 1999. It’s since spread to over 30 countries with over 280 cities recognized as “slow cities” under the organization’s criteria as of 2022. Ten of these cities are located in China.

Beijing, and a great many other first-tier Chinese cities, aren’t on the list, but it’s safe to say the capital is getting there. In fact, a recently released city planning initiative ties in with Slow City ideals as well as the whole “slow traffic system” thing.

According to the Urban Planning Society of China, the plan, dubbed the Beijing Slow Traffic System Plan (STSP), was released for public consultation in September 2021, and has the goal of developing the city with green transport and more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly options in mind.

The plan separates the proposed slow traffic system into four sections: streamlined connection of roads, streets, greenways, waterfront lanes, and “historical culture travel lanes”; making public services accessible within a 15-minute walk; combining slow traffic spaces with functional urban spaces; and setting up standards for slow traffic construction.

Looking around the city in its current state, examples of a push towards becoming a slow city are already taking shape.

The greatest example of a push for slow city life is the Liangma River. Begun in 2019, renovations along the city waterway made it a popular escape when the city enacted in house dining bans last year, with many media outlets dubbing it the “Seine of Beijing.”

More recent examples of improvements include the widening of bike lanes around the 2nd Ring Road, the construction of a 42-kilometer cycling greenway in the city’s north, as well as smaller changes like the opening of new kiosks and seating areas outside Sanlitun Taikooli at the tail end of last summer.

In fact, most of the current construction projects being undertaken around Sanlitun and Gongti could be considered a part of this trend. The New Gongti complex, scheduled to open this March, will not only consist of a new stadium but other facilities including a concert hall and an underground shopping and lifestyle space.

The underground space will be connected to Workers’ Stadium Subway Station, which will serve as a transfer for the as of yet to be completed Line 3 and Line 17.

Even more recent proposals for projects tied to the slow city and slow traffic system idea include the recent removal of walls surrounding Fengqing and Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, as well as the definining of borders for the Central Axis and it's connection to major historical and tourist areas like Qianmen, Tiananmen, and north of the Forbidden City.

While it remains to be seen how this whole slow traffic system and all its various gears and pistons turns out in the long-term, it looks like Beijing is on the slow path to becoming a slow city. And Sanlitun, with its relatively central location on the city’s east side, looks to be a major piece of the whole slow city puzzle.

Our only wish is that these plans have a means of dealing with the nuisance of car, ebike, and delivery vehicle traffic and their hellish disregard of the average pedestrian or cyclist. One can only dream.

READ: Beijing Defines Central Axis Borders for World Heritage Site Bid

Images: The Beijingers, Unsplash, Uni You, Beijing Daily