People play football at a sports field under an overpass in Jiande, a county-level city administered by Hangzhou. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

Hangzhou, host city of the 19th Asian Games, rolled out a three-year plan (2022-24) to make the most of urban spaces so as to provide local residents with easier accesses to sports facilities, local media outlets reported.

Gongshu district has maximized space under the Liushi Expressway Overpass and designed it into a 1,400-squre-meter area with basketball courts, goalball fields, and several bodybuilding facilities.

Around Wensan Digital Block in Xihu district, eight newly-built basketball half-courts were equipped with a variety of digital sports products, such as a smart capture system, maples in line with the standards of Chinese Basketball Association, and professional American basket support.

Qiantang district, which has put 72 such sports fields on its agenda, is also planning to give them star ratings.

Fuyang district, which has 45 sports fields completed or under construction, has fully used regional resources such as green areas in parks, riverside greenways, and space under bridges and overpasses.

Tonglu county has put forward the idea of building basketball courts on rooftops. It has transformed idle space on the tops of commercial complexes into outdoor basketball courts and opened them to the public for free.

A rooftop basketball court in Tonglu county, Hangzhou. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]