Shanghai has added 81 new greenways totaling 231.88 kilometers this year, marking a remarkable step toward the goal of "a city in the parks."

The additional strips bring the total length of the city's greenways to 1,537km, the Shanghai Greenway and Public Sanitation Bureau announced on Tuesday.

These "green arteries" string not only the city's green and ecological spaces, but also residents' expectations for a beautiful life, the bureau said.

"A 'park city,' where residents will see flowers when they open windows, step on green land when they walk out, and smell the fragrance of flowers in all seasons, is the pursuit of Shanghai," Deng Jianping, director of the bureau, said earlier.

Now, a stroll along the Suzhou Creek has become a popular leisure pastime for city residents after both banks of Shanghai's mother river have opened to the public.

Among them, the Putuo section of the Suzhou Creek Greenway incorporates history, culture, art and science and technology elements, enabling walkers and joggers to experience the past, present and future of the creek and "read" the city in a unique way, the bureau said.

The section of the greenway between the Baocheng Bridge and Daduhe Road, totaling 4.77km, was just completed in September, featuring benches and facilities for children.

The Guangzhong Road Greenway between Beibaoxing Road and Gonghexin Road, totaling 1.7km, is lined with foliage trees and flowers, offering a leisure option for residents on their doorstep.

It strings a number of green areas on Guangzhong Road.

Shanghai's greenways have mainly been created in the Outer Ring Road forest belt, along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, near community parks and green lands, according to the bureau.

Greenways in the city are paths for leisure and exercise amidst trees, flowers, water and other natural resources. They include paths in gardens and forests, as well as along rivers and roads.