The 10th annual Shekou Community Car-Free Day (Shekou CFD) will partner with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cities & Architecture Bi-city Biennale · Shekou and the 922 Green Travel campaign to translate global climate concerns into local practice, as announced at the “Climate Action, Community Growth — A Future-oriented Shekou Approach” forum in Shekou on the afternoon of Sept. 21.

Initiated in 2016, Shekou CFD has grown from a one-day community campaign that closed 1 kilometer of road into a signature sustainability initiative for the neighborhood. By teaming up with the bi-city biennale and the broader green-travel campaign, Shekou CFD aims to serve as a model of community-led climate action that makes ordinary residents’ daily choices the starting point for creating long-term change.

Participants pose for a group photo at the event. Courtesy of the organizer

Held annually between September and November, this year’s program opened with a forum featuring five guest speakers who shared in-depth insights on green transport, low-carbon lifestyles, and community experiments.

Zhao Yixin, deputy chief engineer of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design and director of its urban transport research center, said that an inclusive urban transport system must serve not only the young the healthy but also the elderly, children, and people with disabilities, enabling all to travel safely and conveniently. “Car-free day is not simply ‘no cars,’ but rather a moment when everyone can travel freely,” Zhao said.

Each year since 2016, an urban road segment of at least 1 kilometer in Shekou has been closed to traffic and transformed into a low-carbon public corridor hosting art parades, community markets, and street playgrounds. The initiative has driven public-space upgrades — separated sidewalks, dedicated cycling lanes, improved street furniture, and a measurable shift toward low-carbon mobility. Residents have moved from bystanders to custodians of public spaces.

Sponsored by the Shekou Community Foundation, the initiative has introduced a range of child-friendly activities, including a children’s charity fund, family bird-protection teams, and a children’s street-design event, said Su Yaqi, this year’s CFD coordinator and an urban planner based in Shekou.