Nanshan renovates public toilets for flexible male/female use

Nanshan District has so far renovated six public toilets in parks under its jurisdiction to optimize the use of facilities by visitors of both genders, the district’s urban management and comprehensive law enforcement bureau said recently.

On the basis of maintaining the minimum 1:2 ratio for male and female users, the newly renovated public toilets feature a flexible space with two lockable sliding doors. When the sliding door on the male side is locked, the space is reallocated for female use. This innovative adaptation alleviates congestion while ensuring privacy standards are upheld.

The internal layout of the transformed public toilets in Shenzhen Xiaonanshan Park. Photo from Xinhua

It has been reported that public toilet management staff are required to be on-site during operating hours to manually manage the sliding doors based on demand.

When queues form for female facilities, staff will close the door of the flexible space to the male facility and redirect that space for women’s use. Conversely, if male demand increases, the space is reverted accordingly.

In 2023, the Nanshan bureau became the first in adopting this design concept in the city, transforming the public toilet at the North Square of Xiaonanshan Park into a flexible and practical one.

The six renovated public toilets in Nanshan include facilities at the South and North squares of Xiaonanshan Park, the entrance of Wen Tianxiang Park, Lilin Park near Huanhu Road, and the No. 2 and No. 6 toilets at Dasha River Park.