As urban economies grow worldwide, and cities expand geographically, peri-urban management is being more widely recognized as a significant policy issue. At the same time however, new edge conditions are emerging within urban regions, due to economic re-structuring and retreat from areas at risk due to natural hazards associated with climate change. This paper reframes consideration of peri-urban landscape management to include intra-urban edge conditions, and examines the challenges and opportunities of urban edges as an emerging feature of 21st century urbanization. Drawing upon the case of Christchurch, New Zealand it argues for an approach that combines conventional spatial strategy with a values-based perspective. Adoption of a more explicit landscape based framework of peri-urban management will require a parallel commitment to the development of landscape scale partnerships that can provide long term continuity of vision and policy in urban edge situations.
When developing water infrastructure for new cities, it is useful to compare the water patterns and performance of distant cities in earlier times. This paper takes its inspiration from research on ancient urban water systems in China which it compares with ancient water infrastructure in South Asia and North America. In each case, there is a wealth of archaeological, historical, and geographical evidence, which is only occasionally drawn upon to inform new urbanization in the 21st century. Positive examples include the enduring emphasis on urban siting, watershed protection, stream restoration, floodplain management, and post-disaster reconstruction. Infrastructure failures include water depletion, degradation, disasters, and destructive conflict that have in some cases contributed to the abandonment of cities. The paper offers six principles by which comparative study of ancient water urbanism can have relevance for contemporary urban landscape design challenges.
Whether it is determined by land prices or from the perspective of urban construction, future urbanization will experience a number of changes. Planners and designers should have a greater dialogue with history, and have a greater understanding of what should go and what should stay, rather than only meeting current and immediate design needs. We need to leave something to be developed in future!
With a population of 1.3 billion, it has not been easy to achieve the level of urbanization that China has today. However, Chinese cities are facing a severe problem — lack of diversity of cityscape. China’s cities are almost homogenous across the country. That is not saying they only have one appearance; instead, they have assorted mixes of aggregated chaos. Contemporary Chinese cities tend to mimic each other and look alike. Homogenization of cities has become a negative side effect of urbanization, and this is going to be the core issue to face in the future of the urban development in China.
Isla Palenque, in Panama serves as a model for geo-responsible design practices throughout Central America, drawing upon natural, human-made and cultural patterns. The project preserve 85 percent of the island for a nature sanctuary, examines bioclimatic strategies for site-planning decisions, explores methods of agro-tourism to decrease imports and develops water and energy management plans that reduce dependency on nonrenewable resources. The project challenges existing governmental regulations, redefining regional development and conservation standards.
Our proposal looks to build from historical grid to create a contemporary framework that connects the site to its context, sponsors diversity within the block, and takes on the 21st century’s challenge for holistic sustainability.
Sasaki’s master plan for The Trees transforms a decommissioned Godrej soap manufacturing complex into an urban district that captures the kinetic energy of the city. The project will pave the way for a mixed used, vibrant, and livable new district that proactively engages the city. The plan creates a robust framework that fosters social, cultural, economic, and environmental cohesion in a people-centric and community-oriented design
The design of Zhangmiao Exercise Park shows an attitude towards city regeneration: forming urban space from the citizens’ spontaneity. Through combining the existing functions of the site, and investigation and analyze of site space and citizens’ real needs, the design team provided an alternative plan for this urban greenspace transformation project, and a dynamic place for public activities.
The Lun Dao Garden takes inspiration from the life and respect to nature, ecological protection, and human activity to create a space that supports a variety of functions. With the theme “High Chair", "Garden Table", and "Plant Show", the garden seeks to explore more design methods than seen in traditional landscape design. The Lun Dao Garden is an iconic event landscape design.
The design of the roof garden of the third office area of the Fangshan District government takes a minimalist approach. Based on the various functions of the space, four themed gardens were designed, namely “Xinyu Garden”, “Xuanju Garden”, “Lingting Garden”, and “Yousi Garden”. The project throws new light on ways to resolve common issues — such as loading, drainage, and water proofing — in the construction of roof gardens.
The Tagus Linear Park was conquered by the surrounding communities of the industrial private sector. For the first time, people of adjacent urban communities are given recreation and leisure opportunity in direct contact with the riverside, which was until recently blocked by large industrial lots. The park safeguards the existing natural systems and promotes the ecological regeneration of damaged areas.
One of the biggest challenges to the eco-city is a lack of cultural cohesion among non-designers. In particular, without a shared awareness and heightened value of ecology, long-term design-driven sustainable practice remains out of reach. To support successful eco-centric design, landscape architects must not only educate the general public, but must also make ecological issues relevant and accessible to non-designers.
The cornerstone of my creative practice is communicating ecological issues with a imaginative combination of art and design in order to fill the gap left by traditional landscape visualization techniques. My “artistic” graphic communication approach is an adaptation of many conventional landscape communication tools such as the diagram, map, model and perspective rendering. The power of this creative approach is evident in my recent project “The Forman Watercolor Diagrams”, in which I represent Richard T. T. Forman’s seminal landscape ecology diagrams. By employing an evocative combination of old and new media, the visualization of specialized landscape knowledge is not only accessible, but also inspirational.
A striking aspect of China’s recent modernization and urbanization has been a high rate of obsolescence, and redevelopment and renewal have become an increasingly large part of China’s developmental agenda.
Aiming at the Shekou Industrial District in Shenzhen, one of the earliest excursions into modern industrial and urban development since 1978, the issue to be confronted in our studio is how should Skekou District comport itself and be reconfigured to best leverage the obsolescence rate of the plant sites and other facilities while undergoing new development.
The concept of our project is to position the Shekou Peninsula as the link between Qianhai and Shenzhen by gradually adapting and transforming the existing fabric. The design targets the obsolescence through a highly programmatically mixed urban fabric, an overlap of districts, various urban anchors, dynamic transitions and most importantly, the dethematazation of the current urban planning trends. The new Shekou Peninsula will serve not only as an amenity for Shenzhen and Qianhai but also a destination for Hong Kong and the new towns developing across Shenzhen Bay.