RSLA winning Guangzhou Fangcun Huadi Master Plan

Winning Announcement

Guangzhou City Government announced that the entry of Rainer Schmidt Landscape Architects and City Planners is winning entry of the Guangzhou Fangchun Huadi Sustainable Master Plan competition. Another entry by west8 was also selected as winning entry. The competition covers a site area of 2,050 ha. (20.5km2) with wide landscape and wetland parks and residential development for over 50.000 inhabitants. The former delta with its tradition of horticultural usage will be transformed into an ecological urban landscape.

Location

Guangzhou Fangcun Huadi is located in the Guangzhou Western Liwan District, Fangcun region, and between Foshan City and Guangzhou City in China. The site is a 30 minute drive from Baiyun Airport or 10 minute drive from Guangzhou South Train Station.

Area

The total area is 20.5 km2, although the core area ranges from the Longxi avenue on the north to Huadi avenue in the south, and from Wuguang high speed railway on the east to Fengjiang River on the West. This core area is 5.6 km2.

Government Goals

Huadi has cultivated flowers for one thousand seven hundred years, as well as flowers used for Buddhist and royal ceremonies.
The plan of the Guangzhou government is to integrate the Huadi flower cultivation and agriculture resources into the new high standard Huadi ecological area. This area will be a distinctive new marker for Guangzhou and a model of New Urbanization. Specifically, the primary goal is to build this “flower city, green city, and water city” as an Eco-city. Key themes highlighted by the Government for investigation include the flower theme, improvement of the water network system, and developing a local identity for the Lingnan water village.

The Plan Concept

The overall site concept is derived from the form and character of the dominant elements of flowers and water. A romantic, dreamy and fragrant city emerges as a new center for the region. The structure comprises one central area and seven urban groups radiating out like the petals of a flower. The site’s green space network links the Foshan ecological corridor, Pearl River ecological corridor and the Pearl River Delta into one connected system. Rivers and streams around the core area flow into and through a new water system designed to clean and filter river water. The centerpiece of the water system is the Huadi Lake and wetlands in the core area. Cleaned water from the system can be used for recreation, within the urban area and the core area, and for irrigation of flower fields and other agriculture. The concept incorporates artificial wetlands and natural wetlands to control flood patterns and intensity.

Within the concept, Huadi is developed as a “Dream City”, a place which is Dynamic, Romantic, Ecological, with excellent Amenity: a Model city. The functional basis of the city is dynamic and varied, consisting of the Horticulture Expo and related business transactions, recreation and tourism, ecological conservation, and creative industries. Related issues are also considered, including flower cultivation, integration of low-carbon technology, commercial services, business offices and a waterfront residential community.

The Masterplan develops 6 zones: a flower trading and ecological leisure zone, a dynamic city center, a low-carbon community, a business area, a science and technology area, and space for urban industry.

Five design principles

o Living with water: connecting, expanding and integrating the water network across the site for better ecology and recreation opportunities.

o Restoring balance: using water systems to assist with ecological restoration.

o Meeting point: creating a new attractor between Foshan and Guangzhou to better integrate the cities and using the site to connect surrounding ecological corridors together.

o Make it financially viable: integrate the flower industry and provide opportunities for new industries.

o Getting around: integrating sensible transport systems for visitors, workers, residents and business people.

The core area includes a dynamic city center, a horticultural and creative zone, space for a bonsai and flower show and related trading, and the International Flower Expo. Each zone has been developed in more detail to show key ideas and concepts. This concept will develop Huadi into a dream city – a fascinating place of enthusiasm, vitality and creativity. We imagine the newly masterplanned site as a new window through which the world can know Guangzhou.

RELATED PROJECTS