Title:

Yanzhou Island:
A Well-being Reserve Inside Zhoaqing New Area

Authors:

Leonardo Ramondetti, Astrid Safina, and Francesco Carota

In Urban Design 2017, Vol. 13, pp. 54-61

2017

Ramondetti, L., Safina, A., & Carota, F., (2017). Yanzhou Island: A well-being reserve inside the Zhaoqing New Area. Urban Design, 13, 54-61.

This article presents a scenario for Yanzhou Island in Dinghu District, Zhaoqing. Taking advantage of the momentum generated in Zhaoqing as a result of the ongoing urbanization process in the Pearl River Delta, the city of Zhaoqing has begun the construction of Zhaoqing New Area, a new town that encompasses the largest island of the Pearl River: Yanzhou Island. The island nowadays present itself as a natural reserve formed by a rich and complex ecosystem that represents a great ecological and landscape value for the area. During the recent years in China, several policies have been promoted in order to stimulate an alternative model of urbanization that aims to preserve the existing local elements, generating a sustainable economy related to the concepts of leisure and well-being. The design proposal acts in this way. The project aims to reorganize and enhance the existing elements recomposing them in a macrosystem formed by three internal systems: the agricultural park, the infrastructural ring and the soft perimeter. This urban design represents a scenario able to generate large social and economic benefits within the process of urbanization