In the central Chinese city of Jincheng (Shanxi province), the riverbed of the Huayuantou River has been transformed into a continuous water and park system, giving the new neighbourhoods a spatial structure and bringing the surrounding nature into the city. The planning area stretches over 4.3 kilometres and covers a area of around eight square kilometres; planning took place over 14 years. As the author of the masterplan and coordinator of an interdisciplinary consortium of various specialist planners, including hydraulic engineering and transport experts, RLA played a leading role in both the design phase and construction supervision.
The masterplan concept, ‘One river – three parks’, was based on the idea of understanding the course of the river as one continuous entity and designing three parks, each with a different character, connected by the river's course. The North Park, with its flowing streams, represents 'jumping water'; the East Park, with its calm areas of water, represents 'resting water'; and the South Park, with its extensive riverbank zone, represents 'urban waterfront'. The design of the network of paths and the planting and materiality of the surfaces are based on this fundamental structure. A river promenade links the different spaces together like a strong bracket, creating a transition zone between the city and the landscape.
A central concern was the consistent implementation of the sponge city principle. The focus was on near-natural rainwater management, the careful use of soil and vegetation and generally low-impact, resource-saving development. In the Nordpark, eleven water retention basins serve to retain, clean and utilise rainwater, while rainwater gardens, ecological retention strips and water-permeable paving promote infiltration and reuse.
Particular attention was paid to the protection of historical structures and natural landscape elements. For example, the ‘Ningjing Stone Arch Bridge’, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty, was carefully moved by 30 metres in order to integrate it into the new landscape concept and preserve it. In order to strengthen the ecological processes and preserve the original landscape, the topography was left largely untouched and planted with native species adapted to the climate.
The project faced particular challenges due to the site's geological and topographical conditions. Owing to Jincheng’s century-long history of coal mining, underground cavities had to be stabilized by injecting cement mortar to prevent water loss in the newly created lakes. In addition, the site features an elevation difference of 85 meters between its northern and southern ends. This was addressed in the North and South Parks through a series of small, cascade-like retention structures and in the East Park with terraced wetlands, which also serve to naturally purify the water.
The project was honoured with the ‘Excellence Award’ at the GHDA Global Habitat Design Awards in 2024.
area: 80.0 ha
competition (1. prize): 2011
completion: 2024
