Qidong Royal Park City – Master Plan

An invitation to compete in a major development in Qidong, China (approximately 31 miles north of Shanghai), resulted in a First Place Award of this international design competition. The design area covered almost 198 acres within the center of Qidong.

The design takes its inspiration from the analogy of the heart at the center of an organism, ceaselessly pumping nutrients through the circulation system to nourish the entire organism. In the same way, our design focuses on a major park located at its core, symbolically replenishing the human beings that inhabit it. A green belt is positioned between the inner park and the outer edge of the development zone. Throughout the development, housing, commercial uses, and retail corridors open onto it, seamlessly weaving nature into the quality of everyday life. The buildings touching this green-way will have “green” roofs, capturing storm water to be reused throughout the site in a series of environmentally-friendly ways.

Two major promenades, acting as special shopping and entertainment plazas, convey visitors from the City Governmental Complex. Both pedestrian plazas are directly on axis to focus the centerpiece of the park at the heart.