Green Link between City and Taihu Lake ——Wuxi Shangxianhe River Wetland Park

Location: Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

Client: Wuxi Taihu Lake New Town Administration Committee

Area: 210hm2

Competition: First Prize, 2007

Design and Completion: 2007-2011

In the context of rapid urbanization and industrialization, Wuxi urgently needed expand its urban area, and Taihu New Town is the product of this demand. Taihu Lake New Town is located in southeastern Wuxi, and its core provides administration, finance, business and other public service functions. Shangxianhe Wetland Park, about 4 kilometers in length and 210hm2 in area, lies on the central axis of Taihu Lake New Town and links Municipal Administration Center (MAC) in the north with Taihu Lake in the south.

As the New Town’s central park, Shangxianhe River Wetland Park is closely related with its surrounding urban area, Ecological Forest and Taihu Lake. The key goals of our plan are building it to be a green ecological heart of New Town, achieving a balance between urban development and ecological protection, improving regional water environment, rebuilding natural plant communities, restoring and protecting wetland ecosystem, continuing regional history and culture, and creating a suitable leisure environment.

In our proposal, we seek to make it be a green ecological heart of New Town, providing an ideal place for leisure, fitness, cultural experience and wetlands exploration. For the water pollution problem, we propose to enhance the efficiency of floodwater storage and drainage, improve water system and vegetation system on the site, and build strong relationship between rivers and city. We recommend rebuilding vegetation system under the premise of taking native plants as backbone, and restoring local ecological environment to create livable habitats for plants and animals. In order to protect and continue the local traditional culture, and display local culture and living styles, we propose to retain some existing conditions which have historic and cultural value. What is more, our planning aims to make Wetland Park harmonize with people’s life to attract more visitors coming here to explore the knowledge of natural sciences and humanities and to build it to be an sustainable ecological landscape which is integrated into the new town.

As an ecological and landscape corridor in the city, Shangxianhe Wetland Park is divided into four zones from north to south, which are Wetland Park Zone, Wetland Discovery Zone, Wetland Experience Zone, and Ecological Conservation Zone.

Wetland Park Zone, located in the center of Taihu Lake New Town, is mainly for people’s leisure. With New Town CBD on the west, wide waterfront promenade, yacht docks and sports fields are set in the west bank, providing convenient, comfortable places for visitors and residents’ relaxation, entertainment, exercise and recreation. The east shoreline is a smooth curve, and some mounds and waterfront amphitheaters are nestled into the designed landforms, shaping quiet and pleasant social engaging spaces in woodlands.

To display the succession of wetland plants and create habitats for small animals and insects, Wetland Discovery Zone establishes rich vegetation communities, and at the same time, provides platforms for people’s stay, rest and observation.

Wetland Experience Zone will fully embody the idea of sustainable development. In this zone, previous farmland, orchards, fish ponds, villages, and factories on the site are transformed into Crop Garden, Orchards Garden, Aquatic Garden, Water Purification Garden, service facilities, Exhibition Halls, etc.

Situated on the Taihu Lakeshore, Ecological Conservation Zone becomes the habitat of birds, fishes and other small wildlife by retaining a large area of mudflat and building a rich variety of vegetation communities.