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Shenshan Masterplan International Competition

Location: Shenzhen, China

Program: Waterfront City Design

Client: Development Planning and Land and Resources, Bureau of Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone

Area:  50 km2

Collaborators:  Consortium with Urban Strategies and SHDT

Status: International Competition Winner Completed

Our vision for Shenshan is to create one of the most liveable cities in China. How are we going to do this? By bringing to Shenshan, the rich diversity of experiences that people are drawn to in urban life. DiversCity’s DNA will be all about mix: carefully combining uses and activities, creating diverse environ­ments, great architecture, beautiful public spaces, secure, harmonious and physically connected communities which people will want to call home. That chemistry is the key to identity and distinctiveness and it ultimately is what makes a city liveable and competitively positioned to attract and retain future generations of talent. Our vision is based around these essential ambitions.

Our plan builds on the character of the site, taking every opportunity to pre­serve and enhance its quality of place, through ‘green fingers’ which will per­meate each district with a different character, a DiversCity of amenities and special ‘moments’, and act as ecological corridors and ‘lungs’ for the new community. Within this green framework, two primary hubs and six neighbour­hood districts are linked through a network of lightrail and bus routes which will ensure that all users are within a five-minute walk from transit. A fine grain network of streets, cycle lanes and walking paths will further strengthen Shen­shan’s balanced mobility network. The DiversCity of street types, scales and characters will be reinforced by a diverse approach to built form in accommo­dating a diverse mix of uses and densities throughout each district.

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