2010 | 70ha urban design of Qinglong Metro Depot in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China | Urban Designer, with AECOM Shanghai Masterplanning Team.
Project Description:
“The Meiyuan station is the western terminal station of new Wuxi metro line-2, although only 5km from city center and 2km from Taihu Lake scenic area, it is surrounded by “NIMBY” (not-in-my-backyard) elements that includes landfill sites, military ground, cemetery, and subway depot. This 70ha urban design project around the station and depot is identified as an opportunity to amplify the benefits of metro development to a city. Designed with TOD (transit-oriented-development) principles, the objective is to replace the site’s deteriorating condition and to change its current “urban cancer” status to the place for living and leisure.
Design and planning strategies are introduced in three levels: [REGIONAL] Regeneration: Taking advantage of proximity to national tourism destinations as a regeneration engine for development, and through ripple effect to induce redevelopment of surrounding negative sites – a regional influence to a greater area beyond. [SITE] Re-programming: Land-use maximization in two-fold: (1) Compound bus depot on top of subway depot, in exchange for prime-value land as community development. (2) Integrate bus terminal with tourism commerce; utilize underground space from subway development for neighborhood services – the “LIVING+LEISURE” dual-engine development core. [STATION] Experience: Optimize layout for efficient intermodal exchange with services along. Linkage to a sunken public plaza directly connected to subway, creating a pleasant experience for the local residents and a special journey for the visitors. All together, the site is to be transformed from an urban fringe into a vibrant landmark of Wuxi, the Qingmei Place – a TOD community to live and to visit.
threshold 內外之間 