Italy based architect Manfredo Tafuri has put forward a proposal to rebuild the historical area of White Swan Estuary District. White Swan District is situated in Guangzhou city in the People’s Republic of China. The proposal by Tafuri focuses on the 30 sq km around the riverside, which is part of a larger urban regeneration master plan by the Chinese government to reinvent the image of Guangzhou. Currently, the White Swan District can be best described as a semi urban area. On one the hand, it consists of all the trademarks of a fully functional city – industries, port facilities, warehouses etc, while on the other, the District is also home to farmland and village settlements.
The city has always been known for its industrial face. This has drained the color from this riverside city in many ways. To make up for the lost time, the government is planning to give the city a facelift.. As a result of one such initiative a huge mass of land has been made vacant along the waterfront. The White Swan project will be responsible for bringing out the required changes in the area. Guangzhou is a historical city, so the central premise of the new proposal is to find a balance between the new and the old. Urban Design and Development Strategy for the project can be summed up into three categories.
1. Finding the catalyst
The urban image of the city needs a makeover. So the first obvious step is to find that ‘urban catalyst’ which can help begin the urban regeneration process. The catalyst will come from the focus on establishing new definitions of urban form, structure, ethos and population.
2. Reorganize and restructure
Due to lack of government check and reckless construction by the private individuals, the city has acquired haphazardly distributed and uncoordinated residential and commercial centers. It not only affects the overall landscape but also degrades the city’s image. A vertical planning system will not only help to reorganize and restructure the entire city but would also be beneficial for green ecosystem and land use pattern.
3. Sustainable development
The principal of ecological gradient will serve as the backbone of the entire White Swan project. It includes introduction of sustainable development practices like flower farm based economy, development of the waterfront belt in the ‘Piano Key’ pattern and focusing on existing urban villages.
White Swan project is a one of its kind initiative and a challenge for the government, keeping in mind the rapid economic growth and the need for sustainable development. This project provides an example for other cities that urban regeneration and redevelopment is indeed the best foot forward in the 21st century.
Via: Koh Han Yeow
