Three olds

Three olds

What is the region’s strategy to gain more space for new developments?

Old town Old townOld town Old town source:www.vcg.comSource: www.vcg.com Source: www.vcg.comSource: www.vcg.com

Old urban villagesOld urban villages Old urban villagesOld urban villages source: Village in the city Source: Village in the city Source: Village in the city Source: Village in the city Old factory Old factoryOld factory Old factory picture credit: Edward Burtynsky Picture credit: Edward Burtynsky Picture credit: Edward Burtynsky Picture credit: Edward Burtynsky

The three olds in the region of GBA refer to the old towns, old factory sites and old villages. Since 2009, there has been a shift in urban development policies from the urban village and industrial district revitalisation to include the old residential sites, factories and business areas. These areas carry cultural and historic connotations along with them. The regeneration of three olds has become highly experimental and innovative. Foshan and Guangdong have already pioneered in successfully transforming the three olds as a part of their urban regeneration planning framework. These areas, if left unattended, contribute to inefficient land use and also to the pollution along the shores. More than 50 percent of the three old lands in Pearl River Delta is found within 500 metres of the water system, making them accessible through infrastructure systems (Guangdong Planning and Design Institute). The three olds regeneration also include industrial transformation, urban transformationand environmental reconstruction. The existing footprints can be utilised to generate new functions in the area. These lands could become state-owned where necessary strategies are formulated to aid in the grander vision. On the other hand, the land’s owner can implement a self-transformation model giving way to the possibility of collaboration between the two processes. These lands aid in the city’s economic social and sustainable development. The project’s vision is to replace these three old issues with a combination of new and green tissues.