Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization

R E V I V I N G TERRITORIES OFHYDRAULIC CI V I LI Z AT I O N Design Explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Racha Daher, Stefanie Dens, and Bruno De Meulder Spring Studio 2017, Yangtze River Delta, China 2017 K.U.Leuven, Master of Human Settlements, Master of Urbanism and Strategic Planning

STUDIO FACULTY TEAM

STUDIO Participants

Racha Daher Stefanie Dens

Temesgen Abegaz

Bruno De Meulder

Santiago Molano Bernal

IN COllaboration WITH Christian Nolf Florence Vannoorbeeck XJTLU, China Publication Editor Racha Daher WITH ASSISTANCE FROM Yu-Han Huang Stefanie Dens MORE INFO ?

MAHS / MAUSP / EMU Master Programs Department ASRO, K.U.Leuven Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium Tel: + 32(0)16 321 391 Email: info@mahsmausp.be ISBN NUMBER: 9789090304557 EAN: 9789090304557 © Copyright by K.U.Leuven Without written permission of the promotors and the authors it is forbidden to reproduce or adapt in any form or by any means any part of this publication. Requests for obtaining the right to reproduce or utilize parts of this publication should be addressed to K.U.Leuven, Faculty of Engineering – Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, B-3001 Heverlee (België). Telefoon +32-16-32 13 50 & Fax. +32-16-32 19 88.

A written permission of the promotor is also required to use the methods, products, schematics and programs described in this work for industrial or commercial use, and for submitting this publication in scientific contests.

All images in this booklet are, unless credits are given, made or drawn by the authors (Water Urbanism Studio, 2017).

Ana Maria Arcos Aspiazu Bruna Fregonezi Julie Goffaux Yu-Han Huang Nicholas Jacobs Marzia Khatun Olga Koukoui Harsh Lakhani Christel Mayalian Hai Anh Nguyen Chau Nguyen Athanasiou Iosif Petros Vu Minh Phuoc Nikita Shah Thaddeus Tan Hai Tu Tran Quoc Thang Trinh Son Tung Xinyu Xiao Huazhou Ye Samrawit Yohannes Yoseph gUEST CRITICS Viviana d’Auria Paulina Espinosa Ceclia Furlan Guido Geenen Yanliu Lin Christian Nolf Claudia Lucia Rojas Kelly Shannon Jeroen Stevens Florence Vannoorbeeck

R E V I V I N G TERRITORIES OFHYDRAULIC CI V I LI Z AT I O N Design Explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Racha Daher, Stefanie Dens, and Bruno De Meulder Spring Studio 2017, Yangtze River Delta, China 2017 K.U.Leuven, Master of Human Settlements, Master of Urbanism and Strategic Planning

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Acknowledgements We would like to thank Dr. Christian Nolf, Florence Vannoorbeeck and XJTLU for sharing with us their research on the area, for providing us with base maps and necessary information that facilitated the start of the studio research, and for hosting our studio in China during their fieldwork. Without their partnership, this studio would have not been possible.

We would like to thank all the Guest Critics, who took time off from their schedules to make themselves available to provide insights throughout the process.

The staff, for their behind the scenes work.

And of course, the participants and authors of the design research work represented here.

Preface

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Table of Contents Preface 01 Framework

11

02 Geographical Setting

17

03 Fieldwork

41

03.1 Water and Topography

45

03.2 Nature

61

03.3 Infrastructure

83

03.4 Tissue and Typology

103

03.5 Agriculture

131

03.6 Industry

143

03.7 Society

155 181

04 Design Explorations 04.1 Settling Water: Cycles & modalities in the Jiangnan lowlands

185

04.2 R(e)structuring mobility in the Jiangnan Corridor: (e)Routing and pooling

215

04.3 Back to Wei: Agro-ecological polder for climate change resilience

247

04.4 Eco-leap forward: Shifting agriculture

279

04.5 Re-profiling the grid city: Framing development through stormwater mitigation 327 04.6 Recover Water to Reset: Anchoring, bridging & framing the watertown References

353 379

Table of Contents

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Preface The future of cities is greatly affected by water: climate change, sea level rise, storm surge, flooding, uneven water distribution, water pollution, ground-water contamination, water scarcity, over-extraction and subsidence, loss of biodiversity, public water privatization, among others. These issues along with many social, ecological and political issues related to water, are increasingly on the rise.

Water has become a pressing issue for the urbanization of our time.

This publication is a compilation of work undertaken in a semester-long urban design studio that investigates water-related issues in a territory with a dominant hydraulic history - its morphology, starkly composed of water. This territory lies in The Yangtze River Delta in China, and was recently classified as the “Jiangnan Ecological Wetland and Water Village Cultural Zone�.

Preface

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

01

Framework

11

Authors: Racha Daher Bruno De Meulder

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Water Urbanism As cities and their futures, our futures, become more and more affected by water as a result of non-ecological human activity, climate change, and 19th and 20th century hard planning, we are increasingly coming face to face with water issues, such as sea level rise, storm surges, flooding, uneven water distribution, water pollution, ground-water contamination, water scarcity, over-extraction and subsidence, the loss of biodiversity, and public water privatization; and this is just to name a few. These issues come along with many social, ecological and political dimensions, and are increasingly on the rise.

Water has become a pressing issue. But urbanization with sensitivity to water is not a new thing. Throughout history, water played an important role in the logics of city-making, human civilization, and city livelihood, and for millennia, water cleansing took care of itself. Since 19th century industrialization, increased pressures have put such a load on water that habitats are no longer able to cope. Epidemics related to cities and water took an “out of sight, out of mind” approach, and water consistently disappeared from cities at large (De Meulder & Shannon, 2015). But water is everywhere, and is in constant motion. It affects us at many scales. The linear approach of top-down hard-line engineering to contain it, block it, and fight it has proved time and time again insufficient.

In an article in the book Theories and Manifestos of Modern Architecture, Van der Ryn and Cowan stated that ecological thinking in design portrays respect for nature with processes that regenerate rather than deplete (Van der Ryn & Cowan, 2006, p.168). Going back to basics, water is a supporter of human, plant, fish and animal life, and its processes are interlinked with their activities. These inter-linkages form ecosystems that are cyclic and that, in nature, would replenish themselves. If we understand that urbanism “incorporates the whole social and cultural dimension of urban life” (De Meulder & Shannon, 2015), then when water becomes part of urban reality, how can water and urbanism coexist?

Mostafavi in Ecological Urbanism extended ecological thinking as an ‘Urbanism’ that deals with multiple realities that transcend traditional boundaries between disciplines, the public and private sector, formality and informality, rural and urban, real and virtual, and the visible and the invisible (Mostafavi, 2010). Water transcends all those dualities with its physicality, despite sometimes being temporal. It does not distinguish between boundary, discipline, or levels of formality or publicness. While ideas of fluidity are symbolic of dynamic conditions of the city that we deal with in urban design, water presents itself as a physical element that actually is fluid. It enlarges and shrinks and flows, and needs elastic space that accommodates for its changing nature. Sometimes its changes are apparent and sometimes they are discrete.

01. Framework

13

Landscape Urbanism has theorized an urbanism that is synthetic and time-sensitive (plants take time to mature and go through different phases); this has brought a metabolic dimension to urbanism that deals with operations that are sensitive to natural and social processes, to time and that are open to growth and change. And since natural processes alone cannot cope with urban growth, the shared discipline allows for a nurturing cross-over that facilitates the ability to think about urban systems, soft and hard infrastructures, and social dynamics in urban space through a system of operations that can grow through phase and change over time (Corner, 2006).

Often, water is grounded in its territory, and becomes a major landscape feature. Using the same logics of Landscape Urbanism, when water is a major physical element in the physical territory or forms the morphology of the landscape, all the processes of the specific context are linked to its water morphology. In Water Urbanism, water becomes the ‘landscape’ component of Landscape Urbanism.

Water has the qualities of a living thing. Its temperament renders it as both a resource and a threat. Its systemic, transformative and fluid nature calls for us to think about its logics dynamically, in an approach that shifts through time, multiple scales, and across disciplines, with common infrastructural threads that blur the in-between. These logics, processes and qualities are not in contradiction to Ecological and Landscape Urbanism. Water Urbanism accepts the logics of both those urbanisms, with the additional emphasis on water as the context-based physicality, the palimpsest, and the force with which to approach urban design in a territory greatly affected by water.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

The Studio Using the theoretical framework of Water Urbanism, Ecological Urbanism and Landscape Urbanism, this studio investigated the water territory in the Chinese context of the Yangtze River Delta (see following chapter). Using a context-specific approach that departs from water, the studio began with on-site fieldwork, where the studio participants spent two weeks on site with local experts and researchers, to conduct joint-research together with local participants. They explored a transect across an ecological wetland and water town corridor, studying various edges, connections, and site conditions. During that time, they gathered information and collected data, and immersed with other local researchers in the site area.

Once back in the studio from the fieldwork, they documented their findings and used them as base knowledge to aid them in exploring site-specific possibilities and strategies. They then developed (eco)-logical systems and design explorations across scale and time, to generate scenarios and strategies for sustainable development, and context-sensitive applications.

Using their applied systems, they re-designed and re-imagined spatial qualities which are transformed as a result of their systems. They visualized the transformations in the regional, city, neighborhood and human scales, and across time-lapsed phases of the future.

Main Questions •

• • • • •

How can we, as urban designers, landscape architects, and landscape urbanists, work with the natural course of water and integrate its changing and cyclic nature into spatial design, while blurring the edges between rural and urban?

How can water be accommodated while continuing to provide for development pressures, where ecological, social and economic dimensions can be dynamically balanced?

How do we design an ecological infrastructure, that can cope with pressures of urbanization while still maintain sensitivity to its ecological functions?

How can we think of water as a fundamental productive, performative, and organizing element for resourceful systems tied to energy, food, waste and public space?

How can we design and capture the territory as a changing, moving ground to serve as resilient urbanization over time?

How can we think about water as a public common, not just for human beings, but for all of life?

01. Framework

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02

Geographical Setting

17

Authors: Racha Daher Bruno De Meulder

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Geographical Setting China China has undergone major ‘catch up’ development at an exponential growth rate, in the last few decades. Yet this has come with major environmental degradation. But perhaps the most pressing challenge is water supply, as watershed volumes shrink and flood risks increase.

China contains only 6% of the world’s sweet water supply, but 20% of the global population.

Two thirds of Chinese cities lack water – 75% percent of China’s surface water and 64% percent of city underground water supplies are polluted. A third of China’s population faces the threat of drinking contaminated water. In the last 50 years, half of its wetlands have disappeared. The underground water table is increasingly decreasing. Clearly China faces a water crisis (De Meulder & Shannon, 2013).

The Heart of the Yangtze River Delta In the East of China, about 40 km west of Shanghai, and lying in the Taihu Basin, the green heart of the Yangtze River Delta is composed of a fine-grained mix of fishponds and polders that have developed overtime interweaving linear settlements, water towns, and small industries. Part of the larger Suzhou area, and known as the Jiangnan Corridor, this agricultural and aquacultural landscape contrasts sharply with the rigidly zoned towns and generic cities that were developed in the last few decades. The top-down urbanization also contrasts with the heritage values that were sensitive to water systems and their ecological and functional roles.

The Jiangnan corridor is anchored by several cities of the Taihu Basin, including Shanghai to the east, Wujiang and Suzhou to the west. The basin makes up for 3% of China’s population with 36.8 million inhabitants (Evans & Cheng, 2010). With a relatively flat topography composed of low and high lands between 2-3m below sea level and 3-4m above sea level, the region is prone to fluvial flooding, storm surges, and internal floods caused by heavy rainfall. The basin also has a subtropical, monsoon climate, receiving about 1177mm of annual precipitation, typically occurring in high intensity short bursts, and concentrated in summer (known as ‘plum rains’). (Evans & Cheng, 2010) Due to extreme urbanization pressure in the area, an ‘East-West Ecological Wetland and Water-village Corridor’ or the ‘Jiangnan Corridor’, has been proposed by the government with the aim to conserve the described water landscape. This studio investigated how new development pressure in this corridor can be accommodated for, while still preserving the distinct qualities of the area. The role of water in the YRD is evident. Hence, how can water and ecological systems be taken into account while continuing to accommodate the most dynamic development ever encountered in the region?

02. Geographical Setting

19

East China

Source: Google Earth image modified by editor

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

The Yangtze River Delta

Suzhou Shanghai

Taihu Lake

Jiangnan Transect Outline indicates the Taihu Basin

Source: Google Earth image modified by editor

02. Geographical Setting

21

Jiangnan Corridor: The Heart of the Yangtze River Delta

Tongli Taihu Lake Wujiang

Source: Google Earth image modified by editor

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Chenghu Lake

Dianshan Lake

02. Geographical Setting

23

Issues The Jiangnan corridor faces several issues. Many of them are directly related to water but not only.

As a result of rapid urbanization in the basin in the last few decades, and particularly in the last decade, there has been a large increase in paved surface (and a large reduction in farmland). The ground surface has a reduced natural capacity for water storage, due to this increased paving surface. A high dependence on mechanical systems such as dykes and pumping stations has lead to the blocking of canals and rivers, stagnation, and even the infill of waterways due to pollution. Water pollution is a major issue in the area as a result of not only domestic waste dumping into water bodies, but also current industrial and farming practices. Many industries have been releasing their waste directly into water sources and farmers have been overloading soil with nutrients causing excess chemicals find their way into water sources.

Due to water pollution, there is an increased need for clean water which in turn has increased groundwater extraction - water consumption is greater than the available clean surface water resources. This has caused major ground subsidence. While the practice of extraction has stopped, the subsidence issue remains, and some areas are actually sinking. Moreover, deforestation in hilly areas has led to sedimentation in the area’s drainage network, which has lead to reduced conveying capacity and has exacerbated stagnant water conditions, and hence, the water pollution situation.

Climate change and the issues associated with it, also play an important part. Sea-level rise, storm surges, natural disasters, and changes in the intensity and distribution of rainfall, exacerbate drainage and flood control capacities. Increased intensity and duration of storms due to typhoons and heat island effects may increase storm volume by 10% - 42% by 2050.

This further causes increased flood risks and further aggravates the water pollution problem.

Because water bodies in the area are highly contaminated, there is an increased shift from rice paddies to vegetable crop farming due to water quality. Due to the increasing need for food provision, policies had been set on a national level to target this issue. Current policies on agricultural land provide subsidies to farmers to combine harvested plots to create larger farming land. The problem with this, is that because certain crops have higher profits, large lands are being harvested with mono-cultural crops decreasing the resilience of the land,

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

and the diversity of harvest. Profit margins have also been low enough for many farmers to migrate out of the rural areas into urban areas seeking higher income and better living conditions. At the same time, a large inflow of migrants from other parts of China have moved into rural areas, where they work the land and rent spaces from locals who have either moved into urban resettlement areas, or who have remained and have additional space to rent.

Some actually construct additional space to rent it out to migrants for additional income, making local farmers less dependent on only produce and harvest conditions.

In terms of zoning and housing, plans with rigid zoning have identified areas for living quarters where large resettlement buildings are erected without consideration for the urban, social, and ecological environment. This has lead to the creation of urban tissues with a banal quality that is disconnected from the heritage linked with the traditional water towns and villages.

Highway and roadway systems have dissected large territories, and transit dependence is mainly focused on the automobile. In the Wujiang urban area, a metro network covers the area, while buses connect across the corridor mainly in an east-west direction. Traditionally water was used as a major transit source for both people, and goods, but water has not been on the priority list since catch up development has taken place. There is also not a coherent network for softer modes of mobility.

High population density and plans for increased urbanization further add pressure to this ecologically sensitive area, as it is expected to receive another 100 thousand people by 2030.

In the following pages are photographs that were taken by the studio participants while they researched the area during their fieldwork in the Jiangnan corridor.

02. Geographical Setting

25

26

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

27

28

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

31

32

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

33

34

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

02. Geographical Setting

39

40

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03

Fieldwork

41

Local (China) Fieldwork Organizers: Christian Nolf Florence Vannoorbeeck Fieldwork Host Institution: XJTLU (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University), China KU Leuven Research Organizers: Bruno De Meulder Stefanie Dens Racha Daher Participating Institutions: KU Leuven, Belgium XJTLU (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University), China SUST (Shaanxi University of Science and Technology), China Onsite Research Guidance: Christian Nolf Bruno De Meulder Florence Vannoorbeeck Stefanie Dens Post-Fieldwork Synthesis Effort Guidance: Racha Daher Stefanie Dens

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Fieldwork While in China on field research, studio participants collaborated with participants and researchers from XJTLU and SUST. The onsite investigations were divided into focus themes for research, or think tanks, to cover 9 topics under 4 categories (see figure below): ecology, urbanization, economy and culture. Upon return, the studio participants synthesized and documented the outcome of the research, as presented in the following pages.

THINK TANKS ecology

urbanization

economy

culture

society

industry

agriculture

typology

tissue

infrastructure

nature

topography

water

The research group covered 9 themes under 4 categoris. The dashed lines indicate where themes were combined for documentation purposes.

Sharing knowledge during fieldwork evenings.

03. Fieldwork

43

Research Think Tanks (2 Combined): Harsh Lakhani | KU Leuven Julie Goffaux | KU Leuven Marzia Khatun | KU Leuven Quoc Thang Trinh | KU Leuven Vu Minh Phuoc | KU Leuven Lipin Wu | SUST Yang Zhang | SUST Chunyi Zou | XJTLU Miao He | XJTLU Qi Wang | XJTLU Shanging Gao | XJTLU Tianya Xu | XJTLU Tin Maung Than | XJTLU Zichun Yang | XJTLU

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.1

Water & Topography

Reconfiguring water landscapes The Yangtze River Delta is a water-dominated productive landscape, which has over time been considerably modified in response to human needs. Topographic interventions, such as cut and fill, have enabled the simultaneous creation of polders, canals and raised settlements. Today, these interventions are more frequent in order to meet the growing needs of urbanization and industrialization. Flood risks resulting from the loss of water storage capacity and ground permeability have so far been successfully managed by hardengineering structures such as dykes, water gates, and pumps, but this has had impacts on water quality which is not being thoroughly addressed, and is becoming a serious health issue. With new threats such as sea level rise and climate change adding to the existing drainage and pollution issues, how far will hard-engineering systems be able to resist the powers of nature?

03. Fieldwork

45

Evolution of the Landscape

Taihu archipelago

Polder in large scale by central government

Polder degradation and division

Union of Polders

Rationalisation of landscapes

Super blocks

From a continually flooded wetland from which emerged only a couple of islands, the water surfaces in the landscape have gradually been reduced, creating a reclaimed territory intersected by numerous canals and lakes. Historically, the process of cut and fill defined the structure of the 46

early polder system, articulated through a network of rivers and canals, with higher areas for housing and dikes and lower areas for agriculture and water management and irrigation. However, the cut and fill strategy of modern times is no longer concentrated only on housing and agricultural

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Farmlandagriculture land Water capacity Urbanization & Industrial area Infrastructure Cut and fill changes Wetland

needs, but is directed to meet the demands of rapid urbanization. The water network is increasingly fragmented as small channels are filled to make room for industrial development or is being replaced by large reservoirs sought after in new urban waterfront developments. Consequently, the

expansion of impermeable concrete surface due to urbanization has caused the decrease of water capacity to regulate and distribute water flows, leading to the serious floods in 1991 and 1998.

03. Fieldwork

47

Human impact on water systems and topography

Effect of cut and fill on land and water surfaces in the sample squares 2003 Urban

Agriculture

A2

A1

B2

B1

2016 0%

-2% +2%

Effect of historical preservation

Equilibrium

0%

48

0%

+6%

Increasing aquaculture

0%

+20%

Market driven agriculture

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

A1 C1

A2 B2

B1

C2

Industry

Ponds Channels

C2

C1 +1%

0%

0%

-22%

The topography drains water southwards, from Suzhou city through industrial parks and finally through an agricultural zone before reaching the Taipu River. This has critical implications, as water draining into Taipu is the main source of potable water for the Shanghai metropolitan area.

Artificial drainage system

Effect of land regulation

03. Fieldwork

49

Cut and fill strategy

Before 1980

After 1980

The diagrams illustrate more clearly the logic of topographical modification from ancient time until today. Before 1980s, the main purpose of the cut and fill process was to create the polder system for housing and agricultural demands. Through this, traditional villages were placed on higher ground, close to the water network for transportation and safe from the impacts of flooding, while agricultural lands were protected with surrounding dikes, with access to water for an irrigation system. After

50

the 1980s, the cut and fill process took place rapidly to meet urbanization demands. The new urban developments around the waterfront, the expansion of industrial areas along the rivers and canals, and the appearance of new infrastructure with urban sprawl, have dissected the territory, reduced the size and scale of agricultural land, and reduced the natural performative capacity of the soil.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Urban area

Industrial area

Rural area

The three models above describe the diversity of topography in the landscape of three distinct contexts: the urban area, the industrial area, and the rural area. The interaction between traditional elements (river, canal, fishpond, and farmland) and modern elements (new housing, factory, highway, and road) has simultaneously created the harmony and the contrast between the generic landscape in urban and industrial areas with a sponge landscape in the rural area at different scales. The

models also reveal that the higher elevation levels of urban and industrial areas have defined the lower levels of agricultural lands in between, which will become even more vulnerable by the future impacts of climate change.

03. Fieldwork

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Natural and Engineered Water Systems

The natural water system

Source: Base map used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by research team.

ADVECTION

Source: Base map by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by research team.

The Taihu Lake basin is delimited in the west by a mountain range, from which rainwater and snow melt is drained towards the lake, and by the sea and rivers in the east. The flat topography makes drainage from Taihu lake to the sea very difficult (only 4m level difference), leading to periodic flooding. As all deltas, the coastline has

52

EP AG E

-2m

Yellow Sea

SEDIMENTATION

EVAPORATION

Shanghai

PERIODIC FLOODING

INFILTRATION

4m

SE

FF

Suzhou

-O

643m Tai Lake

RU N

PRECIPITATION

890m

EVAPO-TRANSPIRATION

CONDENSATION

0m

GROUN

DWATER FLOW

CLAY

-300m

BEDROCK

evolved according to sedimentation and erosion processes. The sediments, mainly clay, are very fertile and retain water, which partly accounts for the high groundwater level.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

The engineered water system

-O

FF

TYPHOONS

INFILTRATION

4m IMPERMEABILISATION

DEFORESTATION WATER POLLUTION

DRAINAGE ISSUES

EVAPORATION

RU N

643m

EVAPO-TRANSPIRATION

890m

PRECIPITATION

Source: Base map used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by research team.

GLOBAL WARMING

SEA LEVEL RISE +0.5m

-55m

EXTRACTION

LOWERING WATER TABLE

Source: Base map by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by research team.

The delta landscape has been considerably modified to reduce the incidence of floods and to control irrigation and transportation. Structures such as canals, dykes, water gates, dams and reservoirs enable humans to control water flows.

Urban areas have spread across the delta at an alarming rate, which has caused a number

0m

SUBSIDENCE SALINATION CLAY

-300m

BEDROCK

of modifications to the hydrological cycle, such as subsidence, lowering the water table and increasing water pollution. New threats affecting the hydrological cycle include sea level rise (approximately. 0.5m at Shanghai coast in 2095 (Evans & Cheng, 2010) and the effects of global warming.

03. Fieldwork

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Source of water usage and water pollution

Grey water discharged Fire from houses to canal hydrant

Restaurants, tourism Cleaning floor with Water gates and boats and fishing detergent and releasing pumps to control level birds economy and maintain flow water to canal

Construction waste dumped by the water

Urban: Water quality is relatively cleaner inside the historical water town due to maintenance of water flow and level by pumps and gates. There is some concentration of pollution in the water outside historical water town, due to construction waste.

Irrigation& Washing clams with drainage canal water channel

Washing clothes with Pipe from canal to Water gate to control canal water. Detergent fish pond and farms to water flow & level water discharged to pump & drain water canal

Raw pig waste discharged to canal

Agricultural: There is a moderate concentration of pollution due to organic and chemical (fertilizers) waste from fish, pig and rice/ vegetable farming. There is a higher concentration of pollution during summer due to more waste from fish farming that is discharged into the canal. There is also cycles of water usage and discharge into the same canal that leads to some level of self-purification.

Concrete factory waste and concrete transportation in water

Clean water supply from government

Waste from poultry farming discharged to canal

Raw sewage from public Individual farming, toilet discharged to houses and toilets by irrigation channel and canal the water

Industrial: There is a high concentration of organic, chemical and heavy metal pollution from industrial activities and discharge of raw sewage into the water. Therefore, water from the canal is not used for any household activity. There is mostly discharge of waste into the canal that led to a high concentration of pollution.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Water Pollution

Source: Base map by Dr. Christian Nolf

Water quality is very poor at the scale of the entire delta, with no water body having the purest ‘level I’ quality (drinkable without treatment) and a large majority having a quality level above III (outside drinkable range). From level IV upwards, water

uses are industrial or recreational (without skin contact). As water drainage occurs from northwest to east, the water quality of channels reaching easternmost cities such as Shanghai are very affected by the polluting activities upstream.

03. Fieldwork

55

Wujiang Planning - projects in the pipeline

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Projections affecting the water system In response to poor water quality, the Wujiang district planned a number of protection measures for water bodies, including lake protection levels and an eco-belt acting as a natural buffer around main canals and Taihu lake. The protected scenic landscapes, through restricted urbanization, will also contribute to limiting water pollution. One of the strategies to compensate the loss of small channels is to create artificial lakes and reservoirs, which can act as a potable water source.

Wujiang Planning

Administrative district boundary

Administrative district boundary

Urban Fabric

Water Body

Administrative district boundary

Protective Comprehensive Wujiang Planning

district boundary developed ProtectedAdministrative lakes protected

Planning

Urban Fabric Planned

Water Body Comprehensive Lake/Reservoir protected

Protective developed

Developmental Urban Fabric

Planned Dredging & Droadening

tourism, landscape, tourism, urban water catchment Planned Lake/Reservoir

eco-farm, flooding area, water catchment

eco-farm

eco-farm

landscape

eco-farm, flooding area, water catchment

tourism, landscape, eco-farm

Water Body

Water Body Planned Lake/Reservoir Protected

Planned Dredging Protected lakes & Droadening

Developmental

Plan

Wujiang

Urban Fabric

Protective Comprehensive Protected scenic areas Developmental protected tourism,developed eco-farm, flooding area, landscape, tourism, urban

Planned Lake/Reservoir

Urb

Planned Dredging & Droadening

Protected lakes

scenic areas

Waterside eco-belt

landscape

Pro

Comprehensive protected

Protected scenic areas

eco-farm, flooding area, water catchment

Waterside

tourism, urban landscape

Projections affecting topography and impermeability The land use plan for Wujiang shows there are some planned extensions of existing urban areas, but most importantly, new rural villages will be built.

The impermeability of mainly natural surface will have a considerable impact on water capacity, but will also generate pollution.

Contour lines Contour lines

Wujiang Contour lines Planning

Urban Fabric

Urban areas

Water Body Urban Fabric

Water Body

Wujiang SpecialPlanning agriculture area Urban areas

Water Body

Urban Fabric Wujiang

Contour lines

Urban Fabric

Urban Fabric

Water Body

Planning Water Body Urban areas

Conventional agriculture area

Wujiang Planning

Special agriculture area Urban areas

Special agricultu

Planned new village Conventional agriculture area

Plann

Conven

Special agriculture area

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Causes of Water Pollution

Daily human activities in this area significantly impact the water quality, and hence human life.

People directly drain agriculture and waste into water bodies. Controlling water level and water flow by water gates also causes stagnant water

58

problems. In addition, there are boat-settlements in the area, also causing considerable pollution on the river and negatively influencing the water flow.

With little option for water, people use underground water from wells or water from Taihu lake, which is quite polluted.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Future Expectations

Increasingly, current practices in transportation, tourism, agriculture and aquaculture, without regard for water, threaten its quality.

There are plans to purify Taihu Lake in the near future, in order to not only supply fresh water to Suzhou city, but also to support water supply in the Shanghai metropolitan area.

03. Fieldwork

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Research Think Tank: Hai Anh Nguyen | KU Leuven Son Tung Nguyen | KU Leuven Mengchuan Liu | SUST Suyuan Tong | SUST Miaoquan Xu | XJTLU Xiaochen Li | XJTLU Zhao Wu | XJTLU

60

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.2

Nature

Landscape transformation through constructed nature The Suzhou area is known for its intricate water canal network. Its historical center is a water city of two lakes, 6 hills, 3 rivers , and an intricate water canal network. It was a city of merchants and merchandise, due to its water navigation system. Its location in a fertile alluvial flood plain made it ideal for rice farming. It was also the capital of fish, of refined foods, fine wine and great tea. It famous for its historically harmonious relationship between human and nature.

In the last few decades, the area has followed the country’s development orientation of generic urbanization and industrialization, which came with huge infrastructural developments. The quality and biodiversity of green spaces and agricultural lands have become lower due to massive monotonous development, and the limited policies for green infrastructure set by the government.

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Seasonal rotation of natural environment

62

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

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Local Landscape Systems Area A1

Legend Water Bush Trees (obtuse) Trees (pine-cuspidal) Grass Crop Floating plants Water (fish, shrimp, crab) Land (goat, chicken, duck, dog) Nutrification Feast Purification Economical benifits Eutrophication Agriculture Residential Industry Water surface

64

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Local Landscape Systems Area A2

03. Fieldwork

65

Local Landscape Systems Area B1

Legend Water Bush Trees (obtuse) Trees (pine-cuspidal) Grass Crop Floating plants Water (fish, shrimp, crab) Land (goat, chicken, duck, dog) Nutrification Feast Purification Economic benifits Eutrophication Agriculture Residence Industry Water surface

66

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Local Landscape Systems Area B2

03. Fieldwork

67

Local Landscape Systems Area C1

Legend Water Bush Trees (obtuse) Trees (pine-cuspidal) Grass Crop Floating plants Water (fish, shrimp, crab) Land (goat, chicken, duck, dog) Nutrification Feast Purification Economical benifits Eutrophication Agriculture Residential Industry Water surface

68

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Local Landscape Systems Area C2

03. Fieldwork

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Constructed nature - beautified landscape Although more and more landscape has been constructed recently, almost all of these elements are created for beautification purposes only.

Landscape along road systems

70

Landscape in rural residential areas along canals

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Landscape along sides of ancient town canals

Recreational landscape in the gardens

03. Fieldwork

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Green corridor - bird & fish migration routes

72

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

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Greenery transformations - 6 samples over time

74

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

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A highway and its buffer zone across former argricultural land.

A wall protects an industrial area and crosses a canal.

76

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Green space along the canal in the ancient town of Tongli.

The meeting point of a garden, crops and a tree nursing area

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Nature transformation in the corridor scale

The Transformation of Landscape in China

Source: Image credit to Dr. Christian Nolf

78

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

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A Layering of Landscape Conditions

80

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

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Research Think Tank: Hai Tu Tran | KU Leuven Temesgen Abegaz | KU Leuven Jiaqi Zhu | SUST Jiayi Li | SUST Mengjiao Huang | XJTLU Xuanyu Wy | XJTLU Yanyuan Zheng | XJTLU

82

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.3

Infrastructure

Crisscrossing traditional reticular modern grid and patterns Throughout the Suzhou region’s history, water was the base for all village establishments and the main transportation method for the whole corridor. However, during the 20th century, process of industrialization and modernization, the area has shifted from having a wateroriented life, into road-oriented life. Water which used to be the infrastructural backbone that supported socioeconomic life, has become the backside. In the recent development of the region, industrial zones and new urban quarters were formed and connected by a grid system of roads, without regard for the traditional reticular street networks. Modern infrastructure took the form of roads and highways, and has horizontal characteristics that spread and sprawl throughout the territory.

However, traditional infrastructure included other important aspects of infrastructure such as socio-economic activities, landscape and ecology, which persist in both old villages and new urban quaters despite recent infrastructural development.

This research is summarized into four main sections: 1. Infrastructure as territorial connections and the logics of city development 2. Infrastructure as collector of people 3. Mobility in relation with socio-economy 4. Infrastructure-scapes: tradition vs. modernity

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Infrastructure as territorial connection in relation with city developments 8

WATER URBANISM. FIELDWORK

INFRASTRUCTURE AS TERRITORIAL CONNECTION IN RELATION WITH CITY DEVELOPMENTS

Sovietas Map: Water as main infrastructure connecting the East-West Corridor.corridor Source: Soviet Map, Re-drawn by Authors The Soviet Map:The Water main infrastructure connecting east-west

Source: Soviet Map, Re-drawn by design team

division in 2 columns division in 2 columns for text for text Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival in Suzhou: Water as the main infrastructure and lively activities on the bridge

Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival in Suzhou: Water as main infrastructure, and lively activity on bridge

Source: Image from the Qing dynasty palace collection, Taipei: National Palace Museum; in Water Urbanism East edited by De Meulder B., Shannon K. Park Book Publisher in 2013, pp.9

84

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

WATER URBANISM. FIELDWORK

9

The Soviet Map of Jiangnan corridor illustrates the dominance of water in the areas emphasizes the fact that water was used as main infrastructure to transport among the villages. Besides that, the appreances of main road along the grand canal, few streets and bridges along the corridor expressing the process of shifting and replacing boats into car roads sytem.

0

5 km

0

Tradition: Water as the front yard

Tradition: Water as the front yard

10 km

5 km

Main road Local1.road Annotations in this style, The great canal this is the maximum width for them. References Bridge to literature and other Secondary waterways drawings will all be placed Primary here.waterways Dyke

10 km

Main road Local road The great Bridge Secondary Primary w Dyke

Modernity: Water as backyard and waste container

Modernity: Water as backyard and waste container

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Current Infrastructure system: Water as barrier and villages as bridge for new development.

The current infrastructure of the Jiangnan corridor in 2016 shows the dominance of the road system which has become the foundation for city development. With this approach, water bodies become nothing more than barriers to roads that need to be bridged over. Water bodies

have become wastewater containers. Reticular street patterns of the villages are surrounded by a strong, grided, road system. The villages have been cut through and become bridges through which access to new developments is established.

Modern Infrastructure: Oversized road in Tongli new neighborhood area

86

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Tradition: Alternative open spaces along pathways

Modernity: Homogenous landscape of road for cars

03. Fieldwork

87

Future Infrastructure Development and Public Transport Connection

The public transport map in the corridor demonstrates the importance of the north-south direction, where a high-speed railway is proposed, and where a metro connects from Suzhou’s center in the north to the southern part of the city. A public

bus system spreads throughout the corridor. No long distance public transportation system the intricate water network was found in the area.

New Planning of New Road in Suzhou How can infrastructure become landscape that improves rural areas?

Source: Researcher’s photograph from Wujiang 1058 Exhibition Hall

88

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Bus line Bus stop/station Train line Metro line Projected road 1 km x 1 km sudy area

In the regional scale, the government plan is to connect Suzhou city, through the Jiangnan corridor, with big cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, expressing the strong focus on engineered mobility infrastructure in the urban planning of the country. Moreover, the new railway sytem connecting Suzhou center to the corridor is introduced.

Heavy high-speed road systems from the north to the south cut through agricultural lands, water bodies, and villages.

Suzhou Region Integrated Transport Planning Map

03. Fieldwork

89

East-west corridor: highways connecting across, with local connections between villages

Three main highways connect, through the corridor, the urban areas east and west. Villages within the rural area are connected with a reticular pattern of street network.

North-south connectivity: High-speed highways cut through the Jiangnan Corridor

North-south highways further emphasize the corridor as a transit area that links the northern urban areas to other ones in the south.

90

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

91

Observations along infrastructure in sample study areas

Area A1 - Courtyards and alleyways in Tongli Tongli serves as a tourist destination, and openspaces along the water are maintained as spaces where most public activities are held.

Within the tissue, squares, collective courtyards, alleys and commercial streets are actively used as gathering spaces.

Area B1- Fishing activities on canal banks and bridges Water is used for leisurely fishing along the canal banks and on bridges. Moreover, new neighborhoods in the area were planned without any open spaces, thus, low traffic streets are popular spaces where popular places for the villagers to drink tea and gossip.

Area C1 - High-speed roads with informal markets High density traffic roads are places for informal markets pop up, where vendors can be seen selling products harvested in the villages.

Gathering Point Pedestrian Car movement/density Productive landscape Fence Commercial Activity Tree House Boudary

92

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Area A2- Sports facilities underneath bridges and playgrounds in low traffic street This area is urbanized and is dissected with several major vehicular road structures.

We observed the underside space of the bridge being used as a common sports facility, acting as the main community space in the neighborhood. Because of the scarcity of playgrounds for children, low-traffic streets become spaces for children to play.

Area B2- Informal market and sport facilities on high traffic roads High-speed traffic roads were observed to generate informal markets for people to sell food. Junctions and intersections of urban roads and neighborhood streets are also taken advantage of not only for informal markets, but also for other public facilities such as sports yards.

Area C2- Commercial road in industrial zones and the gathering spaces in the middle of the street This area was planned as an industrial zones. Most roads are surrounded by fences separating them from other areas. A single main street is developed as a linear residential area, becoming the civic and commercial spine. This spine absorbs industry workers’ and their families’ needs, where they go shopping, have meals and their children play.

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Mobility systems in sample areas

The research on mobility in the sample site areas reflect the logics and culture of movement at the neighborhood scale, where infrastructure has become an element for socioeconomic improvement and where formal and informal mobilities coexist.

Area A1 - Formal and informal public transport in Tongli Tongli area is a historic neighborhood attracting many tourists. Besides formal tourism activities, there are many informal modes of mobility. Water and asphalt, through informal boats and tricycle taxis, become serve as a main source of income here. Moreover, informal e-bike taxis also work in the new neighborhoods surrounding the historic center, creating a system of cheap mobility.

Area B1 - Informal e-bike taxi in the village to new roads

Residents in villages along the canals hardly reach the main road. Thus, a system of informal e-bike taxis to transport people from deep inside the village to the main road has been established to go hand in hand with the informal e-truck system used to transport agricultural products.

Area C1 - Movement of agricultural and aquacultural products from villages to roads The system of mobility in this area is similar to that in area B1, where the mobility demand of residents inside the villages to the main road, has created a system of e-bikes taking residents and products to the junction of the village and the main street. Moreover, the alternative road-water transport of goods of the factories are established along the harbor and along the rivers.

Peo

Goods Transports Agricultural/Aquacultural products

Industrial Products

Informal Mo

E-bike / Bike

Large Cargo Boat

Fishing Boat

Truck

E Trycicle Bi

Formal Cargo Boat Taxi

Tourist Bike

Informal Cargo Boat Taxi

94

Private

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Area A2 - Informal e-bike and e-boat taxi network In this area, one of the main markets of the corridor generates an informal e-bike taxi taking people from other areas to the market and back. Informal taxis will be located at the intersection near the market where plenty of other movement happens. Moreover, truck and cargo boats transporting goods for factories take place along the rivers, further promoting an informal system of boat taxis nearby.

Area B2 - Movement of agricultural and aquacultural products from villages to main roads Because of informal markets on the main road, most movement in the villages are carried out by e-bikes that transport agricultural and aquacultural products to the market. New streets in this area have become useful for people to carry, transport and sell their products easily.

Area C2 - Network of informal e-bike taxi, boat taxi and agricultural products to roads Informal cargo boats along the harbor are used to transport good in this industrial area. As for people, many workers live in dormitories in the factories here and so they do not have vehicles. Therefore the available public transit as well as informal e-bike taxis are effective here.

People Transports People Transports

Goods Transports Goods Transports Agricultural/Aquacultural products Agricultural/Aquacultural products

Industrial Products Industrial Products

E-bike E-bike / Bike / Bike

Large Cargo Large Boat Cargo Boat

FishingFishing Boat Boat

Truck Truck FormalFormal Cargo Boat CargoTaxi Boat Taxi

PrivatePrivate Public Public Informal Motobike Taxi Taxi Bus Line / Station Informal Motobike Bus Line / Station E Trycicle Bike Bike E Trycicle TouristTourist Bike Taxi Bike Taxi

Big Bridge Big Bridge Small Bridge Small Bridge

M M

MarketMarket

Informal Cargo Boat Informal CargoTaxi Boat Taxi

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Infrastructure-scapes: tradition vs modernity Through our research, we are able to extract 8 typical roads, streets, and pathways. The research on street-profiles shows the characteristics of each street in terms of size, landscape, ratio between greenery and road, and relation to the buildings along the streets.

96

Through this, we are able to the observe the differences in response and scale between modern versus traditional street profiles in the corridor. Alternating courtyards and organic road patterns integrated in the with existing trees in the villages. This constrast sharply withe the rigid tissue in modern neighborhoods.

Different size and alternative courtyard in the alleys

Organic pathway with landscape in village

Commerical streets with tree in the village

Bridge as landscape and green pathway along waterway

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

New car access to villages is fenced by industrial area

Commerical streets in new urban quarter

Fences of industrial area along four land roads

Highway with greenery

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Infrastructure-scapes: tradition vs modernity

A2 Section - The contrast of infrastructure as car-parking (modern) and community, market (village)

Fenced industrial road

Agricultural area and green-houses

Sport facilities under bridge near villages

A1 Section - The boulevard in new urban quarter and sequences of green open spaces, and commercial activity along pathways in Tongli

Oversized road and homogenous architecture

98

Greenery and activities on bridge

Various retail shops

Connected waterscape

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Most roads and streets in the neighborhoods of the Jiangnan corridor demonstrate contrasting images between traditional and modern landscapes. This research and analysis shows changes in landscapes along infrastructures, and highlights the differences in the spatial character between them. It also shows the various ways that infrastructure is used in villages and new urban quarters. The question of integration between traditional ecological landscapes and the application of modern technology in this area needs to be rethought.

Vast car-parking lot and fences along road

Informal market in the junction of villages

Green square full of formal and informal economic activtity

Fences along road in new urban quarter

Paved pathways varying in size and material

Green Canal

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100

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

How can infrastructure be rethought of as an ecological system in which multi-layers of mobility, socioeconomic activities and environment are integrated ?

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Research Think Tanks (2 Combined): Ana Maria Arcos Aspiazu | KU Leuven Bruna Fregonezi | KU Leuven Christel Mayalian | KU Leuven Nicholas Jacobs | KU Leuven Samrawit Yohannes Yoseph | KU Leuven Thaddeus Tan | KU Leuven Haoqing Ma | SUST Zheng Yue | SUST Che Wang | XJTLU Huazhen Ji | XJTLU Jiangxue Han | XJTLU Shery Shu | XJTLU Yichen Tian | XJTLU Yingxuan Mou | XJTLU Zicheng Xu | XJTLU

102

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.4

Tissue & Typology

Housing patterns in a dual landscape Six typical types of tissues and ten typical building typologies were found in the different areas of the corridor, which reveal an urban development story. The research conducted had two aims: 1. To understand the evolution of tissues and typologies in the area.

2. To identify future possibilities through an in-depth understanding of the tissues and typologies that compose the identity of this area.

Through research in the area, we found that rural living space has characteristics of multifunctional purpose, while urban living space has those of mono-functional usage. As the area urbanizes, more rural land is becoming urban accommodating new industrialization of the area.

03. Fieldwork

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104

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

105

Residence Types type

Multipurpose

We can define two categories of housing types out of the ten identified typologies: the residence and the multi-purpose types. The residence type defines a fixed usage of space dedicated to a domestic program only. The number of residents can vary and include different generations. We can consider an average of 33 sqm per inhabitant in this housing type. In regard to the multi-purpose type, different usages are identified such as

A1

renting bedrooms for migrants, storage, and renting ground floor for commercial use or small and medium enterprise (SME) purposes. The average occupied surface per migrant in this type is 25 sqm. Residence types are mostly found in urban areas whereas multi-purpose ones are found in rural ones.

B1

C1

A2

C2 B2

8

7

10

6

9

3

1

4

5

?

?

???

?

?

0

106

1000m

2000m

3000m

4000m

5000m

6000m

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

7000m

8000

GOVERNANCE

OWNERSHIP HOUSING

LAND

HOUSING

LAND

RURAL

COLLECTIVE

CITIZENS

STATE

COLLECTIVE & COMPANY

COLLECTIVE

URBAN

FARMER

STATE & COMPANY

In the regional scale, the government’s plan is try to connect Suzhou city in general and the Jiangnan corridor in specific with big cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, expressing the power of infrastructure in urban planning of the country. Moreover, the new railway system connecting Suzhou’s center to the corridor is introduced. The heavy high-speed road system from the north to the south, cutting through the agricultural lands, water and villages make the corridor become a transit area.

STATE

Urban areas differ from rural areas in the way that governance, ownership of land, and housing are organized, in which the State remains the main actor.

2

0m

9000m

10000m

11000m

12000m

13000m

14000m

15000m

16000m

03. Fieldwork

107

Tissue and Typology Evolution A mirror of Chinese policy The six tissues identified in the related area are each composed of specific typologies of buildings that will be further developed.

The correlation between those tissues and their corresponding building typologies expresses particular types of development that occurred through time, and still influences the socioeconomic context of the area, resulting in the implementation of the planning policies the last decades.

New town tissue

108

Watertown tissue

Relocation tissue

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Linear village tissue

Gated community tissue

Industry tissue

03. Fieldwork

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NEW TOWN TISSUE As the old towns grow, more space for cars and commerce is needed so the ‘New Town’ tissue appears, with wider streets and multipurpose buildings where residence and commerce is mixed between the ground and the upper floors.

WATER is no longer an element in this tissue; it has been replaced with wide streets for cars.

STREETS appear with trees, parking space and a comercial plinth, like a boulevard.

The buildings are bigger and used for multipurposes.

Usually the ground floor is for commerce and the upper floors for residence.

This tissue is more spacious. Big streets and avenues create bigger open spaces and in between buildings, squares are formed that are usually used as parking spots.

Collage Section of the tissue elements and its interactions

110

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 06 APARTMENT This type houses multi-generational family with domestic usage only.

New town Apartement 1050 400

125

125

400

New town Apartement 300

1

1050 125

400

4

2

1

125

4

2

1

1 4

770 150

300

400

2

4

2 B

770 150

B

300

3

3

3

3 B

B

300

3

PRINCIPLE USE: Residential AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 3 - 6 per apartment NUMBER OF FLOORS: 6 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 261 sqm MATERIALS USED: Concrete and brick LOCATION: Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 2012 - 2016

3

3

3

1- Kitchen 2- Living 3- Bedroom 4- Bathroom Area=87m2 1- Kitchen x3=261m2 2- Living 3- Bedroom 4- Bathroom Area=87m2 x3=261m2

+10.70

+9.00 +10.70

+9.00

+6.00

+6.00

1. KITCHEN 2. LIVING 3. BEDROOM 4. BATHROOM

+3.00

+3.00

2,5m

SECTION B-B

SECTION B-B

03. Fieldwork

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WATERTOWN TISSUE This tissue can be found in the ancient towns along the canals, where buildings form a very compact fabric.

The open spaces are formed by the continuation of buildings, and very narrow and small open spaces are leftin the form of pedestrian alleyways or small yards.

Between the houses ALLEYS make up the space to transit for pedestrians and bikes.

A group of houses usually forms a courtyard, which acts as a semi private space for people living in the surrounding buildings.

WATER shapes the tissue formation leaving “archipelagos� in between the canals where the urban fabric is formed.

Some STREETS have become pedestrian commercial corridors mostly activated by tourists. Cars are only allowed before 6 am and after 10 pm.

Collage Section of the tissue elements and its interactions

112

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

1150

TYPE 08 ANCIENT HOUSING FABRIC This type combined domestic usage with commercial function on the ground floor.

1000

1

2

1150

B

PRINCIPLE USE: Residential AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 4-6 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 1 1000 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 115 sqm MATERIALS USED: Wood and brick LOCATION: Tongli, Suzhou Shi, Jiangsu Sheng, China CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 1368-1911 Water town

1

3

Water town

3

1

4

B

1

1- Bedroom 2- Living room 3- Bathroom 4- Kitchen 5- Storage Area=115m2

5

1

+4.20

2

1. BEDROOM 2. LIVING ROOM 3. BATHROOM 4. KITCHEN 4 5. STORAGE

+3.00

B

20

372

10

253

10

315

20

+0.00

2,5m

1

5

1- Bedroom 2- Living room 3- Bathroom 4- Kitchen 5- Storage Area=115m2

SECTION B-B B

B

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113

RELOCATION TISSUE The form of this tissue is an orthogonal grid in most cases. It does not follow any natural element and usually occupies land filled areas. Water is left behind.

It usually follows the street system.

N

S

When paved roads appeared, the relationship with water began to fade, remaining most of the time only as a dump or sewage.

According to traditional culture in China, the main entrance and facade of the house always faces south. Because of this particularity, the resulted tissue is a succession of houses that have a street in both back and front facades.

In between each row, there is a small alley left that separates one house from the other. This alley usually becomes a disposal space or storage space.

Collage Section of the tissue elements and its interactions

114

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 07 Relocation HOUSE This type refers to the new house with multi-functional purposes. The different usages cover renting bedrooms for migrants on the first level, ground floor is rented for commercial use or SME purposes, or for storage. Residents generally live on the upper levels.

1270 400

400

450

Relocation typology

2

3

7 7

400

2

B

1- Kitchen 2- Bedroom 3- Bathroom 4- Living room 5- Dinning room 6- Storage 7- Rented space Area=176m2

1270 400

450

2

3

B

1390

400

450

450

2

450

450

400

Relocation typology

1- Kitchen 2- Bedroom 3- Bathroom 4- Living room 5- Dinning room 6- Storage 7- Rented space Area=176m2

1270 400

1040

2

B

2

4

7

B

2

530

2

400

400

1040

B

7

7

B

2

4

1270 400

1270 400

400 1270

+9.00 400

6

400

2

450

450

2 2

450

3 2

3

1- Kitchen 2- Bedroom 1- Kitchen 400 3- Bathroom 2- Bedroom 4- Living room 3- Bathroom 5- Dinning room 4- Living room 6- Storage 5- Dinning 7- Rented space room 1 6- Storage Area=176m2 7- Rented space Area=176m2

1270 400

450

6

B

2

4

400

2

1040

2

4

2

B

3

SECTION B-B

7

450

+10.55

1270 400

5

450

1

450

+9.00

+9.00

6 5

6

450

1

7 +0.00

+10.55

1270 400

400

7

7 7

400

7

+3.00

4

2

530

2

3

B

530

400

2

B

400

1040

B

+3.00

+0.00

+6.00

2 1040

3

1040

B

2 3

400

B

+6.00

2

400

1.KITCHEN 2. BEDROOM 3. BATHROOM 4. LIVING 5. DINING 6. STORAGE 7. RENTED SPACE

2

B

3

400

400

B

+6.00 1390

1040

1040

B

+9.00

B

2 2

B

2

B

3 2

4

2

+10

7

7 7

5

450

7

1390

450

+6.00

450

5

PRINCIPLE USE: Multi-purpose 1 AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 6 - 10 per unit 2 NUMBER OF FLOORS: 2 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 400 sqm MATERIALS USED: Concrete3 and brick LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou4 Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 20052 - 2015

450

450

400

450

450

450

400

400

400

1270 400

400 1270

Relocation typology Relocation typology

+10.55

B

+3.00

3

+3.00

4

SECTION B-B

+0.00

SECTION B-B

+0.00

2,5m

03. Fieldwork

115

???

LINEAR VILLAGE TISSUE This type is a rural tissue form in a linear configuration along both banks of a waterway. It developed in agricultural lands, but as agricultural lands changed to industrial uses, these linear villages can also be found along the canals within an industrial area.

AGRICULTURAL FIELDS remain next to houses or roads.

When paved roads appeared, the relationship with the water began to fade. Water became a sit for dumping or sewage.

Between houses unpaved ALLEYS make up the paths for pedestrians and bikes.

WATER used to be the most important element.

Villagers used it for transportation and for daily activities such as washing.

Collage Section of the tissue elements and its interactions

116

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 01 ANCIENT HOUSE This typology reflects traditional Chinese architecture. The usage is varied as it includes domestic use, as well as farm storage.

Traditional village house 330

1000 320

330

273

1

520

4 B

B

3

237

2

1- Kitchen 2- Storage 3- Living room 4- Bedroom Area=52m2

PRINCIPLE USE: Residential and storage AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 2 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 1 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 52 sqm MATERIALS USED: Clay, wood, and brick.

LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 1850 - 1950

+4.30

+3.00

20

1.KITCHEN 2. STORAGE 3. LIVING ROOM 4. BEDROOM

315

10

310

10

315

20

+0.00

SECTION B-B

2,5m

03. Fieldwork

117

TYPE 09 Walled house This type is used as rentals for multiple families of migrants that share common commodities.

6

4

5

1 3

PRINCIPLE USE: Multi-purpose AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 6 - 8 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 2 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 510 sqm (including garage) MATERIALS USED: Concrete and brick LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: New - 2012

Ancient - 1930

7

1. LIVING AREA 2. STORAGE 3. BEDROOM 4. BATHROOM 5. KITCHEN 6. GARAGE 7. COURTYARD

2,5m

118

3

4

3

4

5

4

2

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 03 NEW HOUSE This new construction type is, in general, a housing typology for multi-generational families with domestic uses only.

house NewNew house

400

400

1220 410

1220 410

390

390

1 1 400

400 730

730

PRINCIPLE USE: Residential AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 8 - 10 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 4 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 267 sqm MATERIALS USED: Concrete LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 2014 - 2016

3 3

2 2

310

B

310

B

3 3

4 4

3 3

B

1- Bathroom 1- Bathroom 2- Kitchen 2- Kitchen 3- Bedroom 3- Bedroom 4- Living 4- Living Area=89m2 Area=89m2 X3=267m2 X3=267m2 B

+10.50+10.50

+9.00 +9.00

+6.00 +6.00

1. BATHROOM 2. KITCHEN 3. BEDROOM 4. LIVING

+3.00 +3.00

2,5m

SECTION SECTION B-B B-B

03. Fieldwork

119

TYPE 05 Traditional fisherman’s house The dimensions of this type are comparable to the ancient house (type 1) with a temporary usage for fishermen. The quality of material is very poor.

Fish house in the

rural area

Fish house in the

rural area 700

980

700

980

260

423

403

260

B

PRINCIPLE USE: Temporary shelter AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 1 per unit AMOUNT OF FLOORS: 1 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 41 sqm MATERIALS USED: Wreckwood and recycled material LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 2003 - 2005

3

4

1

3

4 B

2

423

403

B

1

B 1- Bathroom 2- Kitchen 3- Bathroom Bedroom 124- Kitchen Storage 3- Bedroom Area=41.4m2 4- Storage Area=41.4m2

2

+4.00

+4.00 +2.80

+2.80

1. BATHROOM 2. KITCHEN 3. BEDROOM 4. STORAGE

20

242

10

428

20

240

20

20

242

10

428

20

240

20

+0.00

+0.00

SECTION B-B SECTION B-B 2,5m

120

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 10 TWO LEVEL HOUSE This type is used as a rental for multiple families of migrants that share common commodities.

New typology with the old 400

300

1540

400

New typology with the old 400

1

420

2 300

1- Living room 2- Dinning 3- Kitchen 4- Bathroom 5- Bedroom

4 3

1540

153 163

420

400

153 163 B

Area=69.4m2 1- Living room 2- Dinning 3- Kitchen 4- Bathroom 5- Bedroom

B

Area=69.4m2

620

B

2

4 3

1 620

B

+7.70

+6.00

+7.70 1120

New typology with the old 300

1540

400

420

2

B

4

3

1

PRINCIPLE USE: Multi-purpose AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 8 - 10 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 3 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 150 sqm MATERIALS USED: Concrete and brick LOCATION: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Suzhou Shi CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: New: 2013 - 2014

Ancient: 1900 - 1950

B

620

B

300

400

4

153 163

620

400

400

1- Living room 2- Dinning 400 3- Kitchen 4- Bathroom 5- Bedroom 4 Area=69.4m2

+6.00 +3.00

4 5

1120

5

300

400 B

+3.00 +0.00

4 5

5 B

620

B

+0.00

+7.70

+6.00

1120 400

300

400

4 5

B

620

B

+3.00

4

1. LIVING ROOM 5 2. DINING 3. KITCHEN 4. BATHROOM 5. BEDROOM

+0.00

SECTION B-B

2,5m

03. Fieldwork

121

INDUSTRY TISSUE There are different kinds of industry tissues. The most common is the one we found in the recent developed areas where a grid of 400 by 400m forms a block in which the company buildings are located.

Most of the time streets are wide with high speed vehicles, and no place for pedestrians - there are not sidewalks.

???

?

Sometimes a single enterprise occupies the entire block, and other times a combination of small company buildings coexist.

Collage Section of the tissue elements and its interactions

122

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

TYPE 04 DORMITORY NEAR INDUSTRY This type reflects the evolution of industrialization and the need for migrant housing. A dormitory for the industry workers is embedded in the factory self.

+7.26

+6.26

+3.13

+0.00

SECTION B-B 500

500

1

1

2860

335

500

500

1

1

415

1

500

2

B

1200

170

B

1

1

1

415

2

Dormitory with factory 185

1- Dormitory 2- Bathroom 3- Office

415

Area=329m2

500

500

3

3

500

2860

3

500

500

3

335

3

2 B

1200

170

B

3

3

3

3

2

3

185

415

PRINCIPLE USE: Factory and dormitory AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 2 - 6 per apartment NUMBER OF FLOORS: 1 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 329 sqm MATERIALS USED: Concrete LOCATION: Yan Gang Lu, Wujiang Qu, Suzhou Shi, Jiangsu Sheng, China CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 2000 - 2004

+7.26

+6.26

1. DORMITORY 2. BATHROOM 3. OFFICE

+3.13

+0.00

SECTION B-B 500

500

1

1

2860

500

1

500

335

1

415

1

500

2

B

1200

170

B

1

1

1

415

2

Dormitory with factory 1- Dormitory 2- Bathroom 3- Office

03. Fieldwork

185

2,5m

Area=329m2

500

500

500

2860

500

500

335

123

TYPE 02 Traditional house and commercial shop This type is an illegal extension to the core house. The extension emerged with the industrialization in order to take advantage of the commercial opportunities offered by the surrounding factories.

Shop around the indusrty 720 700

Shop around the indusrty 1

3

720 422

700

2 1

607

B

B

Area=43.2m2 1- Bathroom 2- Bedroom 3- Store 4- Storage

PRINCIPLE USE: Commercial and residential AMOUNT OF INHABITANTS: 3 per unit NUMBER OF FLOORS: 1 Area=43.2m2 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 43 sqm MATERIALS USED: Wreckwood and recycled material LOCATION: Qiu She Lu, Wujiang Qu, Suzhou Shi, Jiangsu Sheng, China CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 2006 - 2007

4

2

607

B

B

4

165

1- Bathroom 2- Bedroom 3- Store 4- Storage

165

422

3

B

+4.00

+2.80

+4.00 20

1. BATHROOM 2. BEDROOM 3. STORE 4. STORAGE

242

10

428

20

242

10

428

20

+2.80 +0.00

20

SECTION B-B 2,5m

+0.00

SECTION B-B

124

B

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

GATED COMMUNITY TISSUE While this tissue had not been looked at closely during the fieldwork, when analyzing the territory at a bigger scale, we identify another interesting urban tissue. It is worth mentioning as it covers vast areas of land, where large residential developments are constructed with the characteristics of gated community compounds.

03. Fieldwork

125

Projected map

0

5000m

The projected developments are based off of DEVELOPMENT PROJECTION MAP and the Suzhou CityPOLES Master Plan 2007-2020 China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. Highlighted areas 2016-2020 indicate intended changes or additions to current agricultural, industrial, and residential zones.

Existing industrial areas within the highly water

126

10000m

15000m

-influenced terrain will potentially be reverted into agricultural land. The shifting and development of industries and residences will primarily be concentrated on the west along Taihu Lake, enforcing a city cluster in line with the 13th Five Year Plan.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

20000m

25000m

30000m

3500m

4000m

RELOCATION INDUSTRIES RELOCATION AND NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT SITES

Residential zone

Residential zone

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AREA

Industrial zone

Industrial zone

Agriculture

Agriculture

03. Fieldwork

127

Synthesis of urban tissue Six types of tissues were identified in the Yangtze River Delta. This collage aims to highlight the urban fabric transformation, as well as the relationship between these tissues and water.

Before industrialization, tissues were organized along canals and defined through water systems.

After this period, the water lost its main structuring

128

function and the road became the main element for the development of new fabric. This shift drastically influenced the population’s daily life, in their relationship to the water and in its usage. With regard to this evolution, how can we re-integrate the water into new urban development?

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Synthesis of building typology Dramatic changes have been occurring in the landscape of China. The border defining urban and rural areas has become blurred, and multifunctional usage of rural houses has increased. The building typology is consistently evolving to accommodate the rapid and increasing industrialization in China. Either rented as a whole

or partially for migrant workers, the house becomes a source of additional income for the household in rural areas. Alternatively, as a consequence of a relocation scheme, the house is demolished and replaced with a high-rise building. In this context, how can sensitively characterize rural and urban typologies?

03. Fieldwork

129

Research Think Tank: Iosif Petros Athanasiou | KU Leuven Santiago Andres Molano Bernal | KU Leuven Yu-Han Huang | KU Leuven Qian Zhou | SUST Shaohua Hu | XJTLU Wan Bao | XJTLU Zaozao Wang | XJTLU

130

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.5

Agriculture

Rescaling, intensification, diversification Before the 1980s, the Jiangnan Corridor was composed of large extensions of rice fields.

After the 1980s when the system of agricultural distribution was changed, the territory was subdivided into small fields, which led to a shift in farming products in the area. In the studied samples, we observed a tendency of changing vegetable production for fishing ponds, a constant reduction of agricultural land, new processes and flow networks involving the arrival of immigrants, and the exchange of goods with local and regional markets.

03. Fieldwork

131

Evolution of Agricultural Land

rescale intensify

Timeline of Agriculrural Land Evolutions

diversify

Land redistribution in recent years is recognized as a re-scaling system, starting from vast rice fields.

These were later transformed by the introduction of new farming products, as well as the subdivision of fields. Along with this fragmentation process, the fields have been gradually transformed into fishing ponds. Big extensions of farm fields have been changed to industrial production sites or areas to host housing developments. In this sense, it is important to draw attention to the massive reduction of agricultural land.

Loss of Productive Agricultural Land from 1984 to 2016

132

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

133

rescale

Household Contract Responsability System 1980s

Land-stock Cooperative System (2001)

Farm Land in Potential Flooding Damage

Village

Fishpond

Greenhouse

The evolution of the territory

134

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Interview

Crab Farming

Urban Garden Shrimp Farming

Forest

Farming in community

Paddy

Chicken Farming Greenhouse Linear Farming

Typology of agriculture

03. Fieldwork

135

intensify [A1] Hidden Fragmented Garden In the historical center area, small informal agriculture activities are developed for individual consumption. These activities are formed on different small-scale areas such as private gardens or public spaces such as at the edges of water canals.

[A2] Urban Gardening In this area, all agricultural activities are formed in formal agricultural fields that are placed in the urban tissue. In this case, these activities are developed for local consumption.

AF: 56.9% FP: 14.4%

AF: 74% FP: 16.2%

AF: 56.9% FP: 14.4%

AF: 9.2% FP: 44.8%

UG: 1.8% AF: 28.8% WL:2.4% FP: 36% GH:1.1%

2002

[B1] Intensive Agriculture This area is characterized by the variety of agricultural activities for mass production: agricultural fields, fishing ponds and greenhouses.

loss of agricultural land

2016

136

UG: 1.8% AF: 28.8% WL:2.4% FP: 36% GH:1.1%

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

[B2] From farmlands to Fishponds

[B3] The Transition to Industries

[B4] Vanish of Agriculture

In this area, the majority of agricultural fields are transformed to fishponds in order to maximize their economic profit.

The main characteristic of this area is the coexistence of agricultural and industrial activities. The agricultural activities tend to be converted into industrial activities.

This is the most industrialized area, where agricultural activities have almost disappeared.

AF: 74% FP: 16.2%

AF: 56.9% FP: 14.4%

AF: 27.5% FP: 31%

AF: 9.2% FP: 44.8%

AF: 22.5% WL: 9.9% GH:2.8%

AF: 0.9% FP: 4.9%

2002

UG: urban garden AF: agriculture field FP: fish pond GH: greenhouse WL: wood land

loss of agricultural land

2016

03. Fieldwork

137

Section of agricultural flow in sample B2 diversify [B2] From farmlands to Fishponds

138

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03. Fieldwork

139

Sections indicate the flows and diversity of the sample site areas diversify

[A1] Hidden Fragmented Garden

[A2] Urban Gardening

[B1] Intensive Agriculture

[C1] The Transistion to Industries

[C2] Disappearance of Agriculture

140

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

future VS KEEP AGRODIVERSITY For production balance

INTENSIVE USE OF LAND Means higher production

FOOD SECURITY Long term food security Jingsu province?

COMPETITIVE ENOUGH To challenge urban development

Challenges for the future of Agricultural Land What if at the end of leasing contracts government promotes other types of production?

What if there are established new agricultural corridors as part of a landscape and production corridor?

What if the processing is executed in the region instead of sending raw materials to cities?

What if agricultural activities are introduced as part of the agritourism figure?

What if agricultural income is strong enough to compete with urbanization?

What if farming becomes an attractive way of living?

03. Fieldwork

141

Research Think Tank: Nikita Shah | KU Leuven Xinyu Xiao | KU Leuven Chenchen Li | SUST Junqi Ma | XJTLU Wenjing Qin | XJTLU Yizhou Liu | XJTLU Zhanglijun Shao | XJTLU

142

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.6

Industry

Spaces of production intertwining flows of products, people and capital The process of industrialization in the Yangtze River Delta is fast, and so is the transformation of these industries. Flows of investment, materials, and immigrants come together in this space to create various types of industries. They range from large industrial complexes in planned industrial regions, to small workshops within village houses, from formal to informal, and from international to local.

03. Fieldwork

143

144 1958, People’s Commune Movement and Great Leap Forward

1937, the Anti-Japanese war severely disrupted the development of handicraft industry in Wujiang Area

Wujiang area almost became the largest silk producer and the products are exported overseas

After the song and Yuan Dynasties, the silk production center moved from the Yellow River basin to the Yangtze River Basin.

Manual textile in Wujiang area reached a certain level of skill dring the Spring and Autumn Period time

Gross Industrial Output Value Of Wujiang District(10,000,000,000 yuan)

Industry Transformation Timeline

Factory shutdown

Source: Drawing credited to Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by research team.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta Tax Preferenc

Textile

Processing Construction Industry Material Silk

Metal Machinery Processing

Rural Industry Gross Production IT

Scale Enlarged

Factories With Fixed Capital>100 million

ce

Low in No leading Small scale technology Industry dispered

Support From Government

1995, Enterprise reform

Collective Ownership

1978, Reform and Opening

Low-Tech to High-tech

1995

Private Ownership

Chemical Industry

Manufacturing Industry to Service Industry

Profit

Number Of Industrial Enterprises Over The Years in Suzhou(10,000)

49.65%

03. Fieldwork

145

Industrialization of the corridor Industrial buildings in the corridor are segregated into two types: 1. Industries evolving in planned industrial zones 2. Industries evolving in the landscape using infrastructural or other local assets of the site.

E1-1

E1-2

B2 A2

D1-1

D1-2

D1-3

146

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

C1

Industries located in planned industrial zones

Industries located in proximity to infrastructure

started before 2003

started before 2003

from 2003 to 2009

from 2003 to 2009

from 2009 to 2016

from 2009 to 2016

C2 E2

03. Fieldwork

147

Evolution, transformation and variation in industries Farmlands that get converted into industrial land go through various cycles of transformation and create a large variety of industrial buildings.

Similarly, industrial activities also create variations in the village houses.

at i n g

de

er ior

te r i o

g

gro

r at i n

w ing

d et

va

g r ow in g

ca

tin

g

d ow nsi

zing

va c

nt in

g

L factory growing

L factory

L factory deteriorated

L factory divided

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

e g

in

re

XL factory XL factory XL L factory used as a empty construction with warehouse abandoned dorms

ting

ng

g&

148

XL factory XL factory deteriorated

ren

c ha

di n

XL factory with apartments

g&

g

us

di v i d

in ivid

at i n

L factory L fac used as a em warehouse

ctory mpty

industrial industrial - deteriorating storage empty farming

va

ca

t in

g

di

vid

ing

&r

e nt

ing

ad

di n

g

wo

rk

sh

op

s

residential

ad

S factory

S factory S factory deteriorating divided

S factory used as warehouse

S factory empty

Industrial land

Farmland

g din

wo r k

sho

house house +workshop +workshop added within

ps

house

house divided

house empty

03. Fieldwork

149

Projects in pipeline - Industrial layout for 2030 This drawing combines current planning proposals for Wujiang District from the Jiangsu Institute of Urban Planning and the Jiangsu Research Center of Urban Transportation.

0.46km2 +1.85km2 -2.99km2

0.6km2 -5.04km2 0.88km2

0.3km2

1.66km2

1km2

1.5km2

0.8km2 +3.84km2

1km2

+2.82km2

150

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Reduced Industrial land

CBD

Newly-added Industrial land

Science Innovation Park

Existing Industrial land

Logistics Centre

Planned Industrial land

Wujiang District Territory

03. Fieldwork

151

A house as a workshop is being used for working and living Factories of light industry close behind the field Fragmented Farmland Contaminated Canal

Rural / Urban Organized with rules / Organized as a model

152

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Abandoned constructions Deteriorating Factories Continuous large factories

Research Question: What is the future of the increasingly decaying factories and the fragmented open spaces as a result of their existence?

03. Fieldwork

153

Research Think Tank: Chau Nguyen | KU Leuven Olga Koukoui | KU Leuven Huazhou Ye | KU Leuven Junjing Niu | SUST Wentao Shen | SUST Daidai Wu | XJTLU Sixuan Chen | XJTLU

154

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

03.7

Society

Provisional places in the maelstrom of development The Taihu Lake basin has fully participated in the processes of industrialization and urbanization that the Yangtze River Delta has undergone in the last 30 years. As a result, the region is experiencing tremendous socioeconomic transformations: 1. The exceptional transition from agricultural to industrial and service sectors has changed the livelihoods and ways of life of local populations, and has produced new urban citizens.

2. The region attracts massive numbers of rural migrants from poorer regions of China seeking similar social ascension. The various spatial settings of the region offer dynamic patterns of living together in the making.

03. Fieldwork

155

Policies - major drivers of socioeconomic transitions

1200

80

More accessible residence permits since 1990’, segregation from social welfare remains HUJI SYSTEM since 1958 assigns a hukou, urban or rural to each person

1000

70

ONE CHILD POLICY (1980 – 2015)

1978 Deng Xiaping starts economic reforms known as “Reform and Opening Up”

800

Decollectivization of agriculture

60

Opening up to foreign investment

50

Entrepreneurs start businesses

40

600

30

400

20 10

200

0

China Birth Rate per 1000 0

1960

1975

1984

1987

1990

1993

1996

Local Population of Suzhou Region '000

Three national policies have had a deep impact on society. The economic reforms initiated in 1978 under Deng Xiaoping triggered a period of unprecedented growth and industrialization.

The concomitance of the “One Child Policy” and economic development created possibilities for

156

1999

2002

2005

2008

2011

2014

-10

Souzhou Region Nominal GDP growth %

rapid GDP/capita growth in the most developed regions. The Hukou policy allowed to provide sufficient labor force to industries while keeping urbanization under control, until the last decade, when policies were gradually loosened.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Scheme of socioeconomic transformations of 3 generations in the Taihu Lake basin

Since the 1960s, society in the Taihu Lake basin has undergone major socioeconomic transitions.

A transition from farming towards industry and services occurred in three generations. While two active generations tend to move to cities, a massive arrival of migrant populations creates

conditions of coexistence between elderly locals and migrants in rural houses.

03. Fieldwork

157

Mapping the long term flows of people on the regional scale

Inward migration from other parts of China SUZHOU SERVICE CORE

DUSHU EDUCATION AREA

TONGLI (TOURISM AND SHOPPING) A1

Tun Cun

A2 C1

SUZHOU INDUSTRIAL PARK(STABLE JOBS)

NEW RESETTLEMENT NEIGHBORHOOD (LEISURE+SMALL INDUSTRY) B2 B1

TANZIHU INDUSTRIAL ZON C2

BANPAN HABOUR INDUSTRIAL ZONE

TAIHU NEW TOWN (CONSTRUCTION RELATED JOBS AND SETTLEMENT)

Industries Villages Resettlement communities SUZHOU INDUSTRIAL PARK(STABLE JOBS)

Daily Regional Flows MODERN AGRICULTURE SITE

Rural to urban migration within the Jiangnan Corridor

158

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

SHANGHAI

NE

03. Fieldwork

159

Tun Cun Township - a patchwork of communities

0

200

400

800

800

Location of transformation in A2

160

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

1km

From Villager to Citizen in 3 Generations the story of a Tun Cun Family

Grandpa

Grandma Tun Cun

1960s

Village

from Tong Li 1970s

Business in Suzhou 1980s

Industry worker in Tun Cun Farm Land

House

Farm Land

House

Farm Land

House

1990s Relocation

Resettlement Agent

Rural CITY

Mother

Father

Build House + Daily Expenses + Do Business Wujiang

Daughter

Cooperative Officer Owner

Borrow money from friends

BANK

bonus

- Works in bank in Wujiang ( 8000 yuan/ month) - Lives with her parents in Tun Cun - Owns an appartment in Wujiang

3 types of compensation

1

S 100 m2

2

M 120 m2

3

L 160 m2

Owner

agency fee

Agent

income

Contractor

New Urban Villagers through Resettlement

In Tun Cun various communities, urban and rural settings are superimposed creating a complex pattern of living together. Successful trajectories coexist with the most vulnerable situations being jobless migrant workers and landless farmers.

03. Fieldwork

161

A village in transition: Backside of the city- dormitory or productive unit?

0

200

400

800

800

Location of transformation in B2

162

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

1km

(Registry status) Urban Spatial Hukou Gandpa Setting Places of Interaction and Sociability

Gandma

CITY

Other Province

Villager 1st Generation

Migrant 2nd Generation

Residence

3rd Generation

School

INDUSTRIAL ZONE

Collective

Tun Cun Father

City Center Tun Cun

Daughter Mother

RURAL AGRICULTURAL AREA

Wujiang

M

ain

Gandpa

ad Ro

Gandma

Relocate

Daughter

Live

Live

Live Rent

Rent

Live Gandma’s house Built by themselves Renewed house last year Funded by her son, ¥ 800,000

Son ¥6000---8000/month Painter

China

Collegestudent

Hukou: Rural Collegestudent

Granddaughter Grandson

City Center

Wujiang

Jiangsu Province workplace preferce

Suzhou

Wujiang

Villages face transformation with the decline of the role of agriculture as the main source of income, the social ascension to urban lifestyle of the last two generations, and the arrival of migrant workers.

03. Fieldwork

163

Hous

The dormitory village enclave in an industrial zone

0

200

400

800

800

Location of transformation in C2

164

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

1km

Temporarily Unemployed Migrant Worker

Rural Hukou Residence Permit Primary School

Anhui Province Kid and wife returned to parents

Jiangsu Province Income 2 000 - 3 000 yuan/ month

WC

Rent 200 yuan per month for shabby room

Heilongjiang Province (Harbin)

1300 km

Introduced by friends

Tenant came with husband to work near to son

Tenant

450 yuan/ m

Xiangliu Village

Works in high-tech material industry Salary 4 000 yuan/ month Rural Residential Land

Land Lord

Compensation for farmland Collective

Industrialization in rural areas has transformed farmland into real estate capital for rural residents.

They assume a major role as landlords to migrant worker populations. High densities and social disparities set the conditions for potential tensions.

03. Fieldwork

165

Daily flows of people: Area A1_URBAN

0

200

400

800

800

1km

Living Island

Sleeping Island

Crossing Island

Renovated rural paths

Development Edge Renovated rural paths Renovated rural paths

Renovated rural paths

Development Development Edge Edge

Development Edge

Highway

Highway Highway

Highway

Renovated rural paths

industry

industry industry

Rural housing

industry

Rooms for rent

Rural housing

Modern housing

Rooms for rent

Modern housing

Garage for rent

Rooms Rooms for rentfor rent industry

ModernModern housinghousing

Rural housing

GarageGarage for rentfor rent

rural paths Vegetable gardens Development Edge Garage for Renovated rent Vegetable gardens

Rooms forVegetable rent Vegetable gardensgardens Modern housing

Highway Public Toilet

Garage for rent

Public Toilet

Farmland

Public Toilet Public Toilet

9:00 9:00- 16:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00

Starting point 9:00 16:00 9:00 -- 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00 Young Locals Destination 9:00 - 16:00

Young Locals 9:00 - 16:00

166

16:00- 23:00 Destination

Migrants 9:00 - 16:00

Farmland

Development Edge

HighwayHighwayCommericial Commericial

Highway

Canal industry Industry

Rural housing

industry

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Garage for rent 16:00- 23:00 Migrants Migrants

Modern housing

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00

Rooms for rent Old Locals Old Locals

Public Toilet

Migrants

9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

16:00- 23:00

9:00 - 16:00 Starting point

Rural ho

Vegetable gardens 16:00- 23:00

Mode

Locals Farmland 9:00 -Old 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

Garage for rent

Old Locals

Commericial

Rooms for rent

Public Facility9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00

16:00- 23:00

Renovated rural paths

rural paths Farmland Vegetable Renovated Farmland gardens

Farmland

Public Toilet Public Facility Public Facility Canal Commericial In the archipelago of Tongli, it could be seen that Canal Canal Public industry Facility Rural Housing Commercial CanalRural Commericial housing most people commute between the islands either Rooms for rent Public Facility Modern Housing Public Facility Modern housing to work, rest or recreate. Meanwhile, local flows Garage for rent Vegetable gardens have the tendency to intersect at the commercial 16:0023:00 16:0023:00 16:0023:00 16:00-23:00 23:00 23:00 16:0016:0016:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Public Toilet spine, with more focus on water in the traditional Farmland Young Locals Migrants Young Locals Destination 16:00-Destination 23:00 Migrants Destination Starting point Starting point Old Locals Young Locals Young Locals Destination Old Locals Starting point Starting point old town.

Public Facility Canal Commericial

Public Facility

Starting point

Development Edge

Rural housing Rural housing Highway

Canal

9:00 - 16:00

Vegeta

Public Toilet

Farmlan

16:00- 23:00 Young Locals

16:00- 23:00 Destination

Public Facility

9:00 - 16:00 Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Migrants

Canal

9:00 - 16:00

Underlying mechanism of the socio-spatial dynamics

Suzhou

Restaurants

Squares/ Plazas in Government Building

Stores

FASHION Car Service Industry

Expressway

HANDICRAFTS

Income from factories Income from agriculture Modern Apartments

Income from factories Income from agriculture House for self-living

PRIVATE

House for ren�ng

Old People Flow Young People Flow New Migrants Flow

Income from factories Income from agriculture

FRONT YARD Old

House for ren�ng House for self-living

People Flow

Young People Flow

House for ren�ng Income from factories House for self-living Old People Flow Income from Mallagriculture

Old People Flow Old People Flow MODERN New Migrants Flow Traditional Rural Houses Young People Flow Young People Flow Old People Flow House House for ren�ngYoung People Flow Farmland House for self-living New New Migrants Flow Migrants Flow Renting Young People Flow New Migrants Flow Modern Agriculture Old People Flow Revenue New Migrants Flow Vegetablefrom Garden Young People Flow tourism New Migrants Flow

CROSSING ISLAND

House for ren�ng House for self-living

Old People Flow Young People Flow Migrants Flow

Old People Flow

MODERN

FASHION Young People Flow MODERN

Rural Houses Farmland

Modern Apartments/ Houses Rural Houses

New Migrants Flow Farmland MODERN Renting Rural Houses Modern Agriculture Farmland Vegetable Garden Renting

House for self-living

Old House forPeople ren�ng Old PeopleFlow Flow

OldforPeople House self-living

Young People Young YoungPeople People Flow Flow

For Rent Flow Old People Migrants MigrantsFlow Flow Public Space Young People Flow Canal Migrants ModernFlow Vernacular

Vegetable Garden

Modern Agriculture Vegetable Garden

Preservation House for ren�ng GOVERNMENT policies House for self-living

House for ren�ng LIVING ISLAND

Renting Modern Agriculture

Housing Provision

PUBLIC

Spaces along canals

Old People SLEEPING ISLAND Old People Flow Young People For Rent Young People Old People OldFlow People Public Space Young People Young People Migrants Flow Canal For For Rent Rent Modern PublicSpace Space Public Vernacular Canal

Old People Young People For Rent Public Space Canal Canal Modern Modern Vernacular Vernacular

Modern Vernacular

Vernacular and Modern urban setting: Distinctive Identity and Mixed Society Tongli old town, the ‘Living Island’ (see map on previous page) is a touristic area and occupied mostly by old locals. As people spend most of their time working along the water, the canals also became recreational space in their free time. This identity solidified into the vibrant canal scene as seen today in the town. In contrast, the modern Sleeping and Crossing islands’ (see

map on previous page) public spaces are more ground-based because of the dominance of car infrastructure. Exceptionally, the Crossing Island is most crowded in outlets and malls, while open spaces are saved for car and highway services. As seen in the diagram, most young people prefer to live in modern areas, but still hang out and work in the Living Island, contributing to the spectrum of social groups in the area.

03. Fieldwork

167

Daily activities: A1_URBAN

Mini Parks Waiting for Customer Restaurants Shops Shopping

Shops

Eating

Shopping

Relaxing Chatting

Canal

Drying Clothes

Exercise Evening Meeting

Eating Pavement Playing Mahjong Relaxing Gathering

Pavement Passing Weekly Shopping

Long hour merchant working culture: Ground base shopping street in sleeping island In a more ground-based environment such as the Sleeping Island, sidewalks, mini-parks and vacant restaurant seats are the main public spaces, hosting a variety of social interaction. Most of the mini squares are designed next to the main commercial street. Despite the canal flowing 5m next to these spaces, people still only hang out

168

in spaces that are most convenient for their jobs, which require long hour store watching

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Tourist Services

Canal Bank Paths

Restaurants

Chatting

Handicrafts

Evening Meeting

Hotels

Playing Mahjong

Vendoring Sightseeing

Relaxing

Canal Sightseeing

Square Dancing

Washing Clothes Water for Vegetable Boat Trip

Long hour merchant working culture: Water-based touristic street in living island The combination of different groups of people, ranging from old locals to young migrant workers in Tongli has contributed to a vibrant water town scene. In old houses, businesses and shops run from early morning until bedtime. In break time, people flood the canal sides to chat, relax and interact with each other. This scene also happens

during work hours where shop-owners (also neighbors) gather in front of their shops, next to the canal, chatting and doing business together.

03. Fieldwork

169

Map of people daily flows B1_RURAL

0

200

400

800

Renovated rural paths Highway Renovated rural paths

800

Development Edge Renovated rural paths Renovated rural paths

Development Edge

industry Highway

Rural housing

Rooms for rent

1km

Development Development Edge Edge

Highway Highway

industry industry

Rural housing Rural housing

Development Edge ModernRenovated housing rural paths Modern ModernEdge housinghousing Rural housing Development Highway Garage for rent Garage Garage for rentfor rent Rooms for rent Renovated rural paths Development Edge Highway Vegetable gardens Vegetable Vegetable gardensgardens Modern housing industry

Renovated ruralRooms paths Rooms for rentfor rent

Renovated rural paths

Development Edge

Highway

Public Toilet

industry Public Toilet Public Toilet Rural housing Farmland Farmland Rural housing Rooms for rent Public Facility Canal Commericial Rooms for rent Public Facility Modern housing Canal Canal Rural Housing Farmer Hut Rural housing Farmland Modern housing Garage for rent Rooms for rent Public Facility GarageHousing for rent Canal Modern Commericial Vegetable gardens Vegetable Garden Modern housing Vegetable gardens Public Toilet Garage for rent Public Toilet Farmland Vegetable gardens Farmland 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 23:00 16:0023:00 16:00- 23:00 Public16:00Facility Public Toilet Canal Public Facility Canal Farmland Young Locals 16:00- 23:00 16:0023:00 Migrants Destination Starting point Young Locals Young Locals Destination Destination Old Locals 16:0023:00 StartingStarting point point Public Facility Canal Commericial Highway Garage for rent

industry VegetableFarmland gardens

Rural urbanization is not always smooth and easy for a large population of farmers. In the above map, it could be seen that attraction from the newly developed resettlement is strong amongst farmers, with people from all communities coming and interacting, regardless of distance and lack Young Locals Destination Startingonce point 9:00 - 16:00 of infrastructure. The village, crowded with farmers, now only host migrants as farmlands are 9:00 - 16:00 being acquired and old people stay idle. 16:00- 23:00 Starting point Public Toilet Public Facility industry

Starting point

Starting point

Young Locals 9:00 - 16:00

170

Destination

Migrants 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 16:0023:00 16:0023:00

Old Locals

9:00 - 16:00

industry

Rural housing

Rooms for rent Commericial Rooms for RentCommericial

Modern housing

Garage for rent Open Space

Vegetable gardens

Public Toilet

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Commericial Public Facility Commericial

Migrants Migrants 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00 16:00-16:0023:00 23:00 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00

Farmland

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Canal

Old Locals Old Locals 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 16:00- 23:00

Young Locals Destination Destination Young Locals 16:0023:00

Migrants Migrants 16:00-Starting 23:00 point

Young Locals Old Destination Locals Old Locals

Migrants

- 16:00 9:009:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 9:00 16:00- 16:00 Old Locals

9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00

Migrants 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Underlying Mechanism of the Socio-Spatial Dynamics:

Income Renting

Modern/ Centralised Agriculture + Rural Development

Farming

Migrants

SD (2002) Law of Rural Land Contract of PRC

Well managed farmers Produ ct

ive te am

tin Ren in Work

SD (2015)

g

Scheme of Comprehensive Reform

Prod

SMG (2016) Policy of Rural Land Management Right Identification

uctiv e tea

m2

Workhop boss

Income from factories

res

+ welfa

Income from agriculture

Resettlement+ Compensation

Land Tr

ansfer+

House for ren�ng

welfare

s

ing

House for self-living

rk Wo

Suzhou Municipality Government

ting Ren

ansfer

Land Tr

1

g

SD (2008) Outline of Land Use (2006-2020)

Old People Flow

MODER

Young People Flow

Rural H Farmlan

New Migrants Flow

Renting

uctiv e tea

Modern

Prod

m3

Old People Flow

Vegetab

Rural house

Young People Flow New Migrants Flow

from factories

from agriculture

or ren�ng

Old People Flow Old People Flow Young People Flow Young People Flow New Migrants Flow New Migrants Flow

use for self-living

Old People Flow

oung People Flow

igrants Flow

MODERN

Young People Flow

Rural Houses Farmland

1979

or self-living

use for ren�ng

Old People Flow

2000s

New Migrants Flow MODERN Rural Houses Farmland

Migrants to other places

House for ren�ng 2017

House for self-living

Renting Modern Agriculture Vegetable Garden

Renting

Apartment

Old OldPeople PeopleFlow Flow

Old Peopl Young Peo For Rent

Public Spac

Young YoungPeople People Flow Flow

Canal

Migrants MigrantsFlow Flow

Modern Vernacular

Modern Agriculture Vegetable Garden

The interplay between land transfer / income House for ren�ng Old People and properties structure House for self-living

Young People

The process of land transfer is one of the strongest For Rent instrumentOld forPeople ruralFlow urbanization. Farmlands are Public collected and farmers get compensation from Space the Old People government.

In People this mechanism, the former Canalbond Young Flow Young(production People between villages force) are torn apart Modern as peopleMigrants get levels of compensation, Flow For different Rent Vernacular which determines their new living destination.

Public Space It can be seen in the chart that the few success stories are Canal amongst people who can manage this process Modern well and move, while a large number

of farmers either stay and receive money from the government, without land to cultivate, or go into downward spiral and become migrants in a different area. It is true that urbanization brings fortune to some rural villages with strong identities and values, such as Tongli, Li Li, or Taobao villages, but for the less fortunate conventional farming villages, this process results in turbulence instead in stability and growth.

Vernacular 03. Fieldwork

171

Daily Activities: B1_RURAL

Natural ponds Harvesting field snails

Modern House

Earning seasonal income

Sleeping Rural House

Recently Resettled

Built by 2nd Generation

A local delicacy

Cooking Drying Produce

Modern House

For daily use

Growing Vegetable For daily use

Can

Pollu

Lack Resettlement Area | Apartments- For the Poor

Traditional Water Village- For Farmers not handling land yet

Recently urbanized, the activities of farmers in area B1 are still heavily influenced by village culture. For example, people living in apartments still harvest snails in natural ponds nearby, people living in private modern houses still grow vegetables and raise chickens. Interestingly, most people living kilometres apart know each other as they used to

172

cultivate together, competing in teams. However, the different amounts of compensation and financial ability has shaped them into communities with strong hierarchical attributes: private house for rich farmers, apartments for poor farmer.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

New Open Space New Open Space Evening Square Dance Self-Occupied lots

Drying Clothes and food

Growing Vegetable

Chatting

Playing Car Parking

Relaxing

nal

uted

k of Accessibility

Resettlement Area | Private House- For the Well-manageds

03. Fieldwork

173

Map of people daily flows C1_INDUSTRIAL

0

200

400

800

800

1km

???

?

?

???

?

?

Renovated rural paths

???

Development Edge Renovated rural paths Renovated rural paths

Highway Renovated rural paths

???

Development Edge

industry Highway

Rural housing

industry industry

Renovated rural paths

Rooms for rent

Development Development Edge Edge

Highway Highway

Rural housing Rural housing

Development Edge

Development Edge Highway Modern housing rural paths Modern ModernEdge housinghousing Rural housing Renovated Development Highway Garage for rent Garage Garage for rentfor rent Rooms for rent Renovated rural paths Development Edge Highway Vegetable gardens industry Vegetable Vegetable gardensgardens Modern housing industry

Public Toilet

Renovated ruralRooms paths Rooms for rentfor rent

Rural housing

industry Rooms for rent industry VegetableFarmland gardens

Public Toilet Public Toilet Rural housing Farmland Farmland Rural housing Modern housing Rooms for rent Public Facility Public Facility Canal Commericial Garage forHousing rentfor Rooms rent Modern housing Renovated rural paths Development Edge Canal Canal Rural Farmer Hut Rural housing Farmland Vegetable gardens Modern housing Garage for rent Rooms for rent Public Facility Highway Toilet Garage for rent Canal Public Commericial Vegetable gardens Vegetable Garden Public Toilet Modern housing Vegetable gardens Farmland Public Toilet Garage for rent Public Toilet Industry Public Facility industry Canal Farmland Vegetable gardens Rural housing Farmland 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 23:00 16:0023:00 16:00- 23:00 Public16:00Facility Public Toilet Canal Rooms for rentFacility Public Canal Farmland Modern housing Young Locals 16:00- 23:00 16:0023:00 Migrants Destination Starting point Young Locals Young Locals Destination Destination Old Locals 16:0023:00 StartingStarting point point Public Facility Canal for rent Commericial Garage Young Locals Migrants 9:00Vegetable Destination 9:00 - 16:00 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Starting point 9:00 - 16:00 16:00 gardens Old Locals 9:00 -- 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 Public Toilet Young Locals 9:00 -Migrants 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 Farmland Destination 16:0023:00 Starting point 16:0023:00 16:00-16:0023:00 23:00 Highway Garage for rent

The village in area C1 is an example of the dormitory village- or village in the city- ViC. This renovated water town offers services to migrant workers from rental spaces to daily meals. The flows are more localized and outer flows tend to go back to the village more frequently. And most importantly, young people stay, work and invest in the village.

Public Toilet Public Facility industry

16:00- 23:00 Starting point

Young Locals 9:00 - 16:00

174

Public Facility Canal 9:00 - 16:00 Young Locals Destination Destination Starting point Young Locals 16:0023:00 Starting point

Destination

- 16:00 9:009:00 - 16:00

16:00- 23:00

Migrants 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00 Migrants Migrants 16:00-Starting 23:00 point

9:00 - 9:00 16:00- 16:00 Old Locals

9:00 - 16:00 16:00- 23:00

Renovated rural paths

industry

Modern housing

Garage for rent Open Space Public Toilet Commericial

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Commericial Public Facility Commericial

Migrants Migrants 9:00 9:00 - 16:00 16:0023:00- 16:00 Old Locals 16:0023:00 16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00

Vegetable gardens Farmland

16:00- 23:00 16:00- 23:00 Canal

Old Locals Old Locals 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 16:00- 23:00

Commericial 9:00 Locals - 16:00 Young Destination Old Locals Old Locals

Migrants

9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00 9:00 - 16:00

9:00 - 16:00

16:00- 23:00

point Locals Delta Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: DesignStarting explorations in theDestination Jiangnan Transect Migrants of the YangtzeOldRiver 9:00 - 16:00

Rural housing

Rooms for rent Commericial Rooms for RentCommericial

Young Locals 9:00 - 16:00

Development Edge

Highway

9:00 - 16:00

Underlying Mechanism of the Socio-Spatial Dynamics:

Ren ova �on

SMG

Ec on

om y

Agriculture Company

s i�e

tun po

y om on Ec x Ta

Op ce enan Maint

Factories

Government

Lease land

Factory Canal Canal

Canal

Old People Flow

Income from factories Public Facility Income from agriculture

Rural Houses Farmland Old People Flow

New Migrants Flow

Renting

Small workshops

Renting

Modern Agr

Vegetable G

Young People Flow Modern Agriculture e m fo r

Village

s

nd

ma

De

Old People Flow

New Migrants Flow

Rural Hous Farmland

t

/ bs

House for self-living

House for self-living

Young People Flow Jo

House for ren�ng

MODERN

MODERN

Housi

ng fo

r wo

rkers

nc

ena

Co

Income from agriculture

Young People Flow

House for ren�ng

Work/ Study/ Business

Old People Flow

Income from factories

Old House

Young People in Cities

int Vegetable Garden New Migrants Flow

Ma

Young People Flow Send money back

New Migrants Flow

Village House for ren�ng

Old People Young People

House for self-living House for ren�ng House for self-living

Old People Flow

Income from factories Old People

Income agriculture Youngfrom People

For for Rent House ren�ng House forSpace self-living Public

Young People Flow

Canal

Migrants Flow

Modern Vernacular

Government/ Industry and Village Cooperation to modernise the village In the maelstrom of migration from villages, the model of the dormitory village proves to be a win-win-win situation where old farmers, young people and migrants can coexist in a financially sustainable environment. People from the village do not face displacement, instead, receive fortune from the different demands of the migrants. The

OldFlow People Flow Old OldPeople People Flow Young Young Flow People Flow YoungPeople People Flow Migrants MigrantsFlow Flow

New Migrants Flow

For Rent MODERN

Public Space Rural Hous Canal Farmland Modern Renting Vernacular

Modern Agr

Old People Flow

Vegetable G

Young People Flow New Migrants Flow

economy of renting and small workshops also attracts investment from young people. Meanwhile industry and government can meet their mission to provide people and workers House for ren�ng with adequate Old People facilities and a stableHouse life. for self-living

Young People For Rent

Old People Flow

Public Space

Young People Flow

Canal

Migrants Flow

Modern Vernacular 03. Fieldwork

175

Daily activities: C1_INDUSTRIAL

Rural House Cooking

Modern House

Drying Produce

Built by Young People

For daily use/ workers

Leasing to Workers

Small Workshop

Canal Bank

Working

Growing Vegetable For daily use/ workers

Canal Bank Washing Vegetable For daily use/ workers

Canal Illegal Fishing

By Electricity

The Village Dormitory: Activities and Interactions in a mixed new society

176

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Public Toilet Renovation

By Government

Paved Paths Social Gathering Point Sport Facilities

Playing Mahjong

Social Gathering Point Exercising Modern House Living in Hometown 2nd Generation Investment

03. Fieldwork

177

Projection:

The inevitable shifting back to the rural following technological-socio-economic evolution.

With the advancement in technology, the economy is becoming less labor-intensive, and infrastructure is increasingly shifting from physical to virtual. We suspect that this trend will turn migration flows of rural workers back to their home towns, and result in an inevitable new model of economy in the rural area that faces deteriorating economic growth.

178

Meanwhile, the government is putting more effort into improving the rural living environment, but still the approach is rather top-down or insensitive to other aspects beside economy and basic livelihood.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Projected GDP and population growth in the region compared with planned social facilities

Jobless migrants and landless farmers in Tun Cun

Research Question: Growing population in the region coupled with the slowing economic growth trend puts the fragile social balances at risk. How could future spatial development contribute to a more harmonious society?

03. Fieldwork

179

180

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

04

Design Explorations

181

Design Exploration Guidance: Racha Daher Bruno De Meulder Stefanie Dens

182

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Design Explorations Based on the research and knowledge gathered during the fieldwork, teams were regrouped to formulate six design teams that included participants from different think tanks. The teams developed projects that address the issues and challenges of the territory, through ecological design explorations that tackle climate change, water pollution, agricultural production, transportation, housing and migration.

Settling Water: Cycles & modalities in the Jiangnan lowlands analyzes the water territory and classifies water body types according to whether their character is contained, controlled, or fluctuating. Based on the type of water body, actions are proposed to purify water, increase its storage capacity, and prevent water pollution in agricultural production.

R(e)structuring Mobility in the Jiangnan Corridor: (e)Routing and pooling redistributes transportation systems in the corridor for both, people and goods, re-introduces emphasis on water mobility, implements a soft mobility network and multi-modal hubs that link between them. The proposal further taps into digital technology to facilitate delivery of produce in the rural area through the soft mobility network.

Back to Wei: Agro-ecological polder for climate change resilience proposes the concept of the ‘open polder’ to transform the territory into a resilient productive landscape that acts as a self-cleansing sponge. The project proposes a system of agricultural rotation between the wet and dry seasons. By editing micro-topography within the polders, areas are allocated as protected, semi-protected, and wetlands varying their productive usages by elevation.

Eco-leap Forward proposes a shift from intensive mono-agriculture to diversified cyclic agriculture that promotes economic well-being. By analyzing land and edge conditions in the rural territory, the project proposes ecological transformations by introducing a farming strategy of various species, each with its own eco-system, and that creates a resilient agroeconomic landscape. With this the proposal aims to replenish the farming industry and curb outward migration.

Re-profiling the Grid City: Framing development through stormwater mitigation deals with water pollution in the territory by directly tackling the urban area. The project proposes a landscape infrastructure for stormwater management, slowing it down and treating it, before reaching open water sources that are under threat. It further shuffles development rights of unbuilt but planned areas to give way to a productive megapark for stormwater treatment.

Recover Water to Reset: Anchoring, bridging & framing the water town work with three different types of water towns to implement a strategy of differentiation in each. By working with the existing context, the proposal uncovers a lost lake in one area, stitches a historic water town with its surrounding at the pedestrian level in another, and emphasizes confluences of water in a third.

04. Design Explorations

183

Design Team: Bruna Fregonezi Julie Goffaux Santiago Molano Bernal Nikita Shah

184

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

04.1

Settling Water

Cycles & modalities in the Jiangnan lowlands The Yangtze River Delta in China is one of the fastest developing regions in the world, but since ancient times, the development of its territory has been closely related to agricultural and industrial production, due to its land’s varied geomorphology. It is set as a water-based landscape that has been highly manipulated, contained, and reshaped by man over centuries.

Water pollution is one of the main issues of the delta and its water landscape today. The constant growth of cities and population in the last few decades have been increasing the flow of pollution mainly caused by industries but also, in a diffuse way, by the agricultural production which affects the quality of water and the capacity of the territory to absorb and transform the excess elements. Moreover, climate change has imposed circumstances that affect how the territory and its natural cycles function, for example, sea level rise imposes increased saline intrusion, which threatens the drinkable water that supplies the populations of Shanghai and other close cities. The run-off caused by intensive rains further plays a large role in water pollution.

To face these major issues, we propose three base intentions: purify water pollution, increase water storage capacity, and prevent water pollution in agricultural production.

To achieve these intentions, this project proposes a system of filtration wetlands that offer the possibility of settling water and reshaping the territory with spatial and productive transformations. The strategies are translated into six actions: the modification of the edge, the adequacy of floodable areas, the insertion of wetlands and purifying plants, the reuse of residual water, and the introduction of coculture in the agricultural practice.

The are applied in a key piece of the territory that links the water system in a primarily northsouth direction, and mediates between Wujiang and Shanghai cities. This vast portion has as determinants, a constant presence of water, a high risk of flooding, and a strong presence of agricultural production. The territory is classified by three spatial conditions according to the type of water, which indicates the operation.

With these actions, we intend to take advantage of natural cycles and processes to set the path for urbanization, reduce the presence of diffuse pollution and recognize the fluctuation condition of the natural water landscape.

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Yangtze river delta landscape

The natural landscape

Winter tide Summer tide

Source: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data on History of Water Conservancy in the South of the Yangtze River from the website http://chuansong.me/n/648978449351

Geomorphology

Freshwater body Saline water body High Low Tai lake watershed

Recent delta evolution

Hills

Old delta plain

Alluvial plain

Sea plain

New delta plain

Sand bank

1886 1920 1959 1995 2012

The Yangtze river has a 6300-km path from the source to the mouth which means a vast amount of sediment is discharged into the sea. We can see the evolution of the delta in the previous years as shown in the map above.

Moreover, the thrust of the tide varies at a range of 2.5m, depending on seasons. It has a higher penetration during the dry season.

Source: Base section credited to Dr. Christian Nolf modified by design team

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The manipulated landscape

Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption:

Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data on using data from Rodrigue (n.d.).

Urban area

Major canal

High tide

Protection

Low tide

Discharge

Average tide

Major freshwater reservoir

As mentioned, this vast territory has been constantly manipulated over centuries, which has created a complex network of natural and man-made canals and large fresh water reservoirs. In parallel this system is influenced by a tidal movement which occurs two times a day.

In addition, at a lower scale, a tidal water gate system is used to protect from flooding and discharged residual water of villages, and to allow the flow of water.

Flow

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Water pollution

Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data from the website http://cnemc.cn/

Official pollution data

Fieldwork observations

Level II

Level V

Agricultural pollution

Level III

Exceeding level V

Urban pollution

Level IV

Officially water has been classified into five levels of pollution, in which level three is the highest accepted as suitable for human consumption. The main water body, the Taihu lake has different levels of pollution because of its size. The main canals have different ranges of pollution, some of them exceeding the maximum level. Observed during the fieldwork, pollution flow from urban areas comes from localized sources, while pollution from agricultural production is diffuse making it a main source of pollution in the territory.

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Climate change

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Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data from Seavitt (2013)

250-year flood

5.7 m

1000-year flood

6.7 m

Source: Base section credited to Dr. Christian Nolf modified by design team using data from from Shi et al. (2000).

Sea level rise is one condition of climate change. In this territory, it is estimated that there will be a 0.50m increase in the water level by 2050, and due to the low topography of the delta and its water territory, the region is at risk of not only flooding, but also in its reduced capacity to drain its water. To illustrate and identify low-lying areas that are most prone to flooding, the above map utilizes an extreme flooding event of 5.7 and 6.7 m.

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Salinization

Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data from Chen et al.

(2016).

Salinity (PSU) 0.5

2.5

5

7.5

10

15

One of the major issues in the delta is the saline intrusion. It could affect the availability of fresh water, having repercussions on agricultural production and drinkable water, among others. Currently saline intrusion in the estuary happens mostly during the dry season when the gates of reservoirs are closed. While tide force can reach 600km upstream, the saline intrusion occurs at just 50 km mainly in the estuary area. A system of gates exists to contain the upcoming saline water by the river, nevertheless this intrusion could be deeper with climate change and sea level rise.

It is important to note that the main source of fresh water for Shanghai is in the estuary at high risk intrusion. If this source of water is compromised, the only source of water for Shanghai will be Taihu lake and the reservoirs system between the lake and the city.

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Soil acification

Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption: Supplemental text to describe drawings Caption:

Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using data from Yan et al. (2015).

Agricultural area

Major polder area

Highland area

Urban area

Another important issue, closely linked to water pollution, is the bio-accumulation of heavy metals by plants as a result of soil acidification. Heavy metals are present in the soil following industrial contamination of water or soil directly, but are generally bound to soil particles, which makes them unavailable for plants. However, when soil becomes acidic, the mobility of these metal ions increases and crops might absorb them.

This soil acidification has two main causes in the Yangtze river delta: acid rain, caused by sulphurous emissions (cars, industry...), and the use of over-use of fertilizer. The region’s soils, originally neutral thanks to the presence of carbonates originating from alluvial deposits, is therefore at high risk of acidification. Most of the agriculture is intensively managed, which means that there are large amounts of fertilizer used.

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The Jiangnan lowlands as a porous hinge An agricultural territory Once the agricultural areas are traced and crossed with the water structure, it is easy to establish an area where there exists an intense presence of water. This is a strategic area to apply actions that cross over agricultural production and water flow.

A water territory

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A liquid territory A fluctuating waterscape

Flood water level (Based on a flood event in an unchecked pollution scenario) 0.5 m

1m

1.5 m

2m

3m

Classification of water bodies based on level of manipulation

Fluctuating

Fluctuating

Contained

Controlled

Controlled

Contained

Contained

Fluctuating

Three main types of water bodies can be found in the territory: first, fluctuating water, which is uninterrupted and constantly flowing; second controlled water, which corresponds to water bodies isolated from the system by gates, and finally contained water, which is composed of still water bodies with stable volumes (aquaculture) and disconnected from the flowing system.

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Strategy

Water Type

Contained

Aim Floating agriculture

Increase water storage capacity Increase purifying potential

Fluctuating

Controlled

Floodable areas

Urban edge

Filtration wetlands

Planted edges

Re-use water

Prevent diffuse pollution

Co-culture

Actions

Increase storage capacity

Once the fluctuating waterscape is recognized by flooding events and topographic conditions, it is possible to set punctual areas that allow more possibilities to store water and to adapt the urban form by phasing flooding cases.

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Increase purifying potential

Because of the scale and interrupted flow of the ‘Fluctuating’ type of water, its edge has special relevance and potential to work to purify water along it.

Prevent diffuse pollution

The strategy of preventing diffuse pollution focuses its action on agricultural land, mainly divided into fishing ponds and agricultural plots, closely-related with the water network of short canals.

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Strategy

Plan of the proposed Jiangnan lowlands landscape

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Section through the proposed Jiangnan lowlands landscape

FLOODING

PURIFY POTENTIAL

INCREASE STORAGE CAPACITY

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DIFUSE POLLUTION +

PREVENT POLLUTION

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Strategies related to contained water bodies Aim: Prevent water pollution Current situation

Projected situation

Water re-use

Rice-fish co-culture

Current situation

Projected situation

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Aim: Increase water storage capacity Current situation

Projected situation

Floodable agriculture

Floodable aquaculture

Current situation

Projected situation

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Strategies related to controlled water bodies Aim: Increase water storage capacity & Increase water purifying potential

Current situation

Projected situation

Floodable area

Filtration wetland

Current situation

Projected situation

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Strategies related to controlled water bodies Aim: Increase water storage capacity & Increase water purifying potential

Current situation

Projected situation

Urban edge

Planted edge

Application of strategies on the territory

Sample M1

Sample M2

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Application: Sample Sites Sample M1: Current situation

Projected situation - Dry season

Sample M1 (rural)

This sample site demonstrates our strategies applied in a rural zone East of Wujiang. With regards to our agricultural strategy, the locations of fish ponds and rice fields are reorganized in order to enable the reuse of nutrient-rich fish pond water in the fields, and to allow new rice-fish coculture plots to arise. In areas where water is not controlled as such, namely on the borders of big water bodies or in identified flooding areas, we propose flood-proof systems in which agricultural production does not get damaged by rising waters (floating rice beds and temporary fish nets).

Additionally, we propose water purifying wetlands in known floodable spaces, consisting of a sequence of settling and filtrating pools using phytoremediation plants such as reeds.

Sometimes, when these wetlands are close to residential areas, we accommodate public spaces for better interaction between people and their water landscape.

Projected situation - Wet season

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Application: Sample Sites Sample M2: Current situation

Projected situation - Dry season

Sample M2 (urban)

This sample site illustrates our major urban strategy in addition to our agricultural strategies, in a development zone South of Wujiang. Here, the rural meets the urban in a complicated floodable area. Some of the floodable zones are inside of the road grid that is currently waiting for new urban development.

The aim here is to change the car-oriented orthogonal morphology into an organic landscape that gives more space for water in the wet season, and that can accommodate public life. In this way, we are offering possibilities to continue the urban development, but respecting the natural conditions of the land.

Projected situation - Wet season

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Application: Sample Site - Contained water body Sample S1

Sample S1: Current situation

Projected situation - Dry season

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Sample 1: Contained water bodies (agriculture)

This sample within M1 shows how various agricultural strategies can be combined in the territory. By reorganizing agriculture and aquaculture at the scale of a village, a continuous and self-cleaning cycle of water is created from lakes to canals to fishponds. Floodable agriculture and aquaculture strategies are also applied to floodprone areas.

Projected situation - Wet season

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Application: Sample Site - Fluctuating water body Sample S2

Sample S2: Current situation

Projected situation - Dry season

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Sample S2 - Fluctuating water bodies (urban edge)

This sample within M2 is from a planned urban area that is yet to be occupied. The remaining pools of water within the grid show the ancient topography that has almost completely been levelled out. We propose, on the contrary, to make more space for water, in order to allow the water level to fluctuate according to seasons and flooding events. The car-driven orthogonal grid transforms into a natural fluctuating landscape where a cut and fill strategy is used to create temporary lakes on one hand and dry forested spaces on the other. This limits flooding of built-up areas while providing a smoother transition between the rural south and the urban north, where biodiversity thrives in between reserved public spaces.

Projected situation - Wet season

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Application: Sample Site - Controlled water body Sample S3

Sample S3: Projected situation

Sample S3 - Controlled water bodies (wetland)

This sample within M1 is currently unconstructed barren land.

We propose to convert the space into a constructed wetland, which is a treatment system to purify water using natural processes such as sedimentation and phytoremediation (through roots of vegetation). Water is pumped upstream then flows through different pools where it meets with a diversity of filtering plants. As this water is clean, we are also proposing public spaces in the border of these “pools�.

To optimise purification, the water should flow through the wetland in a way to cross plant masses perpendicularly. The pools delimitated by theses masses should be shaped in the proportion 3:1.

Public access Vertical precipitation Floating aquatic plants

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Projected situation - Dry season

The dry season is essential to restore microbial activity of the soil after a long period of hypoxia (low oxygen levels) while submerged Projected situation - Wet season

As water should flow through with gravity, the wetland needs to be designed so that there is a level difference of about 50 cm between each pool.

Emerged aquatic plants Submerged aquatic plants

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Design Team: Athanasiou Iosif Petros Hai Tu Tran Huazhou Ye Ana Maria

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04.2

R(e)structuring mobility in the Jiangnan Corridor (e)Routing and pooling

The Jiangnan Wetland & Water Village Corridor in the Yangtze River Delta region, where this studio takes place, has some particularities in its spatial configuration. On one hand it is one of the most populated regions of the country, and on the other, it hosts one of the most productive agricultural and aquacultural areas that provide food for a grand part of the country. Not to mention the industrial boom that takes place in vast areas of land and changes the dynamics of the territory, due to the rapidly growing urbanization in the past decade. Despite all this, the area is known for its ancient water towns, and well preserved villages in the middle of a growing territory.

These spatial dynamics that characterize the Jiangnan corridor are also the result of development of a dense infrastructural vehicle-oriented network. Massive aquacultural and agricultural production, industrial product flows, and thousands of tourists all use this network to navigate through the corridor, creating great pressure in the existing network. If we take into account that the population of the area will have an increase of 100,000 inhabitants by 2030, this network will face even more pressure in the existing infrastructural system, which will probably lead to a decision to develop an even denser and bigger infrastructural road network. The extension of the existing infrastructural system will create tremendous problems in the Jiangnan Wetland & Water Village Corridor and threaten the destruction of its habitat.

For those reasons, our main purpose is to develop a new system of mobility for people and for goods, by re-using the existing infrastructures in a different way. Our main aim is to redistribute the pressure that the infrastructural network faces without constructing new heavy infrastructures; instead our proposal targets to diversify ways of mobility on existing infrastructure. In order to do so we took a series of decisions. Firstly, we reintroduce the old way of flows - the waterway system. This re-introduction will reduce a lot of the pressure on existing roads. Secondly, we retrace and re-route existing bus lines to create a more efficient mobility system for both inhabitants and visitors. Thirdly, we reorganize the flows of goods that are produced in the corridor to not only to utilize the water way system, but also by introducing a network of bike lanes that is combined with the new possibility that online systems make available for product distribution.

Hence, this proposal is based on the ideas of retracing existing mobility and flow routes, diversifying ways of transport and transit, and integrating the internet as an infrastructure that can help in the qualitative evolution of the territory.

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Flows Analysis Goods Flows in YRD

People Flows in YRD

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Flows Analysis The illustrated maps show the flow of people and goods from the scale of districts to the scale of inter-regional links in the YRD. They show movements in which infrastructure plays an important role to connect, link and absorb.

The corridor is well known for its touristic historical zones, in which there are more than 8 millions tourist visits every year.

Moreover, the Jiangnan area is located in one of the main industrial zones and contains huge productions of agricultural and aquacultural products for the whole delta. Therefore, the demands for huge capacity roads, and the number of vehicles continues to increase.

Consequently, the road networks have grown dramatically in the corridor, especially in the last 7 years and it is planned for them to be extended even more in the coming years.

However, the development of gigantic roads do not relate to the logics of nature - they interrupt the ecology of the water structure and cause damage to the environmental habitat of the corridor.

People + Goods Flows in YRD

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Online Market Potentials

Heilongjiang

Neimenggu Xinjiang

Jilin Liaoning

Beijing Hebei Ningxia

Shanxi

Qinghai

Tianjin

Shandong

Gansu Henan

Shanxi

Xizang

Jiangsu Anhui

Hubei

Sichuan Chongqing

Guizhou Per Capita Delivery Usage

Zhejiang Hunan

Jiangxi Fujian

Yunnan

<2

Guangxi

Guangdong

Taiwan South China Sea

2~5 5~10 10~30 >=30

Hainan

7.5

8 7

6.2

6

5.0

5 3.8

4 2.8

3 1.9

2 1

0.8

1.2

0 2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017E

80%

160

70%

140

60%

120

50%

100

40%

80

30%

60

20%

40

10%

20

0%

0

2018E

12 10 8 6 4 2

0.8

0 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

online shopping transaction amount(trillion RMB)

per capita delivery usage cost(rmb)

online shopping grouth rate(%)

per capita delivery usage (piece)

2013

Source: Data retrieved from https://sanwen8.cn/p/1e0igVq.html on May 28th, 2017

Percentage of capital delivery usage Between 2011 and 2015, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online shopping users continued to grow. In 2015, online shoppers reached the total size of 410 million. Online shopping users increased at a growth rate of 14.3%. In recent years, the scale of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online shopping transactions has maintained a rapid growth rate.

The annual growth rate is 2-3 times the average GDP, and is a driving force of national economic growth. The strong momentum in online shopping is still increasing capital gain. The birth of the online shopping industry created more business and has become a model of development in China.

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2014

Jiangnan Corridorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Infrastructure Evolution

1950s

2000

2010

2017

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Street Profiles Rural Fringe Road

Rural Roads

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Street Profiles Industry Road

City Roads

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URBAN

Shanghai

Car-ownership and Road-based Cities RURAL URBAN

Suzhou

Shanghai Areas underserved by public transport

Suzhou

RURAL

Private passenger car ownership per 100 inhabitants Source: Municipal statistical bureaus, TexasSure, NYS DMV, China SignPost™ estimate, 2013.

Areas underserved by public transport

Private passenger car ownership per 100 inhabitants Source: Municipal statistical bureaus, TexasSure, NYS DMV, China SignPost™ estimate, 2013.

Others Railway Highway

Others Railway Others

Highway Railway

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Highway

70%

80%

90%

100%

Passenger and Freight Volume of Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai，2003-2005 Source: Dan, Z. H. A. O. The High-Speed Railway Network in Yangtze River Delta: An Analysis of the Accessibility Impact.

Others Railway Highway

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Passenger and Freight Volume of Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai，2003-2005 Source: Dan, Z. H. A. O. The High-Speed Railway Network in Yangtze River Delta: An Analysis of the Accessibility Impact.

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Current Public Transport in Jiangnan Corridor Three different bus networks The bus system in the corridor is distributed into three areas.

Each area seems to develop its own logic of how the bus lines work. So on the one hand, we have a lot of lines that overlap, and on the other, there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a continuous line that connects one side of the corridor to the other. In addition, some rural areas in the corridor have no bus lines to connect them with other areas. Because of this lack of connectivity people living in those rural areas tend to buy more private cars that increase the pressure on the infrastructural system in the corridor. Moreover, we have to take into account that the authorities expect an increase of 100.000 of inhabitants by 2030. They have also planned for the development of a highspeed train that will cross the corridor from north to south.

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Existing Transport Modes and Flows

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Diversify Transport Modes and Re-structure Flows

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People Mobility Strategy Concept Diagram of People Mobility

80 - 150 passengers 50 bikes speed: 20 km/h

40 - 60 passengers no bikes speed: 10km/h average

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People Mobility Strategy The main aim of this proposal is to encourage the diversification of different modes of mobility. For this reason, we reintroduce the waterway system as part of everyday-life mobility. In the past, the waterways were the only system of communication between water villages of the corridor, but with the industrialization of the area, a roadway infrastructural system was developed that replaced waterway navigation.

The road infrastructure included 3 separate bus systems across the corridor: a bus system in the urban area, one in the middle of the corridor that begins form the water town of Tongli, and a third system in the Eastern area of the corridor. Our purpose is to implement a waterway connection that will link all the areas of the corridor from the West to East. This water way system will cross the corridor connecting important parts of the corridor,

such as the industrial areas, the touristic water villages, the residential areas and the urban area.

Each water stop is developed to include another way of mobility such as the bus system or the metro in urban area. The new bus system is composed of a rerouting overlapping lines to create a series of lines running North-South, to complement the East-West direction of the water ways. In addition, a network of soft mobility throughout the corridor is developed to help users reach the bus lines and the waterways. With this, we re-distribute and diversify the mobility system to allow for multiple options, efficiency, and ecology.

Soft Mobility Network Bus lines Water Transportation Water stations/docks Bus stops Greenery and Recreational Spaces

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People Mobility Strategy Proposed Water Transportation

Proposed Bus Network

1. Water transportation is introduced by taking advantage of the existing east-west waterway infrastructure to link the whole corridor. The aim is that a boat system will reduce the pressure on road transportation, and also, re-connect people back to water and renew their appreciation for waterbased travel. The harbors are selected based on the location of important urban quarters along the historical road. They further connect with the metro system in the city, in order to create a backbone of fast water-based transportation through the corridor.

228

2. Along with the east-west water connection, newly re-configured bus routes will connect in the north-south direction. All the bus lines will be connected with the water transportation as the main destination then spreading to the corridor in a north-south orientation. The new figure of bus network gives opportunities to connect and reach more villages that are not linked in the existing situation.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

People Mobility Strategy Proposed Soft Mobility Network

Proposed Greenery and Recreational Space

3. In addition to the public transport water and bus mobility strategies, a new system of soft mobility which prioritizes pedestrians, bikes, e-minivans will be established in between the water and bus transports. The system will link from the neighborhood scale to the main bus stops or water stations. Furthermore, to link the city with rural corridor, bike â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;highwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which are lanes along the major east-west roads, are introduced.

This diversified and combined ecological mobility system will reduce the pressure of private cars in the corridor.

4. To complement this ecological mobility system, a new system of greenery, and recreational spaces will be created along the soft mobility network, in which infrastructure (including waterway + roadway) perform as collectors. A variety of spaces and scales will revitalize the infrastructurescape with the aim of changing the perception of infrastructure in the corridor.

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40 - 60 passengers no bikes speed: 10km/h average

Goods Mobility Strategy

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Goods Mobility Strategy An important element of the project, it is the redistribution of goods in the corridor. The flows of goods are mainly composed of fish products produced by the aquaculture fishing ponds, produce from the agricultural farm lands and greenhouses, and industrial products manufactured in the corridorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industries. In order to strategically redistribute the flow of goods, it is of great importance to identify the areas that where production is concentrated. For this reason, we trace areas where fishing ponds, agriculture farms and industries are clustered. With this we study where it would be possible to develop networks that facilitate the transport of goods in a way that serves clusters, and utilizes other mobility potentials to decrease dependency on trucks and road highways.

Having said that, some areas are directly linked on main highways that cross the area form north to south. For those areas with direct access to the highway, it is probably most convenient and fastest to maintain the flow along them.

However, for all other areas, we form a network of water

ports and platforms along the proposed water system, that can transport goods more efficiently via waterways as opposed to highways. With this, we balance between goods transported by highways and water ways.

This system is superposed with an intricate soft-mobility system of bikes and e-minivans that can facilitate the mobility of goods in areas within short proximities. Not only that, but this soft mobility system opens up the potential to utilize technology to activate delivery systems through online applications connecting producers to consumers via a technology that mobilizes a community of bike and e-minivan delivery employees. This will be discussed in the following pages.

Aquacultural landscapes Potential Agricultural land Greenhouses Agricultural landscapes Industrial zone Soft Mobility Harbour, docks Water Transportation Flow direction

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Mobility Strategy in Jiangnan Corridor People & Goods As a result of the combined system of mobility for people and for goods, a dynamic mosaic mobility landscape is generated, where one system crosses over with another in order to redistribute flows in an ecological and sustainable way.

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Greenery and Recreational Spaces Aquacultural landscapes Potential Agricultural land Greenhouse Agricultural landscapes Industrial zone Soft Mobility Network Bus lines Water Transportation Water stations/docks Bus stops Goods Flow direction

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The concept of e-commerce and how it works

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As briefly mentioned before, the mobility infrastructure system proposed allows a great opportunity to tap into the trend of online business to create a delivery system of products. Our proposal goes further to connect the physical infrastructural system to a virtual infrastructure via the internet.

The corridor has the potential to create a diffused food supply system that connects individual consumers to individual producers, through a community of bike and e-minivan delivery operated through an online application.

To facilitate this logic, we propose to develop an online application onto which local producers upload their daily produce, and from which inhabitants can order from the available menu via an online platform. Then by mobilizing a community of e-bike riders and e-minivans drivers within close prxoximity, the produce is collected from the producers and delivered directly to the consumers. This delivery system utilizes the soft mobility network for distribution. With this, we create a new flow of goods based on a resilient soft mobility system to cater to the needs of both local inhabitants and local producers.

The farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefits to use e-commerce

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Re-profile the streets Rural Road

Rural Fringe Road

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Re-profile the streets Industial Road

City Road

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Urban Transport Hubs

Industrial Transport Hubs

Rural Transport Hubs

Railway Transport Hubs

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Transport Hubs

Transport Hubs Types and Locations

The strategies applied in the corridor scale are translated into territorial interventions in two ways. Our first intervention reconfigures the street profiles with the goal of optimizing the existing constructed infrastructure. As shown in the analysis of the existing situation, the profiles of most roads are not conceived for multi-modal mobility or for the human scale.

As part of our strategy, we create a soft-mobility system, attached to a recreational/green network. To achieve this optimization, we redistribute specific lanes for people, bikes and vegetation.

The second intervention occurs where the different systems of transport meet. These are nodes where a change from one type of transportation to another takes place, making it a transportation hub and an opportunity for creating public space. We have four different types of hubs: the urban, the rural, and the industrial as well as one that incorporates the railway.

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Zoom In 1 - Urban Transport Hubs This model is defined by the characteristic of the landscape that occurs in urbanized areas. It illustrates the link between waterways, the bus network, and a soft mobility network. Linear green spaces are attached that encourage small economic activities, support pedestrians and revitalize the waterfront landscape.

Existing

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Zoom In 2 - Rural Transport Hubs This model is defined by a newly proposed waterway-dock system in the rural area, that is linked to a soft mobility system that includes e-bikes and e-minivans for the transport of goods. The existing truck and car prioritized roads are transformed to include this soft mobility system. The docks along the waterfront will be used not only for transport of both people and goods, but also for recreation.

Existing

Proposed

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Zoom In 3 - Industrial Transport Hubs This model links three new ferry stations with workplaces and factories in industrial areas through soft mobility. Their locations are based on existing and proposed logistics hubs. Roads are re-structured to include and prioritize a soft mobility system that includes green and recreational spaces along it, to support workers to walk and bike. This system allows for small economies to will be established that not only support workers during break-time, but that have an effect on improving the economy of villages.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Zoom In 4 - Railway Transport Hubs A high-speed railway proposed by the government is planned for construction. In the future this will create a huge flow of people along it. This model taps into the proposed rail line, by connecting it to the bus and metro, and waterway system. The link between different transport modes creates opportunities to develop commercial spaces and recreational areas. The design of the landscape will encourage people to use the public transport better and improve the economy of the site.

Existing

Proposed

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Views and Perspectives E-commerce comic strip: how the online application works through soft-mobility distribution

Local producer receives request and prepares package

Consumer views and orders available produce online

Soft mobility in between productive landscapes in rural area

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Using our online app, inhabitants can order fresh produce directly from available producers in the area. Farmers upload their available produce to the app. Consumers view the available produce and farmers, and make their order. The app mobilizes an e-delivery system, which is composed of a community of registered e-bike riders and e-minivan drivers. Once an order is made, riders in close proximity are notified. Once one of them accepts to make the delivery, the consumer and the farmer are notified. The delivery person uses the mobility system to pick up from the farmer and deliver the fresh produce to the consumer.

A registered bike rider within close proximity is alerted and accepts request to make the delivery

Using the soft mobility network, he delivers the produce to the consumer.

The bike rider picks up the produce from the producer.

Dynamic urban life in Ferry Station

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Design Team: Nicholas Jacobs Vu Minh Phuoc Yu-Han Huang

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04.3

Back to Wei

Agro-ecological polder for climate change resilience The southern part of Jiangsu province and the rural areas of the Wujiang district are located in one of the lowest areas of the Yangtze River Delta. Historically, the largest part of the eastern Taihu lake was formed and defined by a polder system landscape. A polder is a constructed, island-like land encircled by dikes that keep surrounding water out; its has an autonomous hydrological system unlinked to water outside. This landscape was created according to several demands of traditional water transportation and the protection of cultivating activities with low topographical conditions. Over time the rapid pace of China’s urbanization has changed this distinct landscape’s structure. Industrialization-oriented development from the Shanghai and Wujiang into the rural areas in between, has made major alterations to the spatial structure and the water-landscape of the territory, by interventions that prioritize industrial and urban demands. Various influences of this trend has changed the meaning of water in the territory from the most vital resource of human life to a ferocious concern, including the inhumane water pollution and the future threat of water issues instigated by climate change. Moreover, the fast expanding pace of big cities and the nonstop increase of industrial areas in the last three decades has led to the disappearance of an abundant amount of agricultural land within the region; consequently, this entails a significant decline of local food production and raises the alarm of food security. As an urgent reaction to this situation, the Wujiang administration as well as China’s government has proposed planning visions and policies to protect, preserve, and develop the rural area as an independent system in between two big cities. Nevertheless, some of the proposed policies are questionable, as they aim to increase the production capacity in these agricultural areas and are mostly focused on its economical benefits, ignoring relevant pivotal ecological considerations.

This proposal aims at a new version of the polder by learning from its history. It is a sustainable intervention and development vision for the whole rural area of the YRD territory. The strategy does not only solve the urgent issue of water pollution and the future flooding threat, it also answers to the future of China’s rural fringe.

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The contested rural evolution

The Chinese Wei The Wei is an artificially constructed polder system, that goes centuries back in time. This map from the Ming dynasty visualizes the archetype configuration of multiple Wei in the Yangtze river delta.

The historic polder system during the Ming Dynasty. Yangtze river delta 1636 Source: “The Water-Conservancy of the Wu District author: Zhang Guowei (1936)

The Yangtze River Delta has a specific polder landscape. When the rural population grew, a new pattern of land development arose. Cultivators of farmland created polders by building dikes in surrounding lakes and transportation canals. Up until approximately 1100 A.C. all ponds and islands were owned by the Chinese state and no private party was allowed to claim it as theirs. Pressed by the consistent shortage of farmland and its

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extremely fertile characteristics, the government abolished the public-private policy and allowed farmers to claim soil from lakes, seas and canals or other bodies of water, by constructing dikes and dams. The term for these alleged areas was ‘wei-t’ien’ (enclosed land) and ‘yu-t’ien’ (diked land) and accounted for a large part of the total cultivated surface.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Flooding and Water pollution related to urbanised areas

REPLACE DRAWING

Sources: Base map of delta with urbanization and topography data used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using flooding data from the website: http://www.floodmap.net/, and pollution data from information from the lecture â&#x20AC;&#x153;Water ecological situation and enhancement in YRD and Suzhouâ&#x20AC;? (23/02/2017, at Tongli) given by Prof. Dr. Wen Chen (Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

Flooded area +2m Lowest area Heavily polluted water Urban area

Since the reforms launched by Deng Xiaoping at the end of the 1970s, China has undergone unparalleled urban development. In around 30 years, the residential urban population surged from 170 to 730 million people, with an annual growth rate of about 1%. This resulted in an unrivalled spatial and environmental impact when polluting factories and great infrastructural development started to take place inside the

former solely agricultural landscape. The polder, or wei, macrocosm is constructed with on site cut and fill interventions, ensuing micro topographical tableaus of various agricultural species. However, climate change entails the increase of the water level which puts the wei system is under pressure.

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The rural fringe

Transportation spine

Civic spine

Elevated highway spine

Industries will be moved east or west

Supporting Policy of Agricultural Modernization Development in Wujiang District of Suzhou City (2006-) Supporting Policy of Agricultural Modernization Development in Wujiang District of Suzhou City (2006-)

Agricultural Industrialization

Agricultural Industrialization Modern agriculture park

Modern agriculture park

Modern agricultural infrastructure

If reached the standard,

If reached the standard, support 50% construction expenditure

Agricultural machinery warehouse 50%

construction Nursery center expenditure

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support ¥3,000/mu

Modern agricultural infrastructure Production facilities

Agricultural machinery warehouse Nursery center Agricultural networking

Agricultural networking

Agriculture mechanization Supporting Policy ofDevelopment Agricultural Modernization Development Wujiang District of Suzhou City (2006-) Supporting Policy of Agricultural Modernization in Wujiang District of SuzhouinCity (2006-)

rice transplanter

rice transplanter support ¥3,000/mu

Agriculture management

Agricultural Industrialization Agricultural Industrialization Agriculture management

1. Agricultural industry base

1. Agricultural industry base

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Productionsupport facilities

If the leading company, support If the Modern leading company, Modern agricultural infrastructure agricultural infrastructuresupport add agricultural base >200mu ¥500/mu add agricultural base >200mu ¥500/muProduction facilities

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rice transplanter

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support ¥3,000/mu

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fishpond

2. High standard farmland construction

support x: Shares land area in 3 ofyears

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fishpond

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rice paddy

2. High standard farmland construction If reached the standard support and also area > 500mu,

support ¥3,000/mu

¥3,000/mu Source: Data used to generate drawings 3. High standard pond transformation from Wujiang District People's Government, 3. High standard pond transformation (2016),If reached "Supporting of Agricultural the standard Policy support support If reached the standard and also areaDevelopment > 100mu, Modernization in Wujiang District 50% 2,000mu<x<4,000mu 4,000mu<x and also area > 100mu, 4,000mu<x 50% construction expenditure of Suzhou City". ¥40,000/yr ¥50,000/yr ¥50,000/yr

Agriculture leading industry 1. Rice paddy reclamation and expansion 1. Rice paddy reclamation and expansion Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations

Agriculture leading industry

Reviving

support If reached the standard in 3>years and also area 500mu,

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in the Jiangnansupport Transect of the Yangtzesupport River Delta 50% rice paddy

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construction expenditure

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The evolution of the urban-rural fringe: Civic spine, Transportation spine and Elevated highway spine With the late 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s de-collectivization of agriculture, the country opened up to foreign investment and granted permission to entrepreneurs to start businesses in the rural area. As a result, many infrastructural spines were erected in the polder landscape between Suzhou and Shanghai. These infrastructures can be categorized as the civic spine, the transportation spine, and the elevated highway spine. The civic spine allowed businesses and factories, not related to agriculture, to occur and created a string of heavy industrial companies from one city to another. The transportation spines are vertical and horizontal roadways that link vast areas to each other through unurbanized land. The elevated highway spines bridge the metropolitan areas of Suzhou and Shanghai.

Projected Development Poles: 2016 - 2020 Based on Suzhou City Master Plan 2007-2020 and Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 13th Five Year Plan, the highlighted area indicates proposed changes or additions to current agricultural, industrial, and residential zones. Existing industrial areas within the water-dominated terrain will potentially be reverted into agricultural land. The shifting and development of industries and residences will primarily be concentrated in the west along Taihu Lake, enforcing a city cluster in line with the 13th Five Year Plan.

Open Polder Strategy From the concept of a single open polder (explained in the following page), our strategy is to express the power of this module by applying its logic to the polders in the whole corridor. Thereby, the capacity of water cleaning and water storage in every cell of polder will contribute to increase countless times according to the number of polders in the region. Therefore, next to the big blue landscape of Taihu lake and the big dense grey landscape of Wujiang center, the strategy provides a third landscape of flexible blue-green polders that transform during different seasons. More importantly this third landscape increases the resiliency capacity of the whole territory.

Upscaling Agriculture through Policy-making Aiming at a more efficient agriculture, the government granted straightforward subsidies for upscaling agricultural land. These policies resulted in questionable spatial modifications. By filling small purifying irrigation canals, already polluted water bodies have become more contaminated affecting drinking water sources. Moreover, this promoted a trend of mono-agriculture.

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Polder strategy

From repulsion to acceptance After centuries of claiming land and settling on water-based soil with a fairly constant water level, the increasing water level places pressure on the fragile polder landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s micro topography. In the enclosed polder, agricultural and domestic wastewater is poured directly into the surrounding water bodies. This together with the heavily polluting industries result in an unsustainable and inhumane environment.

The open polder strategy encompasses an inisland cleansing water flow inverting the concept of water contamination. By opening up the dike, the islands become a sponge-like cell reacting as a resilient buffer against unstable water inclination and fluctuations instigated by climate change.

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The program of this strategy responds to the existing micro topography. The lowest area works as a productive wetland for balancing cleansing species, rice paddies, mangroves and reed. The highest area, a protected area, contains the most fragile fauna and flora, such as rapeseed flowers, and wheat. It also contains livestock, greenhouses, community and kitchen gardens.

The topography in between the highest and the lowest, is a semi-protected area. This area will flood occasionally, possessing the capacity to include semi-fragile agricultural species. Orchards, mulberry tree plantations, and construction bamboo acreages are cultivated in this area.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Diversity in the polder landscape

Water pollution related to urbanized areas

1. Agriculture polder 1.1 Traditional polder 1.2 Modern agriculture polder

2. Hybrid polder 2.1 Civic spine 2.2 Transportation spine 2.3 Elevated highway spine

The polder landscape is composed of uncountable polder islands that coexist side by side. When looking from above, the landscape morphology appears like a vast scenery of static, seemingly identical cells, all recognizable by their form - an encircling dike surrounded by moderately moving water. Upon closer inspection of the spatial characteristics of the polders, we categorized the entire landscape into two sections: the agricultural polder and the hybridized polder. The agricultural polder is the traditional polder which was constructed for agricultural purposes. The hybridized polder is the traditional polder hybridized by infrastructure, new urban development, factories, and relocation settlements.

We further sub-categorized the agricultural polder into the fairly untouched wei, which includes a multitude of different agricultural activities and occasional tissue of a linear rural village, and the modern agricultural polder which includes larger agricultural lands due to upscaling influences and mono-agricultural cultivation.

The hybrid polder is sub-categorized based on three infrastructural influences: the civic spine, which is one of the first road constructions since the economic reformation in 1978, the transportation spine, that relates to the regional system, and the elevated highway spine, that is constructed as an alienated string flying over the wei landscape, bridging Suzhou, Wujiang and Shanghai.

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Soil condition determines the cultivated species

watermelon

cotton

fungus

tea

woodland

aquaculture

livestock

vegetable

silkworm/ mulberry tree

rapeflower (oil)

grain

The YRD can be characterized by a microtopography, with a change of altitude of a few meters. The constant stream of the Yangtze River drags millions of cubic meters of sand from the mountains to the seashore, emphasizing a constant growth of the delta region. However, an area with a high water table means a cautious use of soil and cultivated species. Below we mapped out the different soil conditions found in the YRD in relation to agricultural farming.

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Source: Data used to generate drawing from Ma Xiang-yong, et al. (1984). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some key problems on agricultural production in Tai lake 10 regionâ&#x20AC;?. Nanjing Institute of Geography, Academia sinica, vol.39, no.1 p.52-64

Legend

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low-lying polder

high-pitched accumulation plains

semi-high field with lakes

coastal high plain field

low-rise mountain

riverside field

basin

mid-rise mountain

high plain field

terraced fields

estuarine island

hills

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

watermelon cotton fungus tea woodland aquaculture livestock

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04. Design Explorations

hills

low-lying polder

high-pitched accumulation plains

Legend

vegetable silkworm/ mulberry tree rapeflower (oil) grain

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Type 1a: Agricultural polder - Traditional Wetland strategy

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Water Flowing Out Section Water Flowing Out Section

Protected Agriculture

Floodable Agriculture

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Open polder Proposal - wet season Housing Protected Agriculture

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Work by man-control Work by Gravity

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The traditional polder is the ‘wei’ type that is the least influenced by urbanization. Since the artificial formation of this polder island, the internal organization and cultivated species have hardly changed. The domestic and agricultural wastewater is poured directly in the surrounding almost stationary water, resulting in polluted drinking water and vegetables containing heavy metals. Because of its already present agricultural diversity, low urban density and lack of spatial modifications, the wetland open polder strategy can naturally be implemented in the island’s system. Moreover, a productive wetland,

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a protected agricultural area and a floodable area are implemented according to the microtopography. The soil displacement vision entails a in-island intervention that minimizes the need for transportation of sand and avoids the use of heavy machinery. Additional greenhouses and a rice-fishpond-rapeseed flower rotation system will generate a more productive use of soil.

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Type 1a: Agricultural polder - Traditional Agriculture rotation strategy

Wetland

Floodable agriculture for semi-protected area

Agriculture for protected area

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Vision of the traditional polder in a flooded situation in summer

Vision of the traditional polder in a dry situation in winter 04. Design Explorations

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Type 1b: Agricultural polder - Modern

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Water system and spatial relatioships

Watergate River or main canal Seconday canal network Reservoirs and lakes

When the government of Jiangsu province initiated the subsidy system for agricultural upscaling, this area was selected as a strategic location for research and experimentation due to its adjacency to the transportation spine that connects Suzhou and Shanghai. In only a few years the ancient polder system and rural villages were intensively modified to accommodate heavy rural machinery.

However, due to this upscaling, the cultivated species lost diversity with only the small-scaled kitchen gardens remaining. When implementing the wetland strategy into this type of polder, we

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intend to also revive the diversity of agriculture. Due to the strategyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adjusted water flow, there is a loss of productive land, but it is compensated for with the addition of profitable greenhouse cultivation and a seasonal rotation system. By reintroducing a dynamic and resilient water system near the linear rural villages, the town creates a certain balance to the overpowering modern mono-agricultural power. Strategically located public spaces will on one hand support civil life and on the other, furnish space for drying vegetables and other processing activities.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Wetland strategy

Existing situation

Wetland strategy proposal

Floodability

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Type 1b: Agricultural polder - Modern Agriculture rotation strategy

Existing situation Vegetables

Rice

Summer Rice

Livestock

Vegetables

Greenhouse

Woodland

Winter Rapeseed flower

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Livestock

Vegetables

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Vision of the modern agricultural polder in a dry season in summer

Vision of the modern polder in a wet season in winter

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Type 2a: Hybrid polder - Civic spine Wetland strategy

A. Polder with less urban density and projected removal of present industries.

B. Polder with high urban density within an area of industrial densification.

A. Protected Agriculture

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This type of hybrid polder is influenced by industrialization and urbanization. By examining the density of industrial and urban areas on each polder, and with the knowledge that the projected plan proposed by the Wujiang government will be moving industrial areas out of the corridor, two typical samples for this hybrid polder type could be extracted: polder with high density industrial and urban areas, and polder with low density of urban areas with projected removal of present industries.

In the first type of hybrid polder with high density industrial and urban presence, the huge occupation of built areas for industries and new urban surroundings have fragmented the spatial 264

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structure into small agricultural lands in between villages, urban or industrial areas. In order to implement the idea of the open polder in this situation, the design needs to solve two essential challenges: purifying water for agricultural, industrial and urban activities, and providing multi-functional spaces that are productive and recreational. Therefore, the strategy is to create small wetlands that go hand in hand with the small agricultural lands. By doing this, wastewater from agricultural activities in each area will be treated in its own wetland, while wastewater from urban and industrial areas are distributed into other adjacent wetlands.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Agriculture recycling strategy

Protected Agriculture

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that could be designed as a large central constructed wetland with the purpose of collecting all the wastewater from different activities within the polder and treating it within itself. This central wetland would be located in the area with the lowest topography and in between villages and industries. Linear wetlands that collect wastewater from bothSemi-protected sides of the linear village and industries, Flooding Protected Area Area lead it toArea the big central wetland for the cleaning process. In accordance with the logic of the open polder concept, the existing dikes of agricultural land and existing local infrastructure are also taken advantage of to create a protected level that allow for flexible areas. se

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In addition, the topographical level of existing infrastructure is combined with the creation of new dikes to provide a layer of protection for agricultural lands.

Within the constructed wetlands, microtopographic alteration generates flexible spaces that are not only resilient to high water levels during the wet season, but that could also be Protected Flooding Semi-protected Area gardens Area Area productive as common vegetable for local and individual demands.

Protected Flexible Small Wetland Agriculture Green

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This polder type creates a relationship between a wetland landscape and the dross created when industries are removed.

On the one hand, the present industries could become the old industries after the removal and hence the creation of new wetland will to give the new appearance with new features of natural landscape to these old building boxes. On the other hand, these old industrial building boxes is considered as opportunities to design the complex places and spaces by combining with adjacent wetland. While the wetland is function as public open spaces for activities like trading agricultural products of local market, growing vegetables in common garden for individual demands or selling, serving the foods for workers and farmers, the old industrial building is recycled into indoor spaces 266

for related activities like storing and processing agricultural products, recreational services for both workers and farmers, and so on. Thereby, the combination of new wetland and old industries would make the new central places that not only meet the demands of local people but also attract the needs of other villages outside of polder that somehow contribute to connect with surround areas in the larger system. For these reasons, the design re-organizes the spatial structure of polder by generating the new complex place with various topographical level, provide the great harmony of built and unbuilt areas by the combination of wetland and old industrial building boxes, and erase the boundary between urban, industrial and rural areas by integrating all elements into one complex system.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

A. Polder with less urban density and recycling the present industrial constructions

B. Collage, polder with high urban density within an area of industrial densification

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Type 2b: Hybrid polder - Transportation spine Wetland strategy

Common Collecting drainage ditch

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This type of polder is influenced by the transport spine. It is clear to see that the regional system infrastructure with higher scale of topography break the structure of polder which it goes through. In some specific situations, this kind of infrastructure creates small left-over areas when cutting across the polders. These left-over areas are defined as the lowland and surrounded by the high lands of dikes and infrastructure, and significantly small size to organize productive agriculture; hence, these spaces are an opportunity to create a constructed wetland within the concept of open polder. With the high level of the regional infrastructure system and local roads connected to it in each polder, the wetland is clearly defined in between whereas the order of the existing dikes are taken into account to create a protected level Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Agriculture hub strategy

Agro-ecological system Common Collecting drainage ditch

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for different agricultural activities. Following that strategy, all the waste water of agricultural- and housing activities are collected into one common drainage ditch that leads to the constructed wetland; this also means that various activities are integrated into the complete system of the common water structure. The transportation spine works on the regional scale. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a connection between medium sized villages and therefore an interesting junction for collecting local cultivated goods. Therefore, the design of constructed wetland with cut and fill provide the soils to make the high land within it and next to entrance to regional connection. This highland could be a strategic location for plugging in the storage for different agricultural products.

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Type 2c: Hybrid polder - Elevated highway Wetland strategy 2km

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Elevated highway Existing ditch River or main canal Secondary canals network Reservoirs (Lakes) Existing watergate Backfilled watergate by highway constructed

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This polder type is affected by the elevated highway (no. G15w2), which is the second north-south thoroughfare linking Suzhou to Changshu and Jiaxing. 59% of the total length of the route runs Elevated highway through the most intensive water structure areas of the YRD including Cheng Lake, TaipuExisting River, ditch and other important water bodies. In order to decrease its environmental effect, authorities constructed River or main canal an elevated highway, almost completely detached Secondary canals network from the bridging lands. However, its construction has created an environmental and morphological (Lakes) impact on the landscape below. Noise,Reservoirs dust and leftover lands have made the area less productive Existing watergate and less qualified for urban development and vegetable cultivation.

Backfilled watergate by highway constructed

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

2km 2km

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However, this space underneath the large-scale infrastructural construction could be rethought of to provide an ecological compensation. The strategy for this polder type, is to re-cultivate nature and allow it to re-colonize the space where the removed industrial buildings once were.

This specific polder type is able to contain a constructed wetland defined by the microtopography and the maintained cut and fill concept.

The ratio of water in the soil determines which areas serve as protected, semi-protected, and floodable lands. Adjacent to the elevated highway the buffer-forest can be located in-between the 272

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Organic agriculture strategy TREES NU EST BUFF

village infrastructure and the productive land.

More distanced from the highway where it suffers less from air and dust pollution, we can nurture protected tree nurseries to be used as street trees. In the semi-protected area further away from the highway, orchards could be cultivated, such as pears, lychees, and mulberry trees. These buoyant trees have the ability to survive in water even in extreme scenarios. The floodable area is located farthest from the highway and closest to the village, so it has the potential to be cultivated as a rice paddy. The lowest part is the constructed wetland with mangroves and reeds.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Vision of re-forestation: wild flora colonize the space underneath the elevated highway

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Timeline

2020 Adapting the modern agricultural polder and the polders of relocated industrial areas

2030 Expansion of agricultural areas and modification of traditional agricultural polder.

Based on a water increase of 15cm

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

2050 Application of the wetland strategy on the elevated highway spine and further expansion.

Based on a water increase of 60cm

2100 Rethinking the strategy for intensively urbanized areas.

Based on a water increase of 100cm

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The vivacious YRD cell macrocosm

Sponge landscape

Sources: Base map of delta with urbanization and topography data used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using wetland data from Suzhou Strategic Plan 2014

Legend water cleansing polder system urban area green corridor low-lying land

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Conclusion

Back to Wei is a project that creates an integrated system of polder landscapes in rural areas by understanding the evolution of the polder territoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spatial structure over time. As water and agriculture are the two most important elements of the polder structure and of rural areas in this context, the design of the project helps to achieve the ecological values in the scales of the delta, the corridor, and each polder. The new types of polders cope with water issues and climate change, and aim to be resilient to different future scenarios.

Agricultural activities are also reorganized in a way that promotes environmental priority. With the systemic design of the agro-ecology using the concept of the open polder, economic value is also ensured and achieved within the larger landscape system that provides an integrated productive landscape with a diversity of organization systems.

When the logic of the module is applied, it has the ability to adapt and take on different forms depending on different site conditions, proving its flexible character. Because of this flexible character, it allows the possibility to meet local demands of people within the complex social structure.

For these reasons, the strategy of this project provides a valid and logical solution to define the future of rural contexts in the YRD territory as ecological, diverse, resilient, and integrated agricultural areas.

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Design Team: Christel Mayalian Hai Anh Nguyen Xinyu Xiao Harsh Lakhani

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04.4

Eco-leap Forward Shifting agriculture

Due to industrialization and urbanization, the rural area in the Yangtze River Delta, has been suffering from land quality degradation, erosion, water pollution and waste management.

Those issues have led to the importation of food, together with profound social transformation and migration of rural inhabitants toward big cities.

Based on fieldwork analyses in the related corridor, extensive researches, local knowledge and scientific evidence, we designed a strategy that shifts the paradigm of agriculture - an agricultural leap that paves the future for the rural area of the Jiangnan corridor.

We developed eco-strategies based on the re-introduction of vegetal species that are identified to promote integrated eco-systems and that are embedded in sustainable economic development. A drastic shift from intensive mono-agriculture toward a diversified strategy that aims to reshape the balance between nature and agriculture. By re-naturalizing the rural area, we intend to create dynamic landscapes.

The designed program has been thought of according to site conditions (considering historical traditions whenever relevant) to respond to the stated key issues and that have considerable impact, not only on the local scale, but also on the global one.

Through a strategy that magnifies nature, we enhance economic and social well-being for rural inhabitants, decreasing their need to migrate toward the big cities and, at the same time, strengthening their adaptive ability to manage natural resources in a sustainable and equitable way.

This project proposes a long-term strategy that reconnects nature, and the landscape with human settlements.

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Assessment of the rural area Agricultural land reduction due to urbanization and industrialization from 1984 - 2016

Over the past decades, the YRD region has faced unprecedented urbanization that has affected land use change; growth of residential development together with industrial land expansion. A spatial transformation of rural areas that is affected by the loss of productive land.

Food import

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers have affected the quality of the soil, further affecting the crop quality Source: Data used to generate drawing from â&#x20AC;&#x153;An analysis of food consumption and demand of residents in Chinaâ&#x20AC;?.

Chinese Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2009 (11), 36-39.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Water pollution in Taihu Lake II (water pollution level) III (water pollution level) IV (water pollution level) V (water pollution level) Worse than V (water pollution level) City name Territory of the province Rivers and reservoirs Canals Lakes

Influence factor of wastewater

Water pollution of Taihu Lake is characterized by the severity of eutrophication and high concentrations of bluegreen algae bloom, mainly caused by rural domestic waste, and agricultural pollution.

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Assessment of the rural area

How could we revitalize the rural area while creating a balance between nature, landscape and human settlements?

For better opportunities and living conditions, there is a trend of migration of the rural inhabitants towards the big cites, causing profound social transformation.

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Existing rural conditions: typical pattern Typical agricultural model: Mono-agriculture

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Existing rural conditions: contemporary pattern Water and land quality

Urbanized areas

Low soil quality area.

Assessment based on levels of potassium, phosphorus, soil thickness and organic matter

Areas with high level of soil erosion

Low health level area caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization .

Assessment according to heavy chemical elements As,Pb, Cu,Hg

Water pollution

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Problematic areas

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Existing rural conditions: contemporary pattern Food flow and farmers - migration trends

Food and nonfood processing industries have been implemented in medium and big cities, leaving rural areas with numerous abandoned industrial buildings. This de-localization together with the low-income conditions of farming, have had an important socioeconomic impact on the population. Those factors have led to the desertion of farming as a core business for farmers, and to the migration of rural inhabitants towards big cities looking for more lucrative opportunities.

At the same time, rural areas have also been subject to incoming migration of workers coming from poorer regions of China in search of better conditions. Remaining rural farmers now depend on those migrants, who have taken over farming activities , by lending them their farmland and renting them out their rooms. This has become an additional or, in some cases, the main source of income of remaining rural farmers.

As a matter of fact, rural areas have been at the core of a profound social transformation of the local population.

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Governmental strategic spatial planning

Creation of ecological corridor 2040 Eco-infrastructural strategy

Water plan Development of protected lakes for urban tourism Protected development lakes for landscape construction eco-farm, sightseeing tourism Comprehensive protective lakes for eco-farm, flood retarding area, water source area

Farmland

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Potential areas of intervention

Main-roads

Intensive fish-ponds

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Shifting agriculture: eco-strategies Potential areas of intervention

Potential space for productive landscape

Problematic areas

Strategic typology

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Plant palette

(Re)-introduction of local species protected productive species Implementation into spatial conditions according to seasonal cycle

Source: Data used to generate drawing from the Flora database found on the website: http://www.efloras.org/

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Shifting agriculture: eco-strategies

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Cut and Fill Strategy In the Protection Project of East Taihu Lake, 3 strategies are introduced to clean the lake. One of these strategies is enlarging its perimeter by digging surrounding land.

According to studies, it is measured that the amount of land from this activity is 599,100mu for the whole area; similarly, 27740,8mu (18.5km2) for the Wujang area. This statistic implies that this amount of land could be enough for approximately 30,000 fish ponds. This calculation is the base amount of fill-land that needs to be relocated, and is utilized in our strategy, where the banks of fishponds are extended, and where micro wetlands and micro woodlands are implemented.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Linking the channel

Land soil reclaimed from lake

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Intergrated low and high land

Low land

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Intergrated low and high land

Medium land

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Intergrated low and high land

High land

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Intergrated Controlled and Uncontrolled Pattern controlled Agriculture

controlled Agriculture + Controlled Infrastructure

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Large scale Intergrated controlled and uncontrolled pattern Controlled Agriculture + Controlled Infrastructure + Uncontrolled Landscape

controlled Agriculture + Controlled Infrastructure + Uncontrolled Landscape + Uncontrolled Water

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Medium scale We identified different typologies such as wetland, woodland, forest, farmland and infra-scape in the rural area where our strategies will be implemented according to the site conditions.

Wetland/ micro wetland Forest/ micro forest

Woodland/ micro woodland Infrastructure landscape

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Farmland

Overlapped with water figure

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Fishpond + micro wetland + micro woodland

Fishponds Although we agree on the fact that shrimps are a valuable marine product, we argue thatthe ecological consequences it causes when intensively produced in fishponds, leads to eutrophication of the marine environment. Therefore, we developed a more balanced landscape, that is productive where each species has its own function and belongs to an eco-system.

The typical approach for areas with fishponds would be to reduce its spatial size while creating new micro-wetlands as well as microforests. This will result in generating new fertile soils, by introducing species like the mulberry tree, fruit trees and crops such as rice and barley.

Mulberry Cycle By planting mulberry trees in a controlled way, a whole ecosystem is put in place. Indeed, the leaves of the mulberry tree are eaten by silkworms whose feces not only enrich the soil by attracting micro-organisms and bacteria, but that also serve as natural food for the fish. Therefore, mulberry tree planting provides natural fertilizer and prevents from soil erosion. In addition to that, natural silk produced by silkworms that fix carbon for their sustenance, in turn acting as carbon vacuums.

In addition to the ecological benefits highlighted above, all the implanted species generate sustainable economic values, either on industrial or medicinal levels. They were chosen according to their multifunctional usages that could benefit the local and the international markets.

In that sense, we are doing an eco-leap, reaching new segment markets, decreasing labour inputs, providing food security, and optimizing yield in some cases by 20%, with 50% higher net return only by re-balancing nature with the landscape.

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The mulberry cycle that integrates the production of fruits and silk serves as an example. The berries produced ensure food security and could be processed in the abandoned industries on the site, whereas the production of silk could be partially or totally processed in the Wujiang industrial park.

Within 10 years of responsible agriculture, we could produce 100,000 tons of silk which would, through the silkworm feces, produce about 9000 tons of natural fertilizer per year, and transform 2.5 million hectares into fertile soil. This ecological strategy feeds the economic strategy as we could create about 15 million jobs in a decade.

As a substitute for titanium, the silk could be used by the spacecraft industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the biggest volume consumer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for plane engine, desalination plants, medical purposes (prostheses and orthopaedic implants), sport products and mobile phones.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Fishpond + micro wetland + micro woodland

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Existing

Proposed

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Wetland + micro forest + farmland

From Fishponds to productive Landscapes Wetlands As far as wetlands are concerned, we implement a strategy that empowers nature to recreate ecosystems in an uncontrolled manner. Micro-forests and productive landscapes are constituted, purifying the air and attracting a diversified wildlife. Aquatic plants are also implanted, for their functions: water cleansing, nutrition capturing, air purifying, soil erosion preventing, and a source of feeding for fish.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Rice Field As for the rice, we privilege a rice-fish-duck approach which provides environmental benefits such as pest & weed control, disease resistance, nitrogen efficiency increase and diminution of greenhouse gases.

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Wetland + micro forest + farmland

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Existing

Proposed 04. Design Explorations

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Infrastructure landscape + woodland + industry (wood + bamboo)

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Bamboo Cycle

Bamboo Cycle Bamboo is a promising renewable resource that is versatile. Its uses vary from construction, paper, craft and furniture production to food, biotextile and sustainable biomass energy production. It also has ecological functions to prevent erosion, purify air, attracts wildlife and enriches soil.

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Infrastructure landscape + woodland + industry (wood + bamboo)

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Existing

Proposed

Proposed

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Infrastructure landscape + forest

Ginkgo Cycle

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Eco-strategies for infrastructure Along the infrastructure, the strategy consists of generating a forest that provides material for construction, purifies the air, prevents from erosion and reduces noise pollution.

Ginkgo Cycle The ginkgo tree is an example of resilient and productive renewable resource. It is not only a source of food and wood, but is also used in medicinal and cosmetic production. Its ecological functions are erosion prevention, air Purification, and wildlife attraction.

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Implementation of eco-strategies - Small scale Farmland + industry (oil)

Peanut Cycle

Peanut Cycle Peanuts are a valuable renewable resource not only for food, but also for industry.

They are used in medicinal, cosmetic, and biofuel production, and have various other industrial uses. They also attract wildlife.

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Sustainable benefits-an eco-leap forward

Strong ties between nature, human settlements and productive landscape

Sustainable industry and boat transportation revival

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Sustainable benefits-an eco-leap forward

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Strong ties between human settlements, sustainable economy and infrascape

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Design Team: Chau Nguyen Quoc Thang Trinh Temesgen Abegaz Thaddeus Tan

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

04.5

Re-profiling the grid city

Framing development through stormwater mitigation Fast forward to 1992: the Yangtze River Delta region experienced industrialization rather rapidly even compared to the rest of China. Due to this, Suzhouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary sector shifted from agriculture to manufacturing, thus serving as a dominant economic engine for the development of the region. The drastic growth in industrialization brought upon a high inflow of migrants into it, contributing further to the rapid urbanization and hence, the change in landscape. The effects of this urban development can also be seen in the Wujiang District, formerly known as Wujiang City - one of the five urban districts in Suzhou. This urbanization process has foregone the once significant role of the large water system present, leading to the mistreatment of water as a valuable entity. Due to the location of Wujiang City with Taihu lake to the west and the Grand Canal passing through the centre, both major water bodies to the region, the repercussions of poor water management are amplified. The urbanization and further sprawling of the city has created a majorly impervious landscape, leading to further pollution of water bodies through stormwater runoff and the occasional raw sewage overflows into them. The average yearly precipitation in the Suzhou region is approximately 1100mm, with the highest average monthly rainfall recorded in the month of June in 2016 at 277.43mm and 296.53mm in 2015. The Taipu River that supplies drinking water to Shanghai is under threat of being contaminated, and the Jiangnan corridor faces continued water contamination pressure from urban areas in the east.

In addressing these threats, this project has two primary aims: mitigating water pollution in the Wujiang urban area, and providing a base for future development of the city. This project proposes to achieve these aims through the creation of a coherent storm water management system. Three strategies are applied; firstly, a megapark is proposed towards the south of the city, incorporating a series of characteristics that provide a productive landscape that naturally cleanses water running south from higher ground before it reaches the Taipu River and Grand Canal; at the same time it will serve as a buffer to prevent further sprawling.

Secondly, interventions are applied in the existing urban tissue and streetscapes to re-profile them with the addition of green-blue infrastructure that slows down water runoff, stores it for reuse, and aids in cleaning it before reaching south. Lastly, new tissue typologies are proposed as part of the aim to accommodate an estimated 80,000 migrants into the area, creating a more dense and vibrant city that at the same time, incorporates water sensitive design for a sustainable water system in the district.

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Entering Suzhou through the canals; Painting from the Qing Dynasty Source: Image is titled “The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou along the Grand Canal” by 18th century by artist Xu Yang, a native of Suzhou. Retrieved from the Met Museum wesbite: http://www.metmuseum.org/

Suzhou is one of China’s oldest cities renowned for its distinct gardens, silk weaving history, and its network of canals, having lead to the city being labelled as ‘the Venice of China’. Due to its location along major waterways, its development was largely influenced by the water landscape, with many canals connecting it to a regional network linking to the Grand Canal. Water was tied to urban life and to social, economic, and transport functions.

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The city was once a major commercial centre of China until the twelfth century, and has had a strong influence on the development of the surrounding areas in the region. The development and lifestyle of the people within the Suzhou region were highly tied to the canals and water bodies present.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Water Quality in the Yangtze River Delta The interconnected network of canals and water bodies disperses high level of polluted water throughout the Delta region.

Sources: Base map of delta used to generate this drawing by Dr. Christian Nolf, modified by design team using water quality data from China State of the Environment Bulletin (2015) and Urban Water Resources Bulletin (2015) reports and the website: http://online. watertest.com.cn/#

The Yangtze River Delta basin is characterized by a sponge landscape that is known for its aquaculture and agriculture. Due to recent pressure from urbanization and industrialization, which are characterized by hard engineering, the sponge territory is being polluted and at the same time, water is being rejected. It is treated as a back side rather than the backbone it was in the past. The Jiangnan corridor is one of the areas in which the severity of the problem can be noticed.

Structured between new urban centers, water towns, and farming villages, this corridor exhibits a contested character of urbanization in which the rural urban boundary is blurring, but where water

pollution is becoming an everyday phenomenon.

The major water bodies are: the Grand Canal which runs North-South from Beijing to Hangzhou; Taihu Lake, the biggest reserve of fresh water for this corridor and the third largest fresh water body in China; and Taipu River, which provides drinking water supply to the Shanghai region. Wujiang is located in-between these polluted water bodies.

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The evolution of Wujiang

Rapid urbanization following industrialization and the new town movement The evolution and sudden rapid scale of development and expansion of Wujiang City.

From wetland to impervious concrete surface

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Wujiang has evolved to become a rapidly growing city of high rise towers and has a strong industrial influence. It is one of the major cities in the region with a population of 1.275 million.

It is a city built next to Taihu Lake and along the Grand Canal.

It used to be a water-based city, sensitive to water, but has transformed into a rigid grid-based urban area. The city is expanding into unbuilt territory towards the south and west.

The speculative nature of this urbanization resulted in more built areas in the city thus, adding pressure to the already problematic water network. The development, which is mostly residential, disregards water. The logic of development, followed the development of the industrial zone. Infrastructure is laid in the sponge landscape and development occurs in a grid of 400x400m making these â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;islandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; more impervious and a threat to the ecological value of the area.

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Result of concretization

LEGEND

Concretized city

HARD SURFACE

MAIN CANALS

UNDEVELO

OVERFLOW POINT

INDUSTRY

Combined system overflow: major pollution source In the dry season and light rain, sewage flows into a treatment area while gray water and runoff from the hard surface goes to the canals.

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In heavy rains, gray water and raw sewage combine and flow into the nearby canals

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Land planned for residential development

LEGEND

HARD SURFACE

Sprawling urbanization

MAIN CANALS

UNDEVELOPED RESIDENTIAL LAND

OVERFLOW POINT

INDUSTRY

Hidden archipelago: overlooked by road-based urbanization

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The polluted corridor

The stinking, sinking landscape

Water pollution in the corridor is caused by the urbanization, heavy industrial presence in the city, and aquacultural and agricultural activity. While aquacultural and agricultural activity play a big role in contributing to the water pollution problem, their presence within the urban limits are limited. Moreover, hard engineered and controlled water systems, and flood gates control the issue in certain parts, but add stress on other areas, further increasing pollution level. Due to this, the corridorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sponge territory and water network has different qualities and levels of pollution.

Canal coming from the north is both influenced by a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;plate-likeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; topography and also by engineered gates and canals that further introduces flow from the west to East. The water pollution level of the Grand Canal which is out of scale is one of the primary sources of pollution to the corridor while also a receiver of pollution from the city. This makes Wujiang city and the area linking to the Grand Canal an ideal location for an intervention that mitigates water pollution levels throughout the region.

Many parts of the corridor are polluted with levels above three. Taihu Lake, a significant fresh water body is at a pollution level of three; the Grand Canal has the highest water pollution level within the corridor. This is incredibly significant as the Grand Canal is connected to the Taipu River which is the main source of drinking water supply for the Shanghai region. The flow of water in the Grand

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Current landuse condition

Consuming instead of utilizing: Wujiangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oversized grid.

Industrial

Highrise

Slabs

VL in Urban

VL in Industrial area

Villages

Canal

Old town

Mixed use building

Detached houses

Lake/ pond

Agriculture

public amenities

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Strategies

Reprofiling the Grid City: local and regional stormwater infrastructure as framework for future development

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Strategies

G re

en

i nf r

ast

r uc

ture

Green islands - blue-green infrastructure

Build

ing r

ights

shif t

Densification in the existing city While the three strategies work simultaneously to provide one coherent system, the design of the strategy of densification through new tissue typology is largely influenced by the objective of localizing stormwater management through blue-green infrastructure. The available land for further development and densification is then limited by the creation of a Mega Park system, requiring a shift in building rights, (due to the consumption of available semi-developed land) primarily towards the south of the city.

Mega park at urban edge

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Green islands: retain, restore, release Local island stormwater management green infrastructure

Collaboration between different types of blue and green infrastructure

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Stormwater detention, retention and discharge mechanism

To deal with water pollution, the first strategy is to create a localized water treatment system within the ‘islands’ of the city. Water runoff from hard surfaces and streets will be collected and channelled through permeable pavements, bioswales, and rain gardens. A process to ‘retain, restore, and release’ will be conducted through a series of blue-green infrastructural interventions, cleaning the runoff water, before they reach water sources, and restoring aquifers in the process.

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Improvement of current urban tissue

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Relocation settlement tissue - Existing Relocation settlement tissues are typical of the city’s plan.

They are mostly private houses of 2 or 3 storeys that are arranged in a perfect grid. Almost all of the site is filled with houses and a network of streets leaving no room for permeable surfaces, and increasing pressure on the combined sewer system in the event of rain. In some of the tissues vacant land is available but are soon to be built adding more impervious surface to the site.

Slab tissue - Existing Slab tissue dominates most of the new developments. With 5 to 8 stories height, these buildings are all surrounded by asphalt roads exacerbating runoff. The grid also creates a car-based circulation, disregarding pedestrian circulation and consuming.

Relocation settlement tissue - Proposed Available vacant lands are reused to create small neighborhood parks that run along the width of the tissue serving as a soft connection between settlement areas.

The central vehicular road is transformed into a pedestrian and cycling street. The green infrastructure includes retention ponds that store stormwater collected from the grid. Moreover, with a re-profiled street along the canal and improved green infrastructure, the waterfront becomes a public space.

Slab tissues - Proposed By transforming the ‘grid’ streets in the middle of these tissues a central green space is created that both absorbs runoff and also stores rainwater before it goes to canals.

Available lands are also transformed into neighborhood parks that soften the ‘concrete’ city.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Industrial tissue - Existing The industrial tissue generally has two typologies in this area: tissue within a 400x400m block, or tissue located along the canals. Both tissues come with large concrete surfaces that exacerbate water pollution, and the surrounding open space is not designed to mitigate stormwater and pollution runoff.

Old center - Existing The old center of Wujiang is characterized by dense urban and mixed typologies. Yet, the relationship of the built form and water is the same. Dense organic development is stretched to the canal side, large industrial and small commercial areas are covered by large asphalt and concrete pavement. Open spaces along the streets are neglected and under-used.

Old center - Proposed The central part of the tissue will be transformed into a linear park that collects runoff from the adjacent streets and that will absorb rain in the event of cloudbursts, where it will be stored before it is channelled to the canal edge where it will be further cleansed. Linear green-blue structures in big open spaces along roads will transform the abandoned edges into a softer environment, that is productive, in that it will retains runoff and protect the canal from pollution.

Industrial tissue - Proposed Industrial tissues along the canal will have greener infrastructure to delay runoff and cleanse it before it runs in to the canal. Concrete surfaces are reduced and green spaces are inserted instead. Retention ponds and detention ponds store water while the surrounding green figure becomes a retreat for workers. Underused open spaces are planted with trees transforming some of the areas into forest.

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Stormwater infrastructure through street re-profiling

Grand canal car way - Redefinition

The redefinition of the small car street along the Grand Canal softens the bank, manages runoff and provides recreational space

4 lanes- Rethinking a typical urban vein

Bioswales would be cut out of the existing street, managing runoff from the street and providing landscape for pedestrians.

Vast pavement- Incorporating variety

The mono-functional pavement is redesigned into linear landscape, using the fill from swales excavation, to host a variety of functions.

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2 lanes- Rethinking the local car access

The small street for local access is rethought as a neighborhood linear park by introducing bioswales, and providing recreational space for the already vibrant street activities.

Small canals- Emphasizing the identity of Wujiang

Along the small canals, hard edge banks are transformed into soft and permeable landscape that deters and filters particles from street runoff, at the same time emphasizing the canals of Wujiang.

Under-used car roads are also transformed into bicycle lanes and pavements.

Stormwater runoff is collected by bioswales and permeable pavements, then channeled to retention and detention ponds (where it is stored). This creates a delay in the speed of runoff, allowing a first layer of cleansing to take place.

Stored water can then purified via natural processes and reused. It can also gradually be released into adjacent canals.

During cloudbursts or excessive rain, excessive runoff at the retention ponds are channeled to detention ponds for peak storage capacity.

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The mega park

Absorbing polluted water and preserving identity landscape: Mega Park as water cleansing corridor

In order for the stormawater infrastructure to act as a system, a series of park types connected through green-blue infrastructure are proposed, to make up a Mega Park. Open-space around Taihu Lake will become an ecological park to restore the ecology and water quality of the lake surrounding the city. Wetland parks are ‘island’ 344

focused, receiving runoff and gray water from the urban area before it gets to the Grand Canal.

Cleansing parks lie in the south, together acting as a ‘cleansing machine’ to clean the polluted water directly from the Grand Canal. And industrial cleansing parks deal with runoff from industrial areas.

Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

Living in coexistence A depiction along the Grand Canal of the new tissue typology across the Mega Park system, providing water sensitive design and enhancing the significance of water through quality public spaces.

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Absorbing the flowing water- A mega task for a mega structure The Mega Park system encompasses the second layer of the water pollution mitigation system. Addressing the pollution from the canal network directly, large volumes of water are chanelled through the various types of parks on multiple scales, to provide natural cleaning services on a much larger scale before re-joining the network. While the park serves as a large water cleansing mechanism, it also plays through the network of green spaces creating a corridor surrounding the city. The corridor hinders further unnecessary sprawling of the city, reducing the growth of the concrete jungle and protecting the agricultural land beyond its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bordersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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The Grand Canal new development - Land right exchange

New development: scenarios of industrial convert and new town design

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In order to free up open space for productive landscape, alternative sites need to be selected in exchange for the undevelopped lands that are planned for development.

And so a third strategy is to identify a strategic area for dense development that is attractive to developpers, so that they conset to the exchange. The location of these developments are selected along the improved grand canal and close to existing infrastructure and the city center. The new developments bring in new models of urban development that are water sensitive and that improve the urban realm.

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New densification areas (through land right shuffling): Living with the new stormwater infrastructure

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Wujiangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s port, highway and landscape interplay

Stormwater management and recreational landscape

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Design Team: Marzia Khatun Olga Koukoui Son Tung Samrawit Yohannes Yoseph

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04.6

Recover Water to Reset

Anchoring, bridging & framing the watertown

In the Jiangnan corridor that spans between Taihu Lake and Shanghai, a particular urban system has developed around trading towns and villages based on and connected by a complex network of waterways and lakes. The rapid state-driven industrialization process of the Suzhou region kick-started in the late 1980’s and has led to a complete transformation of this traditional settlement pattern over the last 3 decades: - The establishment of industrial zones in the rural fringe of cities has triggered a roll-out space-intensive type of urbanization consuming valuable arable land resources.

- The development of a mainly North-South directed transportation infrastructure has reoriented urban growth away from the canals and lakes, and introduced strong lines of division.

- A double influx of migration has taken place. Local rural populations from the corridor are moving to resettlement locations in nearby cities, and a floating population of labor seekers from Western provinces are moving in. This has considerably increased the urban population while disrupting the traditional settlement schemes that are closely situated by the water and connected with bridges.

- Speculative urban development has produced a generic urban form, based on a unit of 400m x 400m, uniformly filled with residential high-rise or industrial buildings.

The recent slow-down of industry may be the sign of a more structural transformation which announces the end of rapid urbanization in the region and may give way to a more qualitative reinvention of existing urban environments.

Although the trends described above are to some point shared by all of China’s industrialized regions, local special features uncover potentials for future transformation. The dialogue between water and city still produces a varied array of local conditions. Our attention is attracted by three variations of the ‘Water Town’ theme that we found in the studied area.

Hence our design strategies, take the existing urban landscape as a starting point and strive to use the city’s evolutionary character to unveil a potential for resetting the city.

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3 variations on the theme of Water Town The Map of Urban Areas and Infrastructure Urbanization follows the North-South axis of the Grand Canal and of the main road infrastructure.

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3 variations on the theme of Water Town Different Types of Tissues This map shows the location and the interrelation of different tissues, such as industry, water villages or resettlements at the periphery of urban areas.

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3 variations on the theme of Water Town The Floodable Areas and Watergates Although the flood risk seems to be controlled by a well-developed engineered system of dykes and water gates, many urbanized areas lie in floodable zones sensitive to floods and storm surge.

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3 variations on the theme of Water Town 3 different urban conditions From Wujiang, to Tongli and Tun Cun (top to bottom), 3 different relations between urban and water have developed. The main features of these typologies are developed below.

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Strategy 1 - Recovering the lost lake - a new frame for

North-south grid city

Historic lake

This part of Wujiang has developed as an industrial zone that has partly been urbanized. It is delineated by a series of north-south axis lines: the Grand Canal, a highway, and historically by a chain of lakes. In the process of development, the lakes that were still present in the 1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have been lost; today their location corresponds to the outlines of the flood plane.

This area presents an opportunity for qualitative transformation by a double strategy for the recovery of a system of lakes and for the resetting of the built environment. The frames of the existing connections to the city of Wujiang and of the floodable areas guide the redevelopment.

Proposed lake lies in the flood plain and the location of historic lake

In a first phase, a chain of ponds is created along the highway in the available surfaces in order to increase the storm-water capacity to prepare land in the flood plain for redevelopment.

Bigger water surfaces are dug simultaneously with a removal-relocation strategy towards the main North-South connecting road. The development thus follows the pattern of a ladder with differentiated strips.

The proposed water system will act as a passive complement to the engineered flood control network without disrupting it.

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Strategy 1 - Recovering the lost lake - a new frame for Design Proposal Plan of framing the new water town

The strategy is to create a new re-centered urbanization by using the existing structure of road infrastructure and canals

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Flood plain versus new lake

Frame and new development

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Strategy 1 - Recovering the lost lake - a new frame for the city Transformation of the strip structure in 3 phases

A section through the reconverted areas of apartments and offices

The exsting neigbourhood and new development

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Reviving Territories of Hydraulic Civilization: Design explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta

A reconverted former workers dormitory to apartment building

A warehouse converted to an office building

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Strategy 2 - A series of experiences, stitching Tongli together Characteristics of Tongli Dense center, bridges, roads and dIfferent tissues.

The historic water town center is well connected by numerous bridges. But, the growing tissues - gated communities, resettlement housing and industry - lack this quality. The center is also divided from the growing tissues by a large east-west road. There is also a lack of open and green spaces in the dense development.

Historic water town center Gated community Resettlement housing Industry Farm / orchard Polder Road / bridge

Tongli water townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic center is a valued touristic destination for its well-preserved appearance. The center consists of a series of islands separated by narrow canals and connected by numerous stone bridges. The town has experienced important growth to the south with a number of resettlement communities and several wealthy gated communities occupying valuable locations at the Tongli lake shore. The national road connecting Tongli with Wujiang runs east-west and doubles one of the major canals, thus reinforcing a major north-south cleavage of the city.

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The experiential chain The strategy connects different points of interest through a visible on ground chain of experiences and public facilities.

The structure is raised at some points above the ground allowing uninterrupted pedestrian circulation between previously disconnected parts of the city. By bridging across both the road and waterlines the walkway reconnects the areas that had previously been impossible or unpleasant for people to move between on foot. By doing this the proposal reproduces, outside the center, the traditional function of the bridges connecting the islands of the historic center of Tongli.

The various pathways converge to a large scenic viewpoint at the shore of Tongli Lake.

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Strategy 2 - A series of experiences, stiching Tongli together Design of the experiential chain The strategy connects different points of interest through the chain of experiences and facilities.

The intention is to create a connection through walkable public spaces such as gardens, boardwalks, watch towers, recreational spaces and a large lakefront nature area.

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The elements in the chain contains farming plots for the resettlement housing, boardwalks, wetlands, and recreational facilities. The big road leading to the lakefront has been reduced to one-lane to reduce traffic and intertwine with green spaces and enhance walkability. The triangular bus stop connects to the existing garden and the reduced road to bring people to the lakefront.

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Strategy 2 - A series of experiences, stiching Tongli together Sections and prespectives Top section: Bridge that crosses over the big road in front of Tongli historic center gate.

Bottom section: Open market between Tongli center and the road/ gated community Perspective: Branches from the lakefront bridge that goes down to boardwalks in the farmland and wetland

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Perspectives Top perspective: watch tower in Tongli historic center Bottom perspective: Lakefront bridge

The watchtower is to appreciate the spectacular birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye view of Tongli that.

The Lakefront bridge on top of the farming plots and wetland can be used as a communal open space for holding different kinds of activities such as Tai Chi or just enjoying the vast water view.

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Strategy 3 - Anchoring the city at the confluences Tun Cun Analytical Map This map shows the water bodies in relation to the road infrastructure in Tun Cun. It also shows the different urban tissues composing the township, as well as its rural anchorage with large open spaces immediately present in the northern part of the city.

Tun Cun does not keep many memories of its water villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past at its center, and has outgrown its initial condition into an industrial township. Still it is firmly rooted in an agricultural and aquacultural landscape with numerous water villages.

The town has a strong water figure running through it, creating a variety of confluences articulating different scales from a vast central water highway in the center to the narrow blind alley canals.

The road infrastructure is drawing a contrapuntal structure, crossing the canals and ending at the confluences.

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Our proposal uses the confluences of the water bodies, as the basic grammatical structure of Tun Cun area, and emphasizes them according to their various existing scales.

Some strategic examples are provided in the design of how a landmark building with a collective function can anchor the city at its confluences, bringing it back to its identity of water town.

Spaces currently occupied by industries at the water edge are recuperated and opportunities for development are offered, in connection to open space when possible, in order to keep the connection to the rural environment.

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Tun Cun Design Proposal - Plan

Design Proposal - Anchor Buildings

Design Proposal - Open and Green Spaces

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Strategy 3 - Anchoring the city at the confluences Tun Cun Design Proposal - Sections, different scales of water The sections represent the varying scales of the canals, ranging from the main canal - the transportation highway running through the middle of Tun Cun - to the narrow canals. It is a location for a fish market on an open pedestrian promenade (bottom section). The intermediate scale hosts several public institutional buildings (top section). The small scale canal acts as a calm neighbourhood street where boat houses can berth (middle section). This housing can be used by the floating population of migrants to be closer to the city center and be more visible.

Perspective showing the proposed collective equipment and boat houses

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Fish market at the city center waterfront promenade and opposite side

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Overall Strategic Plan - A series of New Water Towns

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REVIVING TERRITORIES OF HYDRAULIC CIVILIZATION:

Design Explorations in the Jiangnan Transect of the Yangtze River Delta Spring 2017, MAHS/MAUSP Water Urbanism Studio STUDIO FACULTY TEAM Racha Daher, Stefanie Dens, & Bruno De Meulder China has undergone major ‘catch up’ development at an exponential growth rate in the last few decades. This has come with major environmental degradation, with perhaps the most pressing challenge being water supply, as watershed volumes shrink and flood risks increase. Two thirds of Chinese cities lack water – more than half of China’s surface water and its cities’ underground water supplies are polluted. A third of China’s population faces the threat of drinking contaminated water. In the last 50 years, half of its wetlands have disappeared, and its underground water table is increasingly decreasing. The green heart of the Yangtze River Delta is composed of a fine-grained mix of fishponds and polders, that interweave linear settlements and small industries, contrasting with the rigidly zoned towns and generic cities that were developed in the last few decades. This top-down urbanization contrasts with heritage values that were sensitive to water systems and their ecological and functional roles. Recently, an ‘East-West Ecological Wetland and Water Village Corridor’ - the Jiangnan Transect - has been proposed with the aim to conserve the described water landscape. This studio will investigate how new development pressure in this corridor can be accommodated for while still preserving the distinct qualities of the area. The role of water in the YRD is evident. Hence, how can water and ecological systems be taken into account while continuing to accommodate the most dynamic development ever encountered in the region?

ISBN NUMBER: 9789090304557 EAN: 9789090304557