Along the Pearl River, this stretch of Guangzhou’s industrial belt produced steel for nearly seven decades. Following the factory’s decommissioning in 2013, the site has been transformed into a carbon-negative landscape that weaves its industrial past into every design decision. Guangzhou Steel Park reshapes a legacy of environmental degradation into a model of ecological resilience for the surrounding community and the wider city.

Forests, wetlands, and meadow gardens act as carbon sinks, neutralizing the footprint of the former production line, while its relics are reused rather than demolished. Former conveyor belts become pollinator gardens; ore mounds shaped by decades of machinery use are reworked into amphitheaters and observation platforms; preserved railways are reinterpreted as narrative landscapes that honor the site’s history; and blast furnace zones rise as elevated sky gardens, where vegetation sequesters CO2 and mitigates the urban heat island effect.

Sustainability strategies extend throughout the park. Stormwater gardens filter runoff, reduce irrigation needs, and double as recreational space. Low-carbon materials—permeable paving from recycled slag and brick, locally sourced stone, and monolithic wood seating—further limit embodied emissions. A repurposed chimney symbolizes the park’s carbon-negative ambitions, supported by solar power and energy-efficient lighting.

Guangzhou Steel Park shows how landscapes can absorb carbon, increase biodiversity, and restore social life to industrial land—both a living record of the city’s industrial heritage and a model for post-industrial sites.