SWA provided planning and design services for the 3.3km long, 250-acre metropolitan Ningbo Eco-Corridor, which transforms a former agricultural plain that had been taken over by industrial use into urban green infrastructure. Located in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta on China’s coastline, Ningbo is one of China’s oldest cities, with an area of 3,616 square miles and a population of 5.43 million. Ningbo, which translates to “tranquil waters,” has been a well-known key port for foreign trade since ancient times. The development of this area inspired a strategy to establish Ningbo as a larger metropolitan area of economic and environmental importance and has set the stage for an ecological approach to the re-development of the city. Acting as a living filter, the design utilizes ecological strategies of hydrology, vegetation and topography, providing recreational, educational and cultural facilities for the Ningbo Eastern New City. Each area of development exemplifies a sustainable ecological approach by treating and recycling surface run-off water, harvesting solar energy, and reducing the urban heat-island effect. SWA additionally implemented a sustainable hydrological design that allows water to be filtered and aerated effectively and retained for aquifer recharge. The design seeks to offer a link between humans and their environment, fostering a community relationship to water and opportunities for environmental and ecological education. By linking together the ecological network in this region, the Ningbo Eco-Corridor enhances public health, quality of life, and property values of local and neighboring communities, and encourages other cities in the region to support ecological components in their respective developments.
Milton Street Park
Milton Street Park is a 1.2-acre linear urban park alongside the Ballona Creek Bike Trail in Los Angeles, California. The plan incorporates numerous green-design elements, including the use of recycled materials, native planting, flow-through planters and treatment alongside the 1,000-foot-long, 45-foot-wide stretch of land. A variety of special elements such...
Thousand Oaks Urban Forestry Master Plan
While residents and businesses are clearly proud of the City of Thousand Oaks’ two-decade-long “Tree City USA” designation, recent drought conditions created an urgent need for the City to decrease grassy landscapes and update maintenance practices. As a key part of these efforts, the City selected SWA, along with team partners Planning & Energy/Entitlemen...
Marina Central Park
What if we transformed one of L.A.’s least used freeways into one of the county’s largest urban parks—reconnecting a historically divided community and drastically expanding affordable housing in an underserved district?
Changsha Baxizhou Island
Over many decades, public agencies in China have sought to solve growing flooding issues in a defensive way: fortifying and hardening river edges, raising levee heights, and ultimately separating the people from historical connections to the water. With an understanding of river flow processes and volumes and of wetland and native forest ecology, this separati...