Situated just across the bay from Hong Kong, the city of Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing town of 30,000 to a booming city of over 10 million people in 40 years – and has grown over 200 times its original size since 1980. Along the way, the character of Shenzhen’s bayfront was radically altered. Over 65 km2 of marsh and shallow bay were filled to create more land and even nearby mountains were mined for fill. The landfill operations all but obliterated the native mangrove and salt marsh shoreline, and with it, rich marine, intertidal and coastal wildlife habitat. In a partnership with local clients, SWA’s Shenzhen Bay Coast Master Plan and its resulting projects will restore acres of mangrove coastline and marsh habitat, deepen the bay to reverse siltation, and design sensitive public access to these naturalized features. In addition to coastal restoration, Shenzhen’s new urban population demands new open-space amenities. Inland from the shore, the Master Plan proposes a more intensively recreational park, which would include a ferry landing, aquatic center, playfields, picnic sites, concessions, an amphitheatre and other attractions. Finally, a new planned residential community will extend from the existing street grid, and offer pedestrian connections to the restored coastline and recreation spaces.
Moji Mountain Park Master Plan
Moji Mountain, one of the most distinctive symbols of Yichang, now boasts the city’s largest public open space. The 120-hectare park is located along the banks of the Yangtze River, and has a rich historical connection to both the river and the city. De-forested in the past for agricultural uses, the mountain’s slopes have been replanted and now support a new ...
Sands Bethworks
One of the most prominent examples of redirecting the environmental legacy of a post-industrial landscape can be traced to the south banks of the Lehigh Canal, in the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Comprising 1,800 acres (20 of which belong to this project) and 20 percent of Bethlehem’s total land mass is the former headquarters of Bethlehem Steel Corporatio...
Park 101
The ambitious Park 101 aims to cover part of downtown Los Angeles’ 101 Freeway with a multi-purpose park that will include playgrounds, seating, festival areas, and a plaza. The approximately four-block cap park will reconnect the two sections of Downtown that have long been separated by the freeway, greatly enhancing the currently noisy, with much-needed shad...
Peanut Plaza
Reclaiming private land for public use, one of Washington D.C.’s most dangerous intersections has been targeted for vast improvements. The project kicked off with the demolition of a Wendy’s restaurant on site and implemented new road alignments to ease traffic congestion. SWA worked with NoMa community groups and the Department of Transportation on the new vi...