200 years ago The Ming Dynasty Emperors of Beijing would visit their ancestral tombs in the foothills of the mountains (the same ones famous for the Great Wall) that surround Beijing to the north. Since, in those days travel was slow and ceremony important, the journey was an event and required an appropriate resting spot. The resting spot was designed to befit the emperor and took the form of a 1 kilometer square walled city with gates oriented in the four cardinal directions. The idyllic peninsula of land set between two rivers and a reservoir was chosen as the site for the city because it is approximately half way between the Ming tombs and the Emperor's home of the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing.

Over the interceding centuries the use of Gong Hua Peninsula has changed with the ebb and flow of dynasties and cultures in China; yet the four gates and small sections of the Ming dynasty walled city remain. Today the peninsula is home to 13,000, largely un-skilled agrarian workers whose livelihood has lost its place in China's high-speed economic transformation into a service and manufacturing economy. The existing town has overgrown the original city wall, most of which was dismantled for building materials for the farmers' houses. The living conditions are largely unacceptable in modern China; impoverished squalor lacking physical infrastructure such as paved roads or sewers and providing little or no amenities. The overcrowding and pollution of the physical environment have taken their toll on the cultural relics and the ecological quality of the place. Surrounding the overgrown settlement are agricultural fields that are underutilized and poorly managed. The water quality of the adjacent water has been compromised by human and agricultural pollution; although the visual presence of birds, fish and other wildlife support the initial information that suggests the area is free from heavy industrial pollutants.

Beijing's economy is growing so rapidly, that the demand for high quality living environments has outpaced the market provision. Gong Hua Peninsula is a prime candidate for redevelopment to better suit the needs of Beijing's contemporary population. Characteristics that make Gong Hua a prime object for development are: a relatively pristine natural environment, good access - located 30 minutes north of Beijing's 4th Ring Road, Proximity to strong economic engines - Zhong Guan Cun, the Silicon Valley of Beijing, and the Automobile the economic demand to realize the potential of this environment in the real estate market is great.

Some of challenges that face Gong Hua Peninsula include: relocation and provision of housing for the portion of residents that wish to remain on site, meeting the economic pro forma of the vested development partners, raising the image of the peninsula, and understanding the relationships between historical and cultural resources, the environment, and man.

The site itself is bounded by water on three sides and accessed by the Beijing - Badaling Expressway on the west. The study boundary covers an area of 485 hectares. With rich cultural and natural resources and unique characteristics and complicated issues, this site offers a wealth of opportunities for innovative design solutions.

Shahe New Town Master Plan, directly north of the Gong Hua Peninsula, across the river is proposed to be the center for local residential developments and composed of administrative, commercial, cultural and educational facilities. To the east of the peninsula is a reservoir and a wealth of natural resources. Directly south across the river, are gated, high-end, single-family home communities.

As the western model of suburban developments and green communities become more prevalent throughout China to satisfy current market trends and demands, few sites in Beijing can rival the unique characteristics and quality of the Gong Hua Peninsula. Located just 30 minutes outside of downtown Beijing and just beyond the future Olympic facilities, the convenience and setting of this new suburban living is a desirable location for a new Chinese suburban lifestyle trend.

Project Goal

As part of our student team, you will be asked to evaluate, enhance, and incorporate an integrated master plan for a mixed-use development and public open space system which incorporates the Green Communities approach to development.

The SSP workshop will analyze the plan from several different perspectives: New Community Planning and Development, Landscape Design, Heritage Resource Management, and Environmental Remediation and Management.

These various tracts are designed to challenge the student groups to search for innovative techniques and novel applications that will enrich the base planning framework for ways in which to utilize current planning and design tactics and philosophies to improve and enhance an existing plan.

Critical Issues include but are not limited to: Heritage Preservation and Enhancement, New Community Identity, Prototypes for residential community Modules, Environmentally Sound building techniques, Environmental Remediation, Water Resource Management, The creation of a sustainable new town community, Open Space systems, Landscape Design and Open Space Management.