Guandu: River Urbanism (original) (raw)
Related papers
(Recovering) China’s Urban Rivers as Public Space
Footprint ‘Future Publics: Politics and Space in East Asia’s Cities’, (Delft School of Design Journal) Gregory Bracken, Jonathan D. Solomon (eds.), Spring, vol. 7/1, pp. 27-44, 2013
This article focuses on the revered role rivers in China once held – in cartography, history, mythology, festivals, cities, and everyday life. It begins with a brief review of canonical geography classics and a summary of the ‘hydraulic civilization’ as coined by German Sinologist Karl Wittfogel. The science of wind and waters’ or feng shui is also shortly discussed. Thereafter, four historical cases testify to the fact that China’s great cities and settlements were founded on riverbanks and developed in tandem with the dynamics of floodplains. Rivers were important for transportation, defence, and livelihoods; they also imposed respect. Rivers simultaneously represented profits, power, and danger, yet were the centres of public life. Over time, however, a tension developed between the civilizing force of the city and water’s natural energy. As progressive eras of industrialization took hold, organizational abilities allowed, and technology developed, there became a growing disconnection between waterways and settlements. Man tamed, controlled and diverted waterways, constricted the flows, confined the course and canalized rivers. Canalization fundamentally altered the nature of rivers, as they were straightjacketed in concrete linings and in many instances barely resembled rivers anymore. They became physical, cultural, and economic dividers, upset natural habitats and biotopes; open sewers with contamination plumes emptying directly into them. However, there is hope. In the past decade, there has been a rediscovery of Chinese riverscapes, initiated by the Chinese government. The latter half of the article illustrates in detail the intervention of three case studies that recovered the urban, scenic, cultural, and functional nature of rivers inside the city fabrics of Ningbo, Kunming, and Qian’an by the design firm Turenscape. It develops the role of riverfronts in the (re-) creation of vibrant public space in the cities overrun by market-driven and privatized spaces.
Urban River Transformation and the Landscape Garden City Movement in China
Sustainability, 2018
The practice of enhancing existing rivers and creating entirely new waterscapes has exploded in China over the past two decades. In our study of 104 randomly selected cities across China, we identified 14 types of river projects based on grey literature reports and their appearance on sequential aerial imagery, falling into three categories: ‘engineering’, ‘waterfront spaces’ and ‘ecological’ projects. ‘Waterfront spaces’ is the most common (60.5%), followed by ‘engineering’ (28.7%) and ‘ecological’ (10.8%). Using multiple stepwise regression, we found that the types of projects undertaken were strongly influenced by factors such as climate, social-economic setting, and ‘Landscape Garden City’ designation. Designation as a ‘Landscape Garden City’ was correlated with ‘waterfront spaces’, but not ‘engineering’ and ‘ecological’ projects. We found that cities in drier climates (as measured by ‘precipitation minus evaporation’) constructed more projects and they included many projects th...
Urban River Regeneration as a Tool for Healthy City Planning: the case of Shenzen Futian River.
Proceedings of the AESOP 2019 Congress Book of Papers, 2019, 2019
In the last decades, urban river regeneration (RR) has been increasingly adopted to solve environmental issues, especially in China. The prevalence of this trend is due in part to the fact that, besides solving water pollution problems, urban rivers are a potential new source of open public space for contemporary cities. Due to the extremely rapid urban development, available public space in these cities is shrinking and becoming more and more inadequate. In this context, RR can enhance the quality of the built environment, social life, and public health. This study aims to investigate the influence of RR on social life by analyzing people's behavior and perception of space. Due to its geographical location and its urban context, Futian River in Shenzhen has been chosen as a case study. Methods adopted include direct observation, interview, and survey research. The study is expected to explore the influence of urban river regeneration on social life, adding new knowledge for future healthy city planning in contemporary urban environments.
UTM Razak School, 2017
This study examines the relationship of the urban river of Kuala Lumpur as a significant geographical setting in the often-neglected historic townscape; the notion of the river being the genius loci that determines the townscape's image, identity and sense of place. For a city with a direct reference to its riverine origin, its rivers for far too long have been dirty, polluted, an open sewer for pollutants and effluents and in a state of neglect. The city in return, backs onto the river, refusing to address it and this sets the quest for " a world class city " back a few decades. The Malaysian government acknowledged that rivers are natural, untapped assets and over the years has been keen to revive the dead rivers back to life, the latest of which is the River Of Life launched in 2012 as one of the nine Entry Point Projects under the Economic Transformation Plan. The River of Life project is the government's recent effort at cleaning and beautifying the river after many nationwide campaigns which have failed miserably, such as the 'Love Our Rivers' campaign. Having faced with such challenges, this study aims to propose the urban design of a historic riverfront district via two objectives; firstly to identify what causes the failure of the Kuala Lumpur historic townscape to integrate with its urban rivers, and secondly to establish the urban design factors to be proposed to contextually integrate such river and townscape so as to retain its sense of place through identifying the applicable theories and principles.
River Bagmati and the associated riverfront developments form a large portion of Kathmandu’s urban fabric. Growing concerns regarding the improvement of the condition of River Bagmati of the Kathmandu Valley however, are focused mostly on issues of water pollution. The evident state of the river especially around the core areas portray the dire condition of the river and how it is affecting the human settlements. Although the matter of pollution is undoubtedly severe and needs immediate attention, a study on the potential of culturally gifted riverfront spaces also needs proper planning. In addition to being sites of socio-cultural and religious importance, these spaces can be developed as vibrant urban public place within the crammed Kathmandu. But there are different problems within such spaces apart from the pollution of the river which needs solution before urban planning and design initiatives can be implemented. In this regard planners, designers, developers, and other authorities have to: (1) face the attitude of the nearby residents regarding intervention; (2) make decisions regarding encroachment of the flood plains and riverfront areas; (3) address the immediate need for conservation; (4) revise the reasons behind inability of planning departments to make decisions; and (5) try to solve the dilemma among public and private organizations. This paper explores the urban planning issues that need to be addressed before further development agendas are proposed. More specifically, the planning case has been explored with special attention to the key actors involved and their roles. In addition, the key dilemmas have also been studied and the paper finally attempts to arrive at solutions and provide recommendations.
River Restoration as Urban Experimentation
Roadsides, 2023
Roadsides collection no. 010 • Urban Bioinfrastructures Urban river restoration has been paraded in the last few years as a strategy through which cities may gain green credentials alongside benefits like climate change mitigation and public health enhancement, as well as the promotion of tourism and commerce. As cities continue to grow in size and significance-especially in the Global South-green and blue areas, referring to plant and water ecosystems, are increasingly appreciated among city-dwellers and policymakers as nature-based solutions to urbanization problems. One of the key characteristics that is sought in blue and green infrastructures-that is, the uses of other-than-human lifeforms to support human-centred systems-is their capacity to filter out materials, sounds and sun rays. I contend that by enhancing fluvial ecosystems, which are relational life systems, the resulting filtering capacities may go beyond the intended utilitarian purposes and also filter outcome-based planning, thus opening up possibilities for fertile ecological chaos. Top-down urban design often envisions gentrification processes to produce highly desirable urban developments in order to attract affluent individuals and investment. Recent bottom-up initiatives, on the other hand, tend to prioritize ecosystems in order to spur healthier interspecies relations in the pursuit of ecological and social justice.
Dhaka is dying for its lost connections of water bodies once that was its natural setting. As a result, it's suffering from water logging in monsoon and lowering of ground water at a same time. Relationship and possibility between lost nature and existing contaminated environment by controlling the rapid urbanization is the expected the aim of this study. Sustainable urban landscape could be a possible solution. It is such thought, where responsible implementation of technology, materials and methods over any urban context is applied for minimal or less intervention against so called 'human desire to design'. Obviously, the modus operandi is robustness that had been chosen instead of Tabula-Rasa. Considering various aspects like water and soil conservation, storm water recycling, plant health and even pest management along with socioeconomic and environmental issues might construct this research into urban design. Findings will introduce micro level initiatives to acquire an 'Eco-fabric' over large-scale and zonal context of urban complexity. Eventually, some derived decision model will reveal imaginable implementations of new ideas and technologies to solve challenges. 'Resilience' is preferred as presented value to adjust sustainable urban site initiatives against environmental challenges.
River Edge Development: A case of West Zone, Surat City
IRJET, 2022
Rivers have always been critical to any human settlement's survival. Waterfront areas are one of the most difficult urban locations to develop, but they are also one of the most promising. Communities with a range of characteristics in close proximity to water bodies, as well as aid in adjusting to economic and social conditions. Not just in terms of the waterfront, but in terms of the city as a whole. It combines numerous threads of placemaking, such as environmental responsibility, social equality, and economic viability, as well as planning and transportation policy, and architectural design, to create places with distinct identities and beauty. Various case studies and analysis will be used to propose options for a successful riverfront with significant socio interaction spaces.
2018
The river has always represented for man a strategic element in the choice of settlements and in the development of civilizations. Impelling needs, alternating with far-sighted visions, have contributed over time to the continuous transformation of watercourses in areas of urban interest, paying attention now to functionality, now to aesthetics, more rarely to both contextually. The outcomes of these schemes have been different, even far from the expected results, but often the ecosystem value of the watercourse has been penalised. Nowadays the fluvial cities constitute drastic interruptions of the ecological river continuum, with environmental repercussions on usually more extensive areas of the same urban settlement. While on the one hand the settlements have influenced the watercourses in terms of the quality of the fluvial geography, on the other hand it must be underlined that they have been able to and still can receive enormous benefits from the watercourses themselves. This ...
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research , 2017
Gentle-breezes, quench weather is always admired by Bangladeshi people because it refreshes human body so there is nothing but riverbank is one of the finest places for recreation. For designing riverbank as a recreational area, the investigation results indicate the Padma riverbank area because Padma is the largest river in Bangladesh, situated in Rajshahi City, is very resourceful, but yet not utilized properly, remains unplanned. Examination of recent landscape architecture, the river bank can be made attractive, a place for recreation, ensure public safety of the river bank with an aesthetic look, which will reduce the hazarded pressure of human. The main objective of the study is to make the riverbank safe, aesthetic and functional through a viable landscape design. Designing the site, at first a reconnaissance survey was held by the survey team. The topographic condition, soil characteristics, weathering condition, existing condition, public access etc. are considered during this survey. In addition, secondary data has been used from various articles through internet browsing. Analyzing the various determinant factors of the site, feedback from the inhabitants of the area, a proper guideline was determined on the basis of their demand. For multipurpose uses of this place, different types of equipment are arranged in the landscape design. The planning sketch demonstrating that the study area size is around 3.1 kilometers. This project offers a place where people of every age will find their needs in the term of recreation also increase the economic growth and will also articulate the river in urban space. As Bangladesh is land of rivers so this project initiative will expand and encourage developing other riverbanks.