SHANGHAI'S RIVERSIDE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
10 Aug 2017
HASSELL’s plan to revitalise the North Bund waterfront along the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai features a series of programs that develops green riverside spaces as community amenities for public engagement.
A popular destination for visitors in Shanghai, the Bund waterfront runs along the edge of the Huangpu River and is a key historical precinct of the city. A major revitalisation project is currently underway to turn this well-known area into a “lifestyle hub” consisting of office buildings, restaurants, shopping malls and community spaces.
Contributing to the seven million plus square metres of revamped space is a project by HASSELL. Sitting within the Hognkou District of Shanghai, the North Bund area is part of the larger scheme under development by the Shanghai Municipal Committee and Government aimed at opening up public access to both sides of the waterfront and creating a more connected network across the city.
The North Bund Waterfront masterplan created by HASSELL will connect sites along the waterfront as well as multiple sites under renewal within the region, activating key areas within the public program.
HASSELL’s vision is to restore the historical identity of the Huangpu River by stitching the many parts of the site through a garden waterfront, unlocking the North Bund’s potential and bringing back its “unique green historical identity”. In doing so, the redeveloped area will provide a connection to the Huangpu River that will allow it to be valued once again as a place for community interaction and tourism appeal.
The key strategies employed by HASSELL to develop their vision include a variety of landscape scales, including creating places of unique character that can coexist in harmony with the many existing heritage assets in the area. Creating a continuous length of active paths – spanning 2.5km – along the river’s edge that enables walking, cycling or running along previously disjointed sections was another key aspect of the HASSELL vision.
A parkland Garden Walk is also being added to the site. A light-filled, covered pedestrian thoroughfare inhabited by lush greenery, the Garden Walk will provide an “oberservation promenade” connecting visitors coming from the city to the river, and will link many of the district’s hotels to the North Bund.
“Layered within its design response, HASSELL has introduced a sitewide strategy of event programming for the riverfront focused on using the new range of green riverside spaces as community amenities for cultural and entertainment activities throughout the year,” says HASSELL.
Images courtesy of HASSELL
