Yanghe eco-pastoral town

Early 2023 we were invited to a competition for a new agricultural research campus close to Qingdao, in the Shangdong province in eastern China. Like many new large-scale projects, this one ought to partly replace the informal settlement of Yanghezhen and displace most of its inhabitants.

Our proposal grounded on the idea of evolution, not revolution: local residents stay, and so should their houses. The key to the project was recognising it as a rural regeneration question, not an urban design project. We proposed to develop a step-by-step guide for the development of rural and small towns. This process can be applied in various climates and locations to develop thriving, green, sustainable, technological and attractive communities.

Form and program were derived from two main ideas. First, no buildings should be demolished. The existing linear structure allowed for easy density increase without being destructive, creatively engaging with the inbetween. Engaging with the existing allowed to bring buildings up to code and improving the infrastructure where it was actually needed. The other idea was a food forest at the center - a new form agriculture that rejects monocultures and results in self-supporting ecosystems, resulting in both a leisure park and a food source. It was imperative to introduce an element of self-sufficiency. Along the edges of the existing town we aligned the new agricultural research campus, filtering between urban density and open green.

Both ideas together describe the anatomy of a place where living and green are condensed and symbiotic, providing a vibrant environment for inhabitants and researchers alike. Throughout the process we thought of our proposal as a proto-template for urban regeneration along China’s Belt-and-Road initiative, where this projects very likely will arise again - hopefully for the good.