For centuries, Huangshi Bay’s unique natural setting has made it an ideal marine habitat and fishery for China. However, in the past 40 years, the uncontrolled growth of aquaculture industries has completely transformed the shoreline, resulting in public inaccessibility and irreversible ecological degradation, making the site highly susceptible to various natural disasters. Rising sea levels will further weaken its resilience.
The design proposes the rehabilitation of the natural shoreline ecosystem using sustainable and cost-effective methods, as opposed to adopting more traditional, engineered "hard" systems. Beach and sand dunes will be rebuilt, and cliffs and reefs will be protected to enhance resilience against heavy storms and adapt to sea level rise. Ecosystems along sandy, rocky, and tidal flat shorelines will be restored to create multi-layered protection and diverse habitats. The small-scale existing woodlands will be enhanced into a mixed shelterbelt forest blocking the winter blast from the sea.
Existing structures on site, including fish tanks and fishponds, will be conserved and transformed into site features while materials from the demolition of existing buildings will be reused as sub-base for paving to minimize embedded carbon during the rehabilitation process.
To improve the site’s resilience and revive its invaluable working seafront while celebrating its rich fishing heritage, this comprehensive plan integrates the restoration of coastal ecosystems with an upgrade of aquaculture industries and introduction of recreational programs into a multi-layered system. Woven into the regional coastal landscape, existing fishponds will be transformed into a variety of pools to reestablish the physical and spiritual bonds between humans and nature. The system will not only protect the site against environmental risks, but also against the economic and social uncertainties of the future.
Huangshi Bay Coastal Park will become an innovative model for coastal rehabilitation in China.
View Original