Project Statement
Located in the center of Guangzhou's largest new district that has a planned population of over 200,000 , the 85.8-acre site of the former Guangzhou Iron and Steel Plant, although remediated and rich in industrial heritage, has been desolate for years. With an ambitious vision to transform the post-industrial site into a catalyst for energizing the new district and the city, the project proposes an integrated approach to convert the site into a world-class urban park. Planning considerations are given to ecological restoration, historic preservation and adaptive reuse of industrial heritage, public realm design, and reintegration of the post-industrial site into its urban fabric functionally and socially. A three-phase process is recommended: ecological restoration to allow the site for public access and recreation; restoration of selective industrial structures for historical and cultural interpretation; and infusing commercial events and cultural and art programs to the park to offer new perspectives and experiences. The resulted plan creates a unique urban landmark that celebrates the synergistic relationship between ecology, history, culture, and art.
Context
Guangzhou Iron and Steel Plant was built in 1958 during China’s industrialization process. Occupying 85.8 acres of land southwest to the city center of Guangzhou, it was the largest plant of its kind in South China. In 2013, environmental concerns resulted in the closure of the plant. During its 55 years’ operation, the plant was closely tied to local people’s work, life, culture, and memories. It is now not only a visual landmark that dominates the skyline of the area, but also a reminder of the legacy of the city and its residents.

Although the plant site has been left desolate after 2013, it will be encompassed by a planned new district serviced by public transportation systems, such as light rail and metro rail. It is estimated that the population in the new district will be more than 200,000 people after a full district redevelopment.

Vision and Objectives
This project is part of the city’s coordinated efforts to re-integrate the large post-industrial site into its urban fabric. The site, as the largest post-industrial site in the city, is rich in well-kept industrial heritage that has shaped the city’s culture and memory. At the same time, the industrial site is inevitably associated with contamination. Although about 677,000 cubic yards of soil on-site has been treated or backfilled, garbage piles mixed with overgrown vegetation still exist and raise concerns for public access to the site.

With an ambitious vision to transform the project site into a world-class urban public park that embraces the history of the city and energizes the new district and the city, this project proposes a development concept using an integrated approach to address complicated challenges on-site such as ecological restoration, public realm design, historic preservation and adaptive reuse of industrial heritage, economic analysis on redevelopment options, phasing, and implementation.

Master planning objectives include:
- Restore the ecosystem of the site by a variety of greening strategies to provide holistic environmental benefits.
- Make this urban park publicly accessible to bring new urban life to residents and visitors, and subsequently bolster private development in the new district.
- Restore and adaptively reuse the industrial heritage to embrace the history of China’s industrialization and reinvigorate the iconic landmark site.
- Create a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces with social amenities including recreation, environmental education, commercial events, and year-round cultural and art programs to enliven the park and engage the surrounding communities.

Analysis
The planning and design concept evolved from detailed site analysis and intensive multi-disciplinary study. The landscape architects worked with the consultant teams, which included environmental experts that focused on contamination and remediation issues, historic preservation experts who identified industrial resources on-site to be preserved and resources that can be repurposed, transportation planners concentrating on the traffic analysis and public transportation network, economic and market analysts to assess potential and impacts of different development options; and cost estimators. Local government agencies, advisory committees, and interested developers all provided valuable insight and momentum for the project. Information from site visits, maps, photographs, and technical reports was collected, reviewed and verified on-site to inform the planning and design ideas.

Planning and Design Strategies
The proposed planning and design strategies are built on the site’s inherent attributes and its potential as an area of profound economic and cultural importance to the city and the nation. Considering the evolving site conditions and external development initiatives, the proposed master plan is intended to be a flexible structure responsive to changing situations. Therefore a three-phased approach is recommended:
1. Phase One: Ecological restoration to provide holistic environmental benefits and allow the site for public access and recreation.
2. Phase Two: restoration of selective industrial structures for historical and cultural interpretation.
3. Phase Three: Infusing business operations, commercial events and cultural and art programs to the park to offer new perspectives and experiences.

Conclusion
The former Guangzhou Iron and Steel Plant site presents many development opportunities and challenges. By employing a phased approach, this project allows the physical transformation of the site to evolve with time and eventually creates a unique urban landmark that celebrates the synergistic relationship between ecology, history, culture, and art.