Shiru Liu

Urbanism

Towards a Sustainable and Liveable Desakota: Designing for sustainable industry transition in the peri-urban territory of the Greater Bay Area

This project studies the Desakota peri-urbanisation in the Greater Bay Area in China, which is known for its manufacturing importance and undergoing a transition. This conversion faces pressing issues, including unsustainable industrial activities, fragmented landscapes, inadequate public services and a loss of identity. The existing urban-rural planning system has proven ineffective in addressing these issues. Therefore, the project aims to shape Desakota's form, flow and planning system towards sustainability and liveability, utilising the potential of existing industrial ecologies and landscape configurations.

Consequently, the design solution advocates a decentralised development pattern that promotes circular and symbiotic industry conversion, repurposing industrial redundancy for public use and enhancing a green and blue network. A more flexible spatial planning framework works as a practical approach to materialising this envisioned structure.

Through these strategies, the Desakota region can progress towards a future that integrates nature, supports diverse livelihoods and lifestyles, and optimises resource management.