南通北河滨景观规划与设计丨中国南通丨SWA 和上海市政总院景观规划设计研究院

In the last century, Nantong’s port industry developed vigorously. The Nantong Port integrates multiple functions, including cargo transportation, the petroleum industry, and passenger travel; it is Nantong’s gateway to the world. In the new era, under the policy guidance that protects the Yangtze River, the Port’s former industrial form is being gradually transformed. Urban industrial areas will carry more ecological protection and cultural return functions, and the industrial infrastructure of the past will be remade into a public green space. SWA and the Shanghai Municipal General Administration Institute of Landscape Planning have recently won the bid for the Tonglu Canal and Rengang River waterfront landscape in Nantong’s northern riverside area after the successful implementation of the Nantong South Riverside Landscape Belt. The team won an ASLA Southern California Merit Award for reshaping the riverside public space system through landscape design, and facilitating shoreline rebirth to establish a world-class waterfront.

Uniting ecology, industry and culture to establish high-quality public space landscapes along the waterfront to achieve waterfront rejuvenation and urban renewal

©SWA Group

Project Background

Nantong is the birthplace of modern Chinese national industry. The Port is China’s first-class gateway to the outside world and the country’s main hub port, where it plays a major role in cargo transport. The prosperity of the Nantong Port has also been an integral part of development and changes to the city. In 1904, Nantong Port was formally established in order to accommodate local industrial needs. In the late 1970s, large-scale wharf construction commenced. The Port is emblematic of Nantong, having supported and witnessed the rise of this coastal city; and it has become a “business card” for Nantong’s global presence.

The project is located in Chongchuan District, the sub-center of Nantong City, within the area of Rengang Bay and Wulonghui. Its research area of approximately 10 square kilometers includes the Tonglu Canal in Chongchuan District, the riverfront shoreline, and the Rengang River waterfront landscape. The initial implementation area is about 72 hectares, and the total investment is 1.2 billion yuan. The embankment project on both banks of the Tonglu Canal – along the Yangtze River and the Tonglu Canal – is about 7 kilometers in length.

Located at the junction of the Yangtze River and the canal, the waterfront industrial zone is the largest property of the site.

©SWA Group

Project Challenges:

As an important port and industrial waterfront along the Yangtze River, the north riverfront is dominated by hard-engineered shorelines, with limited green space, as well as by industrial equipment and historical sites such as tower cranes, oil tanks, clock towers, and stations distributed throughout the area. Considering the site conditions of Tonglu Canal and Rengang River in the north riverfront area, the design faces four primary challenges:

1. The industrial equipment on the site has been abandoned. Ways to protect and utilize the site resources and re-use their value is a top priority.

2. Water security infrastructure on the site is insufficient. In order to ensure safe urban flood control, the level of embankments urgently needs to be upgraded.

3. There is a lack of connection between the river course and the living area, and the waterfront is not easily accessible – in fact, largely unreachable.

4. In some places, the shoreline has been seriously hardened, and green infrastructure is lacking.

In facing these challenges, we have proposed targeted solutions to revitalize the industrial history of the site through protective design and renovation, increasing and maintaining green infrastructure, improving urban security and ecological performance, establishing connections between local people and the river, and promoting new riverside prosperity.

Abandoned industrial land, flood security, lack of access for pedestrians, and minimal green space are the site’s main challenges.

©SWA Group

Goal and Strategy

The design of the north riverfront is inspired by the regional characteristics of Nantong’s river-sea plain, and the natural landscape forms of rivers, beaches, and fields are used as the design vocabulary throughout Huanchang’s future waterfront and the Tonglu Canal’s historical context. There are also three characteristic shorelines: port river, bay, and scenic, in addition to the historical shore.

Through ecological design, the industrial zone shows new vitality and creates multiple experiences.

©SWA Group

Along the site from north to south, various scenes are presented in sequence. The topography of the ecological park is undulating, with a multi-level landscape display, while the ecological wetland is designed based on the original tidal flat of the site. The estuary’s two sides are integrated to establish the core of the urban image, corresponding to the Sunac commercial sector to activate the original port. Industrial relics are positioned as features of an urban art port. The historical and cultural waterfront along the Tonglu Canal forms the urban context of two rivers in series, and the the sports park in front of the Citizen Service Center offers a public space full of vitality for all citizens to share. One bay and one scenic opportunity on both sides of the river showcase the humanistic changes in Nantong. The design considers aspects of ecology, culture, and industry, and proposes three major landscape theme strategies to create and extend high-quality public landscapes along the waterfront to achieve rejuvenation and urban renewal.

1. Ecological guard, maintaining the ecological green base of the riverside

Under the premise of protecting of the Yangtze River’s regional water network environment, the design refines natural landscape features such as rivers, beaches, fields, and sandbanks. The design language is organized to protect the ecological health of future urban water bodies and rivers, while building natural stability and diversity. The urban water environment can withstand potential disasters in the future and ensure resilience for the city.

1) Starting from nature, constructing a grand pattern of ecosystems

The design uses nature’s graceful and natural curved forms as a design vocabulary to organize the landscape space. The overall impression is the intersection of ancient and modern, and the spatial pattern of resource convergence highlights the broad pattern of the northern riverside ecosystem where the river and the city are integrated. First, the design links the river-city interface, celebrates the landscape texture of the land, and forms an overall impression of leaning against the city while facing the river. The city and the water are interdependent and coexist harmoniously. The design then uses the canal to connect with the Yangtze River and extend to the inland river to form an ecological corridor, conforming to local characteristics and creating a wetland. The wetland garden creates a landscape with green veins and blue networks intertwined; sandbars, river beaches, the river and tidal flat textures are superimposed to maintain the basic ecological pattern of the northern riverside, promote biodiversity, enhance the ecological foundation, and establish public green space.

Conceived as a waterfront park, the site is transformed with a sponge design that introduces multiple layers of rain gardens to alleviate drainage pressure during the rainy season.

©SWA Group

2) One hundred years of resilience, integration of embankments and roads, improving water safety infrastructure

The current embankment fortification is low, and has hidden safety hazards. The design raises the embankment to the once-in-a-century standard based on its original top, corresponding to the vertical elevation of the ground. At the same time, it unifies the waterfront park road and the embankment, tying them together. Secondly, the design retreats about 50 percent (approximately 100 meters) on the foundation of the original embankment top, strengthening the existing wharf. The elevation of the waterfront hinterland rationalizes the integration of embankments and roads. After improving the safety fortification of the embankment top, the design softens the original single hard revetment, combining it with the landscape functions of wetland, landscape slope, waterfront walkway, terrace garden, and waterfront square. In this manner, the design establishes six types of revetment forms to create diverse riverside experiences.

Softening the revetment and creating a rich experience with multiple revetment forms

©SWA Group

3. Prioritize ecological protection and enhance basic green capabilities

Sponge design is introduced throughout the park to create multiple rain gardens that relieve the pressure of flood discharge during the rainy season. The harbor area is a key node. As a transitional space between the internal site and the riverside boundary, it assumes the role of strengthening the revetment and creating more favorable landscape conditions. The design improves the ecological functions of the harbor basin through three methods: wetland islands, floating gardens, and rocky beach revetments, maximizing purification capacity and increasing the flexibility of the landscape.

2. Diversified integration to create a riverwalk "map"

North-south interaction and water-city connections are key. Throughout the riverside and the canal, green “veins” are connected to promote a healthy lifestyle of cycling and walking. This approach strengthens the river’s ecological corridor and the linear power of the waterfront, increasing the value of the surrounding land and industrial investment.

1) Multi-scene riverwalk map

A series of classic scenes along an inviting riverwalk

©SWA Group

As a sub-center of Nantong City, the north riverfront’s user group includes all ages, and both residents and tourists. In the Internet age, it also focuses on the trendy young people of Generation Z – an important demographic that will elevate the project’s visibility and role as a venue for enjoyable experiences. The design creates a multi-seasonal and multi-functional landscape space by celebrating its industrial site characteristics and combining seasonal features and festival activities. In the future, the north riverfront will become a new landmark of history, culture, and trends. A series of classic scenes such as oil tank art, a cranes corridor, a blooming window, finless porpoise sculptures, and a sunset platform are some of the elements that constitute a vivid “map” for a riverside tour.

2) Industrial elements evoke memories of the site

Large industrial equipment such as tower cranes, oil tanks, and bell towers evoke distinct memories on the site. They are witnesses to the development of industrial history, and are precious historical relics for the people of Nantong. The design retains the tower cranes to the extent possible, and redesigns two of them in combination with functional requirements to create distinctive spaces. It also adds a riverside platform that can be used for climbing and passage, so that visitors can experience the scale and grandeur of the port. The design encourages these cherished industrial relics to bloom with life again.

Parts of the industrial equipment is transformed and reused to give full play to the value of the site.

©SWA Group

3. Cultural renewal, telling stories of the site.

Nantong is a famous national historical and cultural city, with its beautiful Wolf Five Hill, the glorious ancient Hao River, the city’s world-famous gardens, and water paintings. It is also the birthplace of the Qingdun site: the origin of the river and canal civilization. Nantong is located at the confluence of rivers and seas – the throat between the north and the south. The Yangtze River, Haohe River, and the canal are well-developed. The ancient water town is an important cultural feature of Nantong. The design digs deep into the local culture, continuing the historical journey of the two rivers, connecting to the ancient charm of the Haohe River, and allows the riverside lifestyle to blossom.

Over the years, with the popularization of automobiles, the importance of traditional canal transportation and canals has gradually faded. The improvement of riverside and canal greening will help restore the attributes of water towns, and promote a lifestyle that is in harmony with the water. Through landscape spaces and language, the design team uniquely integrates a number of overlapping cultures of the Yangtze River: industry, traditional values, and modernity. The design also uses the waterfront to revive the characteristics of the water town and encourage riverside strolls and conversation. A series of classic scenes, such as mining and fishing on the waterfront, reappear. It is a beautified impression of a leisurely home in a water village.

Reappearance of the classic scenes of the water town, evoking memories.

©SWA Group

The design creates high-quality riverside canal green space, promotes cycling and walking, establishes the waterfront as a place for local people’s daily social activities, and facilitates active and healthy lifestyles in every detail by using local materials. Once-common experiences such as enjoying cool shade under a big tree, lighting lanterns, enjoying opera, and socializing will return to daily life in a completely new form of landscape.

Reappearance of memorable scenes like lighting lanterns, enjoying opera, socializing and celebrating local culture.

©SWA Group

Conclusion: SWA’s design team hopes that while maintaining the site’s awe and history, they will excavate the meaning of the existing industrial relics and the power they bring to people, resurrecting the spirit of the site and evoking history through integration and revitalization of the waterfront industrial base. Ecology and community service make the north riverfront a place of both great historical significance and modern spiritual sensibilities.

Project Name: Rengang River, North Riverfront Project and Tonglu Chanel Embankment Project

Project location: Nantong, Jiangsu

Construction area: 70.8 ha

Construction: Nantong Rengang Bay and Wulonghui Development and Construction Center

LDI: Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.

SWA Design Team: Xiao Zheng, Xian Li, Joseph Hsu, Liqiu Xu, Xiaowei Zhang, Shiya Zeng