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Green Good Design Awards ARCHIVE 2014 Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture
XIAN GREAT CITY MASTER PLAN - 2013 - Xian - Shaanxi - China PRC.
  • XIAN GREAT CITY MASTER PLAN - 2013 - Xian - Shaanxi - China PRC.
  • XIAN GREAT CITY MASTER PLAN - 2013 - Xian - Shaanxi - China PRC.
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XIAN GREAT CITY MASTER PLAN - 2013 - Xian - Shaanxi - China PRC.

Architects: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Client: Beijing Vantone CityLogic Investment Corp., Beijing, China PRC.

Project Description

Xixian Great City will be a city that closely responds to its site and environment, redefining urbanism in China through a ground breaking series of sustainable achievements. 

A thousand years ago Xian, the site for Xixian Great City, emerged as the most important city in China. Traders from other lands travelled the “Silk Road” to exchange goods, culture and ideas. Leading directly to Xian, the Silk Road became world famous for the influence it brought to countries to the east and to the west. The spirit of the road, also known as the “Road of Ideas” informed the first inspiration for the design of Xixian Great City Master Plan. 

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Xixian Great City master plan is the extensive sustainable framework that is comprehensively integrated into the physical planning of the City. Eight sustainable themes are presented in the plan, which cover all aspects of life in Xixian and include Sustainable Economics, Sustainable Transportation, Climate and Energy, Sustainable Community, Ecology and Biodiversity, Waste and Water, Sustainable Agriculture, and Sustainable Construction. Contained in these eight themes are 30 specific sustainable goals for achieving a world-class level of environmental performance. AS+GG’s plan suggests that if these 30 goals are realized, Xixian Great City will be regarded as one of the most significant urban achievements of the 21st century.

The overall project area for the city is 3,820,000 sm or 382 hectares. Approximately 47% of the land will be devoted to farmland conservation, 5% to wetland conservation and restoration, 10% to roads and infrastructure, with the remaining 38% dedicated to urbanized areas. Within this urbanized area 56% of the land will be devoted to development parcels, 21% to public green areas and 23% to infrastructure and roads and is comprised of 96 parcels averaging 8,450 square-meters. Four of these parcels have been designated as District Parks. The remaining 92 parcels are for development of the Xixian Great City’s buildings.

The total proposed gross floor area for the urbanized area is 5.4 million square-meters, resulting in an overall plot ratio of 3.7 against the urbanized land area and a plot ratio of 6.6 against the development parcel area. The plot ratio for the overall project area is 1.4 when the farmland and wetlands are included. Of the 5,404,000 square-meters of development, approximately 762,000 square-meters are estimated for above-ground parking and 4,642,000 sm for buildings. 

The project is divided into seven districts, each averaging approximately 635,000 square-meters of development area. The exception to this is the City Center District, which is adjacent to the proposed light-rail station and will contain approximate 1.6 million square-meters of total gross floor area. 
The programming for the City includes a variety of land uses within each District and development parcel. This sustainable strategy creates shorter travel distances for residents to meet their daily needs and creates the opportunity for employment throughout the City. Xixian Great City is 49% residential and 51% non-residential, creating a balance between residential and other land uses. Non-residential land uses include offices, medical, manufacturing, and civic functions such as schools and cultural buildings. It is proposed that a major medical complex anchor the north portion of the City, providing a strong economic foundation.

AS+GG’s master plan proposes a perimeter building concept for the design of individual parcels, with above-grade parking screened from view by innovative architecture. The concept not only creates strong urban streets but also allows multiple building configurations depending on the desired program. The perimeter concept can be applied on both high-density parcels and lower-density parcels, except on Civic buildings, as it is desired that these be special buildings with unique architecture. In the City Center, a major “Green Bridge” is proposed over the existing train line. The cost of this significant infrastructure investment will be offset by higher density development on adjacent parcels. Further, because this structure is elevated above the ground, these higher-density parcels will use the space under the bridge for additional parking.

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