"Global Design Show"

A New Blueprint for the Urban Design of Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone

Photo by Liu Chang

"High-quality planning and design serve as the prerequisite and paramount element for the high-quality development of cities." On July 7, 2023, the 2023 Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone (ZAEZ) "Air Silk Road" International Competition of Urban Design Scheme officially commenced.

Schematic Map of the Urban Design of Smart Business District

Schematic Map of the Urban Design of Zhongyuan Medical Science City

The international competition was composed of two major components. The first component was the optimization and enhancement of the overall urban design within the entire 747 square kilometers area of ZAEZ, as well as the urban design of Smart Business District spanning 27 square kilometers, which extends from the north to Chaohu Road, from the east to Jiude South Street, from the south to Yandu Avenue, and from the west to Hedong Road. The second component was the urban design of the Central China Medical Science District and its collaborative districts, covering an area of 45 square kilometers, which ranges from the north to Bohai Road, from the east to Sunwu Road, from the south to Nanhai Avenue, and from the west to Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway. The two components of the competition were released as a whole but implemented separately, with unified coordination by the ZAEZ Administrative Committee.

The competition received responses from top design teams from around the world. In the international urban design competition for Smart Business District, in addition to the two invited design firms (consortia), it successfully attracted 21 participating teams (consortia) from 9 countries or regions including China, Hong Kong (China), Germany, France, Japan, Singapore, the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, with a total of 57 design institutions participated. Similarly, the urban design competition for the Zhongyuan Medical Science City also attracted 36 participating teams (consortia) from 9 countries or regions globally, with a total of 69 design institutions involved.

Regarding the international competition, the ZAEZ Party Committee and Administrative Committee attached great importance to it, meticulously plan and conduct specialized research. They entrusted professional institutions to organize and implement the competition.

The urban design competition for the Zhongyuan Medical Science City invited 9 renowned domestic and international experts to serve as judges. These judges have expertise covering various aspects including urban design, architectural landscape, and city transportation. The urban design competition for the Smart Business District invited 7 renowned experts and scholars from home and abroad to form a professional jury. Andrew Tyley and Zheng Shiling were invited to participate online. On July 28th to August 1st, 2023, the official announcement of the competition was made. In September, a qualification review meeting was organized to select the shortlisted participating units. Subsequently, field research and on-site visits were conducted, followed by an offline Q&A session and the release of the task book for the design phase. In November, the mid-term design presentation was held, and based on feedback and recommendations, further optimization of the design was carried out. In December, a scheme design review meeting was organized.

Scene of the Scheme Review Meeting

In December 2023, after specialized research conducted by the ZAEZ Party Committee, the final winning team for the competition was composed of Nippon Design Corporation, AECOM Environment Planning and Design (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China South Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd., and Henan Province Transportation Planning and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Nippon Design Corporation fully considered the relationship between ZAEZ and its surrounding cities. Focusing on the three main features of "port", "industry" and "city", the company conducted researches on international airport cases, summarized the value enhancement trends of future airport new cities, and constructed a value-added structure of 747 square kilometers for the ZAEZ based on Four Ports Interconnectivity strategy. Simultaneously, leveraging its abundant experience in international new city design and practice, Nippon Design Corporation planned the future of the 747-square-kilometer ZAEZ with the concept of growth and grounding.

Aerial View of the Urban Design of Smart Business District

In the planning of the 27-square-kilometers Smart Business District, Nippon Design Corporation madefull consideration of sustainable urban models and skillfully designed a water-green system of suitable scale. Additionally, the company considered the construction timeline, development priorities, and flexible reserved spaces of ZAEZ, embodying the concepts of project implementation and operability in the context of the new era.

Renderings of the Urban Design of Zhongyuan Medical Science City

In the design of the Zhongyuan Medical Science City, AECOM Environment Planning and Design (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China South Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd., and Henan Province Transportation Planning and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. incorporated three design concepts: operable city, compatible spaces and attention to small joys of life. From a human-centric perspective, they aimed to create a sense of small joys in people's surroundings. Considering the future needs of scientific populations for knowledge sharing and a closer connection with nature, they constructed diverse thematic scenes, optimized the urban spatial layout, established an open and sustainable development framework, and designed a city blueprint featuring "dual corridors, unit-based structure, and network connectivity".

Bringing together talents from across the world and harnessing global strength, ZAEZ is now standing at the starting point of the "New Golden Decade". The future blueprint of the urban design of ZAEZ has been unveiled expectantly.

Prospect

A promising aerotropolis with efficient hubs, creative and diverse industries, and a quality community.

The efficiency and driving capacity of its international comprehensive transportation hub grows significantly with larger catchment area.The development level and sci-tech innovation capacity of the industries further grow. A hub economy with certain international influence takes shape. Breakthroughs are made in opening-up platform application and operation. Public services are enhanced. Urban quality and vitality are greatly improved.

A sustainable, livable, economically vibrant aerotropolis with a super hub, a leading opening-up system,s trong creativity, competitive industrial ecosystems and a harmonious society.

Develop into a superb transport hub connecting China, linking the world, serving the globe. The integration effect of its opening-up platform grows significantly. The contribution of sci-tech progress to economic growth largely increases. A market-oriented and world-class business environment governed by a sound legal framework, is created. A highly competitive modern industrial system is established to fully participate in global supply chain.

A world-class 4.0 aerotropolis which is eco-nomically prosperous, socially vibrant, and ecologically sustainable.

The world's top hub cluster with best-in-class domestic and international connectivity is created. Rank among the top in the world in terms of all economic development indicators. Become the most attractive and competitive growth pole in China. A world model in high-quality development and modern urban governance.