Context and Core Problems

Located in the core area of Nansha District, Guangzhou, Huangge South Road is a 5.6 km-long strategic corridor serving as a key gateway for the National Games and a showcase for the Greater Bay Area.

Prior to intervention, the site suffered from five systemic challenges:
Spatial deficiency—extensive under-bridge areas, roadside vacant land, and community wastelands were informally occupied or left derelict, resulting in a severe lack of public space;
Ecological fragility—fragmented green infrastructure, absence of stormwater systems, and low climate resilience;
Mobility disruption—a completely broken slow-traffic network disconnecting communities, wetlands, and arterial roads;
Cultural absence—a lack of gateway identity and failure to express Nansha’s marine character;
Livability decline—noise, disorder, and poor environmental quality inconsistent with its metropolitan role.

Design Process

The project follows a full-cycle methodology: site investigation – problem diagnosis – goal setting – systematic design – implementation coordination. A comprehensive survey of terrain, vegetation, mobility systems, land ownership, and community needs informed a four-dimensional database (space, ecology, transportation, culture). Guided by principles of low intervention and high adaptability, the design integrates sectional strategies, node-based interventions, and cross-disciplinary coordination to ensure long-term feasibility and resilience.

Design Strategy: An Integrated Urban Landscape Corridor

Under the concept of “Landscape Ribbon of Mountain and Sea, Gateway to the Future,” the project establishes a “one corridor, three sections, multiple nodes” framework, transforming infrastructure into a multi-functional public landscape.

Spatial Activation

Underutilized spaces—under bridges, roadside voids, and community wastelands—are systematically reclaimed. Informal uses are removed, topography is reshaped, and artistic landforms are introduced, converting fragmented land into all-age parks, pocket plazas, and buffer green spaces.

Slow-Traffic Reconstruction

A continuous network of pedestrian paths, cycling routes, and greenways reconnects broken links across road boundaries, community entrances, and wetland edges. The system forms a north–south corridor with east–west connectivity, supported by integrated lighting, safety infrastructure, and wayfinding.

Sponge Infrastructure Integration

Permeable paving, bioswales, sunken green spaces, rain gardens, and retention systems form a multi-layered stormwater management network, enabling runoff reduction, purification, and reuse while enhancing climate resilience.

Cultural Translation

Marine cultural elements—waves, tides, coastlines, and ship trajectories—are abstracted into spatial forms, including fluid structures, sculptural retaining walls, thematic paving, and dynamic lighting, establishing a strong and recognizable gateway identity.

Sectional Differentiation

Three distinct yet coherent segments—Gateway Reception, Ecological Green City, and Vibrant Residential—respond to varying urban conditions, balancing representation, ecology, and everyday life.

Social Impact

The project delivers inclusive, high-quality public space for recreation, fitness, and community interaction, eliminating informal land occupation and significantly improving living conditions. As a supporting project for the National Games, it enhances the urban image of Nansha while strengthening local identity, social cohesion, and community vitality. It demonstrates how infrastructure can directly contribute to everyday well-being.

Environmental Impact

Through integrated sponge city strategies, the project achieves stormwater retention, purification, and reuse, reducing flood risk and improving climate adaptability. Articulated landforms and continuous green systems mitigate heat, reduce noise, and improve air quality. Existing vegetation is preserved and enhanced to form a continuous ecological corridor, strengthening biodiversity and habitat connectivity.

Spatial Impact

The project transforms fragmented and underutilized land into a continuous, open, and shared public landscape system. It reconstructs urban connectivity, linking roads, communities, and wetlands into an efficient micro-mobility network. Gateway nodes establish strong visual identity, while the overall corridor achieves a balance between unity and diversity, redefining the spatial quality of a major urban artery.

Project Credits

Landscape Architect: Guangzhou S.P.I Design Co., Ltd.
Design Team: Hu Sun, Yansheng Huang, Bin Liu, Lijian Liu, Chuangqiang Ye, Hao Peng, Ying Zeng, Runhao Xie, Shengyu Zeng, Chengyuan Gu, Yinglun Fu, Jiapeng Long, Yaoji Zhang, Zhihui Chen, Xiangheng Yang, Jingshu Chen, Qingyang Li
Client: Guangzhou Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone Construction Center, China Construction Southwest Consulting Co., Ltd.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%B9%BF%E4%B8%9C%E7%9C%81%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82%E5%8D%97%E6%B2%99%E5%8C%BA%E9%BB%84%E9%98%81%E5%8D%97%E8%B7%AF/@22.7887249,113.5127551,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x3403b6d3ae67cc8f:0xd9380eef17f130d2!8m2!3d22.78872!4d113.51533!16s%2Fg%2F11g_w5r96?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D