In the process the rapid development of city, many street communities and neighboring parks are taken by high buildings gradually. The open space is precious in cities, and actually city living rely on the parks, the green space a lot. First, we try to help the process of urban regeneration through this community park, Secondly, we try to make this place more friendly and multi-functional, by combining interaction, popular science, wetland prospect and co-establishing farm together to build an open corner park. We purpose to return the urban green space back to local residents and children, making it a more interesting, more professional children natural school, and metamorphosing the disused corner park into an urban reception room.
The site is located in the border of Gem Road and Jinguo Avenue, Yubei District, Chongqing City, China, and lies in the center area of this district where crowd assembling and scattering, with run-down surrounding public infrastructure. The site was once an abandoned urban public space. The on-site facilities were old, and the plants were messy. There was a stream crossing the site but was not clean, and the huge banyan tree has been a landmark of this open space in the city corner. Even though, the surrounding residents would still bring their children here to take a walk and rest. Through the observation for hours and days, it was busy here in the evenings or at weekends. We try to figure out that how to reuse the landscape resource and renewal this abandoned place, and make the site friendly to the community.
To make this negative urban space positive, we need use more mature and detailed treatment for this type of public space. An urban greenway system should be established, and it links the urban park clusters. The organization of the site is organic, from the urban interface to the internal functions on site. At the same time, as a community garden in the city, we encourage all ages to use this site and make it functionally complex.
And also we aimed to have a friendly park, which is friendly for the elder, the disabled, the kids, and the pets. On the design of humanization facilities, we have considered accessible handrail, parking place for wheelchair, benches, parking place for pram, dustbins, spots for collecting water and stakes for tying dog, and also implanted park vending machines, charging points, illuminating system at night and so on.
When considering the rainwater filtration, as we have 2393 sqm of green area, in the green area we set sunken green space, rain garden, and vegetation buffer zone for water purification. The rainwater flow into the pond after purifying.
There are three planting layers- forest dust-filtering plants around parking lot and entrance., nectar plants around central area, and aquatic plants near the stream and pond. In this project, we respect the growth characteristics of plants and maximize the wild beauty of plant growth.
We also pay attention to the wildlife in this park. Adaptive plants and large pebbles are helpful for them to reproduction. Now there are cute wildlife here such as frogs, dragonfly, and so on.
For all the parts about ecology, we make it more common to residents. For example, we set up interactive oxygen production device to encourage people to understand the relationship between clear water and oxygen. Throughout the park, we also design a variety of water forms, flowing steams, waterfalls, and still ponds, so that children have more chance to understand the changes in the shape of water.
When renewal this site and update designs, we keep most of existing plants and ponds, like banyan tree, they should be preserved instead of removed. We insist the principle of sustainable design. For example, we consider the relationship between sustainable plants and butterflies to create a butterfly garden, to form a small ecological cycle.
As a community park, it works as green space in urban area for surrounding residents. In the central area of the park, we reserve flexible event venues. On weekends and festivals, the local organize public events such as open-air movies and markets to stimulate vitality. For its multi-functionality, we have built four theme parks that integrate teaching and entertainment.
Theme classes of plant, combined with multiple ecological experience and outdoor popular science, teaching with pleasure, can also lead children to study by plant corresponding to signboard, and also can know corresponding plant by scanning QR code.
Theme classes of wetland exhibit popular science plants of natural wetland, aquatic plants and aquatic aerator interacting with human, recognizing the significance of wetland to urban climate’s adjustment.
According to site’s topography, theme playground of Dongdonngma offers large public theme activity space, interacting water, swing, trampoline etc. In the center of playground, there’s a facility (named ”Dongdongma”) in the shape of horse.
Theme of co-establishing farm, based on the unit of family, forms community circles, by sowing, maintaining and harvesting, communicating in learning. The small theater can provide venue for particular evening party and farm communication meeting.
Photography: Bing Lu
Project location: Baosheng Avenue, Yubei District, Chongqing City, China
Design year: 2019
Year Built: 2020
