An ecological corridor bringing rural life to the city

In collaboration with Gillespies, JTP won the Daoliu River Park Design Competition in Luzhou, China.

The brief was to design a masterplan for the Daoliu River ecological corridor, a wide river valley site that spans 900 hectares close to Luzhou Old Town. The competition-winning proposal for the River Park envisioned a place that allows city dwellers to experience the best aspects of rural life within the city boundary.

The masterplan divides the site into several character parks including the ‘Sports Park’, ‘Arts Park’, and ‘Forest Park’. Each park offers different activities and encourages visitors to participate and learn. The winning vision centres the focal point for the new community around ‘a farm village’ with a market hall for farmers to sell their produce and facilities for ‘agri-tourism’ where visitors can learn to grow and pick their own. The masterplan also proposes widening a section of the river to create a lake which could be used for boating, canoeing and sailing.

Project Delivery

– A masterplan strategy for a 900-hectare river valley, translating ecological corridor principles into an accessible urban recreational landscape.

– Developed a character-driven park framework, including Sports Park, Arts Park, and Forest Park, each with tailored activities and educational opportunities.

– Positioned a ‘farm village’ as the social and cultural hub, integrating a market hall and agri-tourism facilities to promote local engagement and urban-rural interaction.

– Inclusion of an organic restaurant cluster providing organic food and different budget choices.

– Enhancing and fostering the biodiversity of the wetland park by localised widening of the river and creation of ponds.

– A sports park for organised activities, encouraging a proactive approach to healthy exercise.

– A local beach resort park with wooden decks and jetties to allow for informal meetings and community events.