Master Plan Urban Design Caohai Area, Kunming – International Competition
Client:
Municipal Government of Kunming
Consultant:
KUPDI, YDI and LEP Consultants, supported by helsinkizurich
Scope of LEP Consultants AG:
Urban planning and design concept inputs
Time frame:
September – December 2010
Description:
The planning area includes a surface of 873 hectares on waterside at the North-Western end of the Dianchi Lake. Caohai is the hinge point between the city of Kunming and the Lake Dian. Inside the planning area, five rivers flow into the Dianchi Lake. Because of the sensitive location and the important function of Caohai for the whole Kunming urban area, the future development of Caohai will be defined in a master plan.
Currently, the status of infrastructure and environment is far behind the requirements of an attractive waterside: The water is heavily polluted, the land uses are not well coordinated and there is a big urbanization pressure around Caohai.
However, the beautiful location at the lake and the good accessibility to the city centre of Kunming, make Caohai a prospering place for future development. It can play an important role for the urban and tourism development of Kunming by becoming a nice place for recreation and living.
Strong investments in leisure, tourism and service industry in the Northern part can make this area very attractive for residents, visitors and tourists. A series of well-connected wetland parks along the Western and Eastern shore would strongly contribute to the re-balancing of local fauna and flora and attract nature friends to explore local species of animals and plants and enjoy the beautiful view from the surrounding Western Hills.
Furthermore, the existence of historical relics such as built remains from Stone Age settlements, and houses and temples of several emperor dynasties can become attractions for both local population and tourists.
LEP contributed with the following conceptual inputs:
- Strategic development plan for Caohai area, including future positioning at different geographical levels
- Land use control and zoning plan for settlement, landscape, transportation, leisure and tourism
- Urban design sketches and references for specific key areas
