Sino-French Eco-City of Caidan

Concept

With more than 11 million inhabitants, the city of Wuhan is currently facing a number of social and environmental challenges. The Sino-French eco-city of Caidian project, which is part of a bilateral cooperation on sustainable urban development, aims to become both a real experimental laboratory and an exemplary urban project through the implementation of innovative solutions addressing all of the issues of the city: urban planning, architecture, transport, energy, landscape, water management, waste management, biodiversity, etc.

The district of Caidian is located in the west of the metropolis. The site of the Sino-French eco-city of Caidian is already connected to the city centre by road infrastructures and will soon host a TGV station and two new metro lines.

The site is characterised by natural areas that are both exceptional and fragile: to the north, it is bordered by the Han river, a wetland of more than 15km² consisting of ponds and lakes, and to the south, it is limited by the lakes of Bailian and Houguan and by a small mountain chain, the Ma’an mountain.

The project primarily aims to preserve and enhance these natural spaces through the creation of a structuring landscape framework supporting diverse functions and responding to multiple challenges: water management, flood risk management, improvement of the comfort of urban areas and reduction of the heat island effect, maintenance of agricultural production areas, market gardens and fish farms in the vicinity and in urban areas, development of tourist, sports and leisure areas, etc.

The Sino-French eco-city of Caidian is expected to eventually welcome approximately 200 000 inhabitants and aims to become a “Valley of Sino-French Environmental Science and Technology.”

Team

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Contracting authority
– Contracting authority: Management Committee of the Eco-City of Caidian – Government of Caidian District

Project manager
– Urban planner representative: Wuhan Land Use and Urban Spatial Planning Research Center
– Urban planner: Arte Charpentier
– Architect: Arte Charpentier
– Landscaper: Arte Charpentier
– Design office: Suez Consulting

Specificities
– Address: Eco-city of Caidian, Wuhan, China

Image credits:
© Landers – Elodie Ledru
© Arte Charpentier