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MASTER'S PROJECT: Water Sensitive Urban Design and Ecological Landscape Design in Hebei, China

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Goals & Objectives:
To develop a new urban and landscape design strategy to incorporate with water sensitivity (scarcity and pollution) and low impact development (LID) in China.

Justification, Benefit, or Significance:
In China, the contradiction between new style urbanization and environmental protection is becoming more and more critical. For urban and landscape designers, there will be two ways of incorporating environmental sustainability into traditional planning and design processes. One is to include ecological and environmental considerations in the beginning stage of a new town planning to avoid or minimize environmental impacts of the new development. Another way is more important for urban redevelopment areas. We need the small-scale design and ready-to-implement techniques for sustainable redesign of these areas. So for both new towns and existing towns, there should be a comprehensive sustainable design methodology and approach. Our research will focus on water sensitive and LID design principles, approaches, standards and recommended techniques. The research will lead to an innovative strategy in the progress of the new round of urbanization in China, sustainable urbanization. We will push this new strategy to be part of the national regulatory guidelines in China if successful.Activities & Duration:

1 Research on existing water sensitive urban design and LID landscape design methodology and case studies around the world (2 months)
2 Background research of the real-world projects in China with supervisor from UM and SPD (1 month)
3 On-site design workshop in China (10 days)
4 Design project completion (6 months)
5 Development of design guideline (3 months)

Integrative Approach:
There will be a project director from SPD to lead the whole research. Students from UM and China with different disciplines will work separately from their own aspects first, then discuss with each other and integrate with each other. They are expected to develop an integrated, comprehensive report synthesizing all members’ work.

Expected Deliverables:
A final project design report and a research report.

Implementation:
The design will be implemented with our clients. We will also try to make the research report become a government regulatory guideline which can be used by all planning department and domestic planner.

Collaborator(s)
SPD Planning & Design Corporation
Research Areas
Water Resources