Sustainable Urban Design with Chinese Characteristics: Inspiration from the Shan-Shui City Idea

Aspiration for economic development and the forces of globalization have driven China to embrace global city planning and city building ideas. A threat of identity loss in many Chinese cities is becoming evident. Some scholars have suggested that “China seems to apprehend a need to return to its original civilization” and see the significance of applying the values embedded in traditional Chinese urbanism, such as balance and harmonious human-nature relationships, in its urban development. This paper examines how a Chinese vernacular urbanism, the Shan-Shui City (山水城市), can be an important source of inspiration for creating places that can balance the needs for economic growth and environmental protection. The paper describes a case study of a large urban development project that has applied the Shan-Shui city idea, the Beijing Olympic Forest Park, and argues that the environmental philosophy and aesthetics underlying the traditional “Shan-Shui” concept and the planning and design strategies embraced by the “Shan-Shui” city idea can make this place-making method an appealing and effective sustainable urban development approach in China.