Greening dense urban settlements in Shenzhen, incorporating farming whilst improving quality of life.

In the context of Chinese new urbanism, to what extent can the mulberry fishpond system be applied to the residential blocks of the urban village in Shenzhen, China?

Rapid urbanisation has transformed Shenzhen from a small fishing village to one of China’s biggest metropoles within three decades. However, it has also posed a threat to the area’s ecological cycle. Frequent flood disaster constantly alerts people to the lack of resilience in the urban landscape. There is no agricultural land in the city, while the original farmland has been engulfed by the metropolis and gradually transformed into a unique type of area which is called the ‘urban village’. The urban village is often considered as a ‘city cancer’, however, it also plays a role in hosting a great number of migrant workers.

In this context, this project is a resilient design questioning the possibility of applying a local, ancient ecological farming system, the mulberry fishpond system, in the residential blocks of the urban village.

The project has four aims: to create a sustainable living and farming system; to preserve the traditional culture; to respect and engage the community; to address urban environmental issues.