Chengdu Longchi Tourism Town Masterplan, Sichuan, China
Winner: AECOM Asia Ltd.
Award: Merit Award for Urban Design

Longchi is a small town in a mountain valley northwest of Chengdu in Sichuan province. A new highway linking Longchi to Chengdu in less than 40 minutes means Longchi will be the closest mountain area town to Chengdu, creating an opportunity to develop the town as an important mountain region tourism and leisure center. Meanwhile the huge earthquake of May 2008 destroyed most of the buildings in the town. A relocation plan had been made to accommodate 2000 local residents from the town and surrounding areas.

Most of the Longchi site is dominated by the steep slopes of the valley. A GIS-based environmental analysis was conducted to determine the potentially developable area. As The relocation plan will use 40% of the developable area, the goal of the project is to take best use of the remainder to create a unique integrated tourism experience in a mountain setting, providing for significant public programs for the local population, also to make the new development blend naturally into the natural landscape.

Key elements include a visitor center, a riverfront plaza that gradually steps down to the river level, a pedestrian street with pavilions stretching along the riverfront and wood boardwalks and stairs bringing people down to the river level, and a conference and cultural center overlooking the river valley.

New buildings use local building materials and are integrated into the landscape and landform. Local farmhouse architecture was used as a prototype to create new commercial space on the east bank of the river, with courtyards containing retail, restaurant and visitor accommodation space arranged along the riverfront to create a vibrant pedestrian walking experience.

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