Guangzhou Wangnan Park

Wangang Park is a pilot urban rejuvenation project of Jiahe District located in the North of Guangzhou city. The new urban pocket park and square address the pressing issue of public space renewal in the ‘urban villages’ of Chinese cities.

The former villages which have become densely populated urban enclaves within the ever-growing outskirts of Chinese metropolises are challenged not only by lack of public urban spaces but also by the loss of cultural identity and character.

The project aims to maximize the urban identity by minimal urban intervention. The original site encompassed a small square with a lotus pond in front of Wanggang’s ancestral hall. The square had been in a neglected state for years. While located in the core of the neighbourhood next to the main place of worship, the square itself was underutilized due to its unpleasant appearance with dilapidated facilities and careless garbages.

Public participation, workshops and open forums guided the design from initial idea finding to models and even throughout the construction stage.

With the renovation of the village center, the district government took the initiative to renovate the ancestral hall square. The original stone paving ground with a long history was retained and reused in the ancestral hall square. The design team deconstructed the famous Zhanzhi Li’s calligraphy work, identifying the bizarre brushwork components and reassembling them into the structural elements of the walkway and pavilion.

Today, Wangnan Park has become an urban living room for the neighbourhood. Elderly, families and young residents mingle in the shade of the trees and the walkway to relax and chat or to exercise and play. Weekend markets are held here, and festivals and celebrations take place on special occasions. The small northern extension of the square serves as a most welcome place for informal sports and play activities. Challenged in the past by garbage drop and vandalism the new park today shines every day. It has become the new centrepiece of the neighbourhood which everyone cares about and maintains.