Regeneration of Huaiyuan Cultural and Sports Park in Jinan

Huaiyuan Cultural and Sports Park is located in the historic heart of Huaiyin District, Jinan. The district takes its name from the huai tree, a long-standing symbol of local identity and memory. Despite the high concentration of schools, hospitals and residential communities nearby, provision of outdoor play space for children has remained limited.

The park covers approximately 36,600 square metres and combines an above-ground public park with underground commercial space and a smart parking system. Together, these elements create a multifunctional public realm supporting cultural interpretation, leisure, recreation, sport and fitness, commercial amenities and parking. The children’s activity area above ground covers approximately 4,000 square metres - and forms the principal focus of the renewal project.

Guided by the concept of ‘Connecting Childhoods across Generations through the Huai Tree’, the project translates this cultural heritage into a themed play environment that children can enter, climb and explore. The original characters ‘Grandpa Huai Tree’ and the ‘Huai Blossom Spirits’ appear throughout the park, turning a thousand years of local memory into an immersive experience that children can perceive and engage with. The design creates an inclusive, multi-layered play system organised around sensory, physical, cognitive and social experiences. Sponge-city principles are integrated into the landscape, with sand pits and bark-covered areas serving both play and rainwater infiltration functions.

Free and open to the public, the park is located next to a children’s hospital and provides young patients and their families with a welcoming, non-clinical setting for play, respite and restorative contact with nature. Children’s play encourages families to stay longer and supports interaction between neighbours. The project therefore offers a replicable model for child-friendly urban renewal in a high-density historic district, demonstrating how play and landscape design can contribute to cultural continuity and sustainable urban development.