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Dalian Aeropolis, China : Balanced City

Dalian Aeropolis Development design by NDA Planning

6 Apr 2011

Dalian Aeropolis

The Perfectly “Balanced” New City

NDA Planning, part of NDA Design Associates, an international French-based architectural practice, creates new ‘Balanced City’ concept that wins international urban masterplan competition in Dalian, Northern China. “Dalian Aeropolis, the Balanced City,” introduces a vibrant new urban quarter whereby the city’s existing resources and NDA’s innovative development concept blend together in perfect harmony.

Shanghai, China, April, 6th 2011 – NDA’s Shanghai office won the international competition against key industry players to design Dalian’s New Airport Zone with MVA, its partner for transportation planning. The area covered also includes Dalian’s New Sports City and, with a surface area of 168 km2, it is one of the largest development sites ever managed by a foreign design team in China. The competition also included submissions from global firms RTKL (USA), GHD (Australia), WWCOT (USA), and Nikken Sekkei (Japan).

image from architects

Located in the North of Dalian, the New Airport Zone is designed to be the most significant development focal point in the region. In fact, with a surface area greater in size than Central Paris or Manhattan and an estimated incoming population of one million, the winning bid will leverage Dalian’s existing assets and make the city the most important hub in Northern China.

The Dalian evaluation committee praised NDA’s proposed masterplan as the best and most forward-thinking solution to rebalance development between the North and the South of Dalian, therefore creating a perfectly “balanced” new city.

Emmanuel Delarue, NDA’s CEO and Chief Planner, said, “the idea was to design a sustainable model of economic, cultural, and social development. We wanted each part of the city to be varied and distinct, yet still perfectly in tune with each other in order to create a highly livable city”.

NDA’s masterplan concept provides a balanced and sustainable land use by ensuring a dependable water supply for the future with the creation of manmade lakes while simultaneously providing the necessary top soil for the large reclaimed area taken from the sea. The idea was unanimously approved by Dalian’s committee. NDA’s “Balanced City” concept also recognizes the importance of integrating Dalian’s existing fishing and agricultural resources with the creation of a natural green sanctuary and the development of local communities in modernized villages.

Dalian’s New Airport Zone will be divided into 8 main areas with different and distinct characteristics, but yet will co-exist and connect harmoniously to create a perfectly balanced city. The new development site comprises of the new airport island, a central business district directly linked with the new high speed train from Dalian to Harbin, a research business park, urban and modern living spaces, along with a variety of green leisure spaces and marine developments along the shore.

With the capacity to handle 25 million passengers per year, Dalian’s new international airport is expected to become one of the largest air hubs in Northern Asia. NDA’s proposal took into full consideration noise pollution and safety, putting the quality of life of the new city’s inhabitants first. “There’s no city without people. It was really critical to us to include this human dimension into our masterplan and create a city that people can be more involved in”, said Jimmy Chan, NDA Project Manager.

NDA’s masterplan also recognizes the importance of connectivity towards regional neighbourhoods and national markets with a direct link to the Harbin-Dalian (HADA) high-speed railway station. Dalian’s New Airport is expected to be completed by 2016 and the New Sports center will welcome its first residents for the China National Games in 2013.

About NDA Planning

NDA Planning is a group of creative designers committed to providing creative and original solutions in urban planning, landscape and city development management. NDA Planning is part of NDA New Design Associates, an international French-based architectural and design agency that was established in 1987 by Emmanuel Delarue.

With offices in France, China and the United Arab Emirates, NDA Planning brings a team of world-class experts who create innovative planning concepts that seek to combine art and functionality. Since entering Asia in 2001 and the Middle East in 2007, we have successfully provided more than 80 strategic planning proposals to key urban, transportation and leisure projects, helping our clients reduce their exposure to risk through the use of reliable and accurate market data and through close cooperation with world-class specialists in economics, transportation, maritime expertise and social development. Further information about NDA can be found at www.ndateam.com and www.newdesign.cn.

Dalian Aeropolis images / information from NDA Planning

Location: Dalian, People’s Republic of China