Applying a Systemic Approach for Sustainable Urban Hillside Landscape Design and Planning: The Case Study City of Chongqing in China
Xiao Hu, Magda Sibley, Marie Davidová
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Xiao Hu
Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Magda Sibley
International Research Group Co-Leader Heritage & Conservation / Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Marie Davidová
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Cite this paper as:Hu, X., Sibley, M., Davidová, M. (2022). Applying a Systemic Approach for Sustainable Urban Hillside Landscape Design and Planning: The Case Study City of Chongqing in China.
Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 20(7), 121-153. https://doi.org/10.54808/JSCI.20.07.121
Online ISSN (Journal): 1690-4524
Abstract
Rapid urbanization has led some Chinese cities to extend to hillside sites with recurrent patterns of flattening sloping terrain to erect high rise buildings. This approach usually results in disturbing local ecosystems which protection is an important requirement towards achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Studies examining the special patterns of urban extensions onto hills and the driving forces of behind the deterioration of environmental quality in cities are scarce. This paper aims to answer two questions; “What are the definitions and goals for sustainable landscape design for hillside urban extensions?” and “What are the real causes for the unsustainability of current urban hillside housing developments?” These questions will be approached, first through a literature review, and second through considering the case study of Chongqing Yue Lai eco-city and examining the limitation and remediation through the whole process of the land construction loop within the systemic approach. This article illustrates how sustainable urban hillside landscape design and planning can be achieved by balancing the priorities of four key stakeholders (government, developers, city dwellers, and local ecosystem). This calls for shifting from the central planning system dominated by local governments by including the equally important priorities of its citizens (human actors) and non-human actors (ecosystem).
