Date: November 29–December 4, 2017

Location: Wuhan, China

Sponsor: Shui On Land and the City of Wuhan

Subject Area: Sustainable Development, Creation of New Town

Panel Chair: Tom Murphy, Senior Fellow, ULI Washington DC

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Background and Panel Assignment

Background and Panel Assignment

At the request of Shui On Land and the City of Wuhan, this panel provided strategic advice about the development of Changjiang New Town, a 500 square kilometer area located northeast of the Central Business District.  The panel’s recommendations included physical, social, and organizational underpinnings that will allow the New Town to develop as the City of the Future.  Special attention was given to new technologies, transport systems and a focus on achieving “net-zero” for energy, water, and waste.

Summary of Recommendations

• Put people first;
• Design and create a multimodal, green, and renewable transportation system;
• Conceive, design, build, and operate around the concept of “net zero” for energy, water, and waste;
• Achieve and maintain a community that enjoys one of the highest happiness rankings among the major cities in the world;
• Design and implement a land use plan that considers an ecological framework, rather than just an infrastructure framework;
• Design and implement a community-centric land use pattern rather than a transport-centric land use pattern
• Design and implement districts that support diversity of uses in scale and identity;
• Create a flexible and responsive city fabric;
• Create a location that can successfully attract and retain talent;
• Develop communities that act as an economic engine;
• Support lifelong learning as a core component of each of the individual and the combined districts; and,
• Provide the civic leadership and intentionality that will achieve the highest level of return for the New Town.