Three decades of ruthless development has left Sanya, a tropical tourist city in China’s Hainan Island, a mess of destruction in terms of landscape. Almost all waterways in the developed districts have been polluted and filled with garbage. Concrete flood walls were built to claim land for development that killed the mangroves, wiped out the riparian habitats, and blocked tides from the sea and storm water from the upper land causing urban inundation and reducing the resiliency against climate change. Meanwhile, increased population, particularly seasonal tourists and immigrants are demanding more connected parks along the rivers, which were sadly inaccessible. In 2015, the city government decided to make dramatic changes, and the landscape architect was called upon to design this demonstration project: Sanya Mangrove Park. Professor Yu and his team were assigned to undertake this project.

After the construction of the Sanya Mangrove Park

This project is a great success. Just three years after its construction, its objectives have been fulfilled. The mangroves within the interlocked fingers have established well. Along with the flourishing mangroves, fish and birds are abundant, attracting visitors of different ages. The park has become a daily recreational place for the local communities, and a showcase of ecological restoration that not only benefits the natural environment, but the public welfare.

According to the 2020 Awards Jury, the waterways on China’s Hainan Island have proven to be vulnerable to flooding, but a new landscape within the Sanya River restores previously decimated mangroves that alleviate some of that risk while serving as a lush pedestrian recreation zone within high-rise city. Developer shad left behind concrete retaining walls and polluted waterways, but now a thriving ecotone welcomes ocean tides with a porous edge condition that supports new mangrove growth. Terraced landscapes and elevated pathways bring visitors from the city down to water level, and storm-resistant concrete pavilions offer protection from overhead sun and tropical rain. The mangrove rehabilitation serves as a case study of strategies to return parts of cities to nature.

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association representing landscape architects. It promotes the landscape architecture profession, and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication, and fellowship. Since the founding of the College of Architecture and Landscape, multiple faculty and students have obtained awards from ASLA.

Edited by: Huang Weijian