The opportunity
Beijing-based HYHW Architects were invited by the Shanghai Planning Bureau and the Shanghai Jiading Planning Bureau to participate in a masterplan design competition in the Madong district. Jiading City is located to the north west of Shanghai and functions as an automotive industrial base for the Yangtze River Delta.

Our contribution
Space Syntax was appointed to provide spatial analysis of the existing site and the proposed designs. The site area consists of villages and canals fragmented by regional motorways. Combining this analysis with in-depth case study work, a set of design principles was developed and then applied in developing the emerging masterplan proposals.

The outcome
Working in a collaborative environment, our assessments and recommendations were instrumental in developing the competition winning design. Placing water and heritage at the centre of the design concept, the final plan realises the local development strategy of Shanghai City. The proposals creates a dense, mixed use development located within a network of integrated waterways and pedestrian paths.