Design Period：2012.04—2012.10              Category: Urban design

We believe that Shenzhen’s existing philosophy of growth centered on the generation of capital has resulted in a state of Kun (困), which means stranded.

The Audi Urban Future Award 2012 focuses on specific mobility scenarios- Pearl River Delta, Boston/ Washington, D.C., Istanbul, Mumbai and Sao Paulo- are characterized by particular regional and cultural challenges. As one of five participating architecture offices, NODE is tasked with creating a vision of urban mobility that is not only anchored in Shenzhen, the focus of our project, but also capable of seating the power of global approaches.

Our mission is to transform the city from KUN (困) to Xian (闲), a state of freedom. Our future design towards Shenzhen aims at restoring quality of life by relieving pressure on transportation by separating the movement of goods from people. Goods would go into the infrastructural equivalent of the digital” cloud’, a vast subsurface logistics infrastructure. On the surface meanwhile, newly released road space can be partly given over to parks and recreation, spaces in which communities trapped and separated by the rapidly constructed built environment can begin to reconnect.

The future demands more, while balance is more and the multi- dimensional flow of balance gains even more. Shenzhen in 2030 is still envisioned to be a highly efficient and densely populated city, but more likely a leisurely and free- minded city, a true dream city, a self- contained city, and a city full of infinite possibilities. Shenzhen’s transformation from the trapped(困) to the leisurely(闲) symbolizes the city’s realization and approaching to the ideal living condition advocated in Chinese philosophy, that is the great harmony of nature and men.