Masterplan River Fen

Masterplanning Along The River Fen

Linfen is a historical City in the Province of Shanxi and has a population of about 4.13 million. The location of the newly planned area was located on both sides of the Fenhe River. Because of the historic development, the city developed predominantly on the east side of the river. Therefore the Fenhe River was like a barrier for both riversides and direct connections to the river were missing.

Therefore the city should focus on connections with an ecological and long lasting development strategy on the Fenhe River as a tie between the old and new cities. To reach this aim, a contrast between both riversides was created. The east side of the river contains the old city center with lots of old monuments. Therefore new monuments in a contemporary architectural language were created on the west side of the river. This emphasized the concept of the old traditional structure on the east side and the new modern structure on the west side of the River (Ying/Yang Principle).


Because of the express highway along the river and the enormous breadth of the river basin (800m), the merging of both sides of the river was difficult. Yet this deficit was deliberately transformed into a potential by a green network that was created. The streetwall along the highways were set back and create interesting sequences along the new entrance spaces of the buildings. The newly created streetwalls refer to the visual axes and new landmarks.

Visual connections between those landmarks were also created. Landscape parks connected with water as a design element, especially in the north and south of the existing bluffs, and provide a route for pedestrians and cyclists. This park design, in conjunction with rock bluffs, created a unique identifier for Linfen. Additional green spaces in the east-west direction with wind-key plants contributed to the airing of the new city.