2025 Class of Fellows: David Yuezhong Chen, FASLA, Executive Committee of the Council of Fellows

ECOLAND Planning and Design Corporation, Beijing, PRC
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For over 36 years, David Chen has dedicated his career to promoting ecological protection and restoration during the urbanization planning and design process. He has consistently explored methods to counteract the deterioration of urban ecologies, advocating for sustainable development and environmental resilience. As the founding principal of ECOLAND, David's extensive portfolio of over 1,000 projects, both domestic and international, showcases his ability to integrate natural landscapes into urban environments, creating spaces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. His numerous accolades, including the ASLA Professional Awards and the IFLA Award, are a testament to his exceptional contributions. Among his award-winning projects is the Suining South Riverfront Park in Suining City, China, which addressed the challenges posed by the city's concrete bulkhead riverbanks, which hindered ecological function and degraded the local environment. The project converted a stark levee into a vibrant, sustainable park that integrates terraced connections with the city and fosters interaction with the river edge. The Beijing Wangjing SOHO Urban Parks feature three distinctive garden spaces designed to complement the iconic curvilinear SOHO buildings. Echoing the architectural forms, the landscape integrates organic pathways, lush plantings, and dynamic water features to create a seamless connection between nature and the built environment. The Huangyan Waterfront Riverwalk project presents a sustainable vision that revitalizes degraded ecological areas while creating a coherent greenway system of circular waterfront connections for communities. This initiative focused on restoring water quality, rehabilitating the water's edge, and fostering green infrastructure elements to mitigate the impacts of climate change. David has also made significant academic contributions, authoring and coauthoring several important books and serving as a visiting professor at multiple institutions.