Boasting a twenty-minute commute from the densely urban districts that define much of the city of Shenzhen, China, the Jiangangshan neighborhood has become the largest, low-density residential area in the western part of Shenzhen and is thus one of the city's most desirable places to live. The neighborhood has grown rapidly from twenty years ago when the first houses were built, to current planning for high-rise apartments. However, vital ecological, civic, and recreational infrastructures have not kept pace with residential development. In response, the local district government partnered with the client (who owns land adjacent to the site) to transform a vacant hillside into Parkhill Greens, a verdant and vibrant community hub that connects the diverse communities of old and new residential areas, community retail, and schools around an ecologically-stewarded green environment. Overall, the park and its surrounding streetscapes added 1.7 acres of new public realm to the city.

Design Strategies
The design scheme strived to maximize programmatic opportunities, encourage social interactions, and fully integrate green infrastructure at all scales, while simultaneously responding to the challenges of elevation differences, limited size, and the relatively large number and wide range of users. To maximize the opportunities of this hillside, with its average slope of 8% and more than a 16-foot grade change, three levels of terraces were introduced that included retaining walls, vegetation, and programmatically shaped pockets for seating, exercise, play, and green infrastructures.

The landscape architect, PLAT Studio from Berkeley, California, led a rigorous design process that included architects, civil engineers, and specialty consultants to integrate green infrastructure, program areas, and topographic solutions seamlessly. The site focused on a solid central gathering gesture with lush plantings surrounding each program. The design of the site mitigated the grade change by adapting it to maximize social, recreational, and sustainable benefits.

Playground Features
A play slope and a basketball court were designed to fully utilize the elevation grade change at the site and expand its recreational functions. The play slope transforms the site's existing topography into playgrounds, showcasing the possibilities for fun and exploration inherent in steep topography. The playground slope gives parents a perfect eyeline from the central lawn and provides children with a diverse array of exciting play equipment. The hill becomes a vital element of play, with many ways to climb up and slide down.
This platform reveals spectacular views across the site and is the entrance to a winding and exhilarating slide. The bouncy surface and design elements create an exciting loop for children to play and explore. The vibrant colors invite children to play while lending the park a colorful hillside. Moving east, a basketball court is surrounded by retaining walls and hedges, with both court-side seating and a landing overlooking the court from above. The colorful murals and the court's bright ground plane lend the space vitality.

 

Green Infrastructure
A green infrastructure system is fundamental to the site's overall design and has been integrated throughout the park, at both programmatic and planting areas. While the local climate is generally pleasant, climate change has led to increasingly high volumes of rain in the wet season. In response, the park is designed to function in the manner of a sunken sponge that will reduce and slow water run-off, helping to prevent flooding in the neighborhood. The central green and each of the terraces include rain gardens and depressed planting areas. At program areas, stormwater is collected and conveyed through underground pipelines to a main rainwater tank, and subsequently repurposed for irrigation and the park's water feature.

Planting Design
The playground is bounded by greenery. The top level has a singular treehouse, where the play structure is entwined with the tree canopy. The project team provided separated small spaces with a soft fascination for residents to rest and relax through the creation of topographical barriers and plant shading. The design added fragrant shrubs such as Bauhinia variegata, Murraya exotica, Tulbaghia violacea, and trees with seasonal landscape effects such as Handroanthus impetiginosus, Triadica sebifera, and Lagerstroemia parviflora to enclose intimate spaces that serve as restorative environments. The green terrace that rises layer by layer is the boundary of the playground. The sloped climbing facilities and the terrace space face the large central grassland.

Program Areas
Parkhill Greens is mainly designed to serve local neighborhood residents, who represent all ages and who live in diverse residences, including low and medium density communities, and will live in the planned high-rise apartments. The site program pays special attention to the needs of children and multi-generational families. The central green, terraced grove seating, and a water stage form a linear sequence at the southern edge of the park that bridges the community cafe to the west of the site and the school to its east.

A Park for Everyone
In early December 2021, about half a year after construction was completed, the project team made a return visit to the site for a questionnaire survey and field observation. Results of the survey showed that about 85% of the respondents visited with children, and about 63% were nearby residents.

Many parents commented that the park not only provides a variety of activities for children to enjoy playing for a long time (more than 2 hours), but also brings about a sense of safety through the open sightlines so parents can socialize while watching over the children. The results are very encouraging and have been used to provide feedback for the client's long-term management and operation of the site.

Parkhill Greens has become a vital community hub serving its diverse neighborhood recreationally, socially, and ecologically. As the only public park in the district, and despite its limited space, Parkhill Greens has successfully demonstrated the significant contributions of a small park to a rapidly developing neighborhood.

Parkhill Greens won a Merit Award for PLAT Studio in the Urban Design category from the Northern California Chapter of ASLA in 2022.

Team List:
Landscape Architecture Firm: PLAT STUDIO
Landscape Construction Drawing: OEA
Landscape Construction: Pubang Landscape Architecture Co., Ltd.
Lighting: Matt Lighting Design Associates