Qianhai Water City, China

The recent lecture by James Corner at the University of Greenwich shed light on the role of landscape urbanism and the value that can be added to urban design and city environments by adopting a landscape centered approach. Through various examples of projects developed by Field Operations, Corner highlighted how landscape can play a proactive role in urban planning.

Projects such as the Qianhai Water City in China are a good example of the successful adoption of a landscape focused urban design approach where the landscape becomes the driving factor for the future development and sustainable water quality infrastructure, around which the built form of the city would develop.

Corner illustrated that the integration of green spaces, buildings and infrastructure removes the divide between nature and the city and enables the creation of liveable and sustainable cities. This not only enriches the quality of space, but also offers a higher quality of experience within the city.

• Priya is a student on the MSc Advanced Landscape and Urbanism