Pininfarina Architecture has been selected by the municipality of Taozhuang to design the masterplan of a new city in the Yangtze River Delta area, near Shanghai

Pininfarina Architecture has been selected by Taozhuang Municipality to design the master plan for a new city in the Blue River Delta area near Shanghai. This project strengthens the cooperation between Italy and China, which began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by which our country officially joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2019.

A system of waterways

The name Blue Loop derives from the waterway system that surrounds the site, supporting the local agricultural and productive fabric and linking it to neighboring settlements including the UNESCO World Heritage City on Water of Xitang. The project was developed according to the guidelines of the Blue River Delta National Land and Space Development Plan over a 15-year time horizon, considering waterways as an essential resource for generating and sustaining economic and social prosperity, as well as a central element of the natural ecosystem and climate regulation.

Three urban ecosystems

As a whole, the project consists of three different urban ecosystems: Italy-City, a city with a residential vocation that recalls the spatiality of Italian urban centers; Innovation Valley, with office facilities, research centers and a university; and Energia, an integrated hub for energy production from renewable sources, integrated with hydroponic agricultural cultivation.

Quality of urban life

Italy-City was born as a water city, inspired by Chinese tradition and in particular the nearby city of Xitang, integrating elements characteristic of Italian cities, with attention to green spaces and public areas. Water is the primary element for moving and interacting: a dense network of navigable canals provides the ideal link between the city and nearby Fenhu Lake. The city is spread over a total area of 2 million square meters in four districts with different housing and urban densities.

Blue Loop by Pininfarina Architecture

Building and living the future

Innovation Valley is envisioned as a new center of scientific excellence, a large contemporary international district, an environment of knowledge and sustainable growth, open to anyone who wants to innovate, do research or study, creating a vital space for the area in a strategic location in northern China. Innovation Valley also intends to experiment with new models of sustainable mobility, integrating self-driving and shared electric vehicles.

Innovation in support of the circular economy

Energia combines a waste-to-energy plant of more than 250,000 square meters and an experimental agriculture hub of about 300,000 square meters, creating a unique model of contemporary infrastructure, integrated into the landscape and urban dynamics and aimed at minimizing emissions into the environment.