Towards a Sustainable and Liveable Desakota

Abstract

This thesis explores spatial strategies for achieving sustainable industry transition in the dispersed urbanised areas of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China. Since 1978, urbanisation in the GBA has accelerated, significantly expanding beyond metropolitan regions. These dispersed areas, described as the Desakota by Terry McGee, encompass a patchwork landscape of urban and rural settlements, as well as industrial and agricultural lands. However, this region faces pressing issues, including unsustainable industrial activities, fragmented landscapes, inadequate public services, and a loss of identity. The existing urban-rural dichotomy planning system fails to address these challenges, leading to environmental degradation and a decline in quality of life. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a regional strategy to explore the potential for sustainable and liveable urbanisation in Desakota.

Hence, this thesis adopts the “Netzstadt” concept as a guiding methodology from a regional perspective. It leads to defining Desakota’s spatial and functional nodes and connections, identifying potential elements for sustainable industrial transformation, adapting structural features through reference projects, experimenting with a design project, and proposing an adapted planning system.

These assignments yield three significant outcomes. Firstly, the adapted structure plan proposes a decentralised development pattern of Desakota, envisioning a circular and symbiotic industry conversion, repurposing industrial redundancy for metropolitan publicness, and enhancing the green and public network. Secondly, a showcased design project incorporates industrial, open space, and residential elements, proposing a specific spatial morphology and physiological flow. It emphasises the local identity and demonstrates the importance of involving local actors in the transition. Thirdly, a more decentralised and flexible spatial planning system should be employed to materialise the proposed Desakota structure.

By implementing these strategies, the desakota of GBA can progress towards a sustainable and liveable future that integrates nature, supports diverse livelihoods and lifestyles, and optimises resource management. This thesis can also provide transferable knowledge to other similar dispersed areas on how the pattern, flow and policy could be synthesised into future urbanisation and contribute to ensuring the sustainable development of society and ecology.