SMART SHRINKAGE 3.0: Suihua's Tridimensional Regeneration
Transforming vacancies into value through the integration of farming systems and adaptive reuse
Y. Zhai (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M.M. Dabrowski – Mentor (TU Delft - Spatial Planning and Strategy)
C. Forgaci – Mentor (TU Delft - Urban Design)
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Abstract
As a peripheral agricultural city in northeastern China, Suihua is experiencing severe population loss, having lost approximately one-third of its residents between 2010-2020. The city exhibits classic shrinking city characteristics - rapid urban decay, economic stagnation, poverty concentration, and social segregation - yet lacks effective intervention measures to address these challenges. This urgent situation demands immediate action to mitigate the spatial, economic and social impacts of depopulation. Centered on the concept of smart shrinkage, this project establishes a comprehensive framework targeting three core objectives: Social Cohesion, Urban-Rural Economic Growth, and Spatial Efficiency. Through systematic analysis, we identified four distinct typologies of shrinkage risk areas in Suihua, conducting field surveys and interviews to document spatial characteristics and user preferences for each type. These findings informed the development of four tailored intervention strategies: Urban Living Room, Super Community, Modern Creative Industry Park, and Industrial Composite Zone. The project's innovative "spatial-economic-social" tripartite response mechanism has yielded three groundbreaking contributions to China's unique "urban suburban-rural" triaxial shrinkage structure: (1) a spatial optimization model based on adaptive reuse principles; (2) an economic revitalization approach extending agricultural value chains; and (3) a culturally-grounded social stabilization strategy. These practical solutions establish a replicable governance paradigm for regions facing similar developmental challenges.