Taichung Green Corridor by Mecanoo

Boasting extensive urban planning experience, Delft-based architecture firm Mecanoo transformed a 1.7-kilometre-long disused railway track crossing downtown Taichung, the second most populous city of Taiwan—which once served as an important catalyst for the growth of the old city—into a dynamic linear park offering walking and cycling paths.

Running alongside the Green River, the people-oriented green corridor links different areas of the city for the enjoyment of the local and wider Taichung community, while proposing a herb garden, street fitness facilities, a playground, a viewpoint and a water park.

Multiple considerations were taken into account during the design process: urban regeneration, public participation, historic preservation, green and water resources, and circulation routes for pedestrians and bicycles. Highlighting the railway line’s historical value, Mecanoo, in collaboration with Taiwanese landscaping firm S.D. Atelier Design & Planning and Chinese practice ARIA Architect & Planners, designed the layout based on the track patterns of the former railway junction.

Imagined as a continuous public park in the city centre, the green corridor promotes the conservation and development of the site’s flora and fauna, thus improving inner-city biodiversity, whilst enhancing connections for those on foot and bike users as well as achieving a more coherent urban infrastructure.

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PROJECT DATA

Project Name
Taichung Green Corridor

Location
Taichung City, Taiwan

Completion Date
2021

Site Area
180,000 square metres

Client/Owner
Taichung City Government

Architecture Firms
Mecanoo; S.D. Atelier Design & Planning; ARIA Architect & Planners

Principal Architects
Joost Verlaan; Jing-Yi Wu; W.T. Hsieh

Images/Photos
Ethan Lee

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