The city district of Zibo, the third largest by population within the Shandong province, has been a key stone mining location till recent years. The excavation activities, particularly focused on the Zichuan subdistrict, marked the rural areas of the province with invasive interventions and disruptions of the local ecosystem. The mountainous area is today characterized by woodlands, villages, mine pits in quarries and terraces built with stone. The extraction activities have been terminated, generating the need for new purpose and value in a location with unique cultural, ecological and social conditions.

The local government and investors aim to develop a strategic vision that would reinforce local communities and bring new life to the site. They aim to achieve this purpose by turning the area into a cultural and creative park. The project should attract tourists and creatives around a protected and restored ecological zone, while generating a new economy for local artisans and rural entrepreneurs. In which form this will happen, it is still to be defined.

Participants to the competition are asked to come up with creative proposals that would go beyond standardized models for development, informing local authorities with new ways to approach such a project. Particular emphasis is posed on the issue of the dismissed mines, which constitute a unique feature but also a great challenge. How can the ecological and spatial damage be mitigated and transformed into new value?

Download the information related to this competition here.