Project Overview

The Chengdu Aerotropolis project is is approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Chengdu City. The project is part of the City’s strategy to decentralize and expand eastward. It includes the Tianfu International Airport with a planned capacity of 90 million annual passengers. The project site has a very unique topography with the Jianxi River, two dams, and Longquan Mountain on the east side. One key objective is to develop this as an ecological and sustainable place. At full build-out, the greenfield site of 200 square kilometers will feature almost 200 million gross square meters of development; housing for 1.9 million people; and commercial, cultural, educational, industrial, medical, and other land uses.

CHS Role

The project began with an overall concept master plan developed by SOM. During this phase, CHS Consulting Group introduced the idea of focusing on mobility and accessibility, not roadway length per development area. CHS further developed an extensive transit and active transportation network, introduced new performance measures, and recommended demonstration projects for the first phase of development. CHS recommended a transit-focused strategies to reduce travel demand such as job and housing balance in each sub-area, higher density and mixed-use developments near transit stations, first- and last-mile connections, and parking supply and pricing strategies. CHS also recommended technological innovations such as various intelligent transportation systems and connected and driverless vehicle technologies. For the first phase of development, CHS also recommended street design guidelines, including small-grid concepts, narrower streets and intersection treatments, and parking and transit investments.

Awards

2018 Spark Design Award; 2019 International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design