ABSTRACT
Whampoa is the historic harbor of Guangzhou. Its location on a branch of the North River is now too far removed from the open sea to serve container traffic entering the Pearl River Delta. Large port areas have become obsolete. A son all low-lying land reclaimed from the delta, prudent water management needs to address the canal and the small streams that feed into the river system. No longer used for transport, their dimensions and the connection they make are important for water storage during the monsoon season, when sudden and large precipitation needs to be discharged. The work also advocated for the spatial integration of nearby villages to demonstrate how the typologies found in historic towns and villages have evolved and how they can further evolve to satisfy modernization. The village of Xinxi, or New Stream serves as an example of how villages in the Whampoa Harbor district of Guangzhou can reform themselves to respond to their changing economic base. Using the village as an example, we demonstrated how a now underused port warehouse district owned by the villagers can be used to stage an incremental renewal of the historic village structure. A detailed discussion about housing cost and lending practices results in a village extension plan that accommodates workers in an industry that requires higher qualifications and therefore a higher standard of living. As the transformation unfolds, the water system of village ponds, canals and the stream that gave the village its name is repaired to its former tidal influence.
