ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on Suzhou's historic center in the 2013 summer studio. The studio called for urban design schemes to address the redevelopment of the Xiangmen area in the context of preserving Suzhou's urban legacies. The interaction of canals, narrow streets, and vernacular buildings create intimate urban spaces and poetic landscapes. The lotus flower has a profound connection with traditional Chinese culture. As in the traditional urbanism, verticality is not presented as mega-urban structure, but rather micro-scale tactics mediating the canal, street, square, and buildings. With the development of the site and its access to the Grand Canal, it is only natural to provide infrastructure for local and regional water-based transportation. Inspired by the inherent linearity of the city's fabric, this design proposes a series of linear "ribbons" that traverse the site, introduce a mix of programs and activities, and connect with existing nodes in the surrounding.
