ABSTRACT
The rural district of Gaochun in Jiangsu Province is an ecological hinterland of Nanjing, situated between two large lakes – the 196-square-kilometer Lake Shijiu to the north and the 35-square-kilometer Lake Gucheng to the south. Gaochun is a place whose physicality, social wellbeing, culture and economy revolve around water and its natural landscape – 'The City of a Thousand Lakes'. n the City of a Thousand Lakes, sustainability is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The blue sustainable pension plan for the City of a Thousand Lakes rests solely on working with nature, and understanding the significance of its ecosystems. Nature in the City of a Thousand Lakes differs from Morris's – pastoral life is idealized and purposefully constructed versions of nature, more aligned to those in 'Equality'.
