Architecture studio Sasaki has created an expansive linear park on the site of the runway for the former Longhua Airport in the Xuhui riverfront area of Shanghai.
The 1,830-metre-long park was built on the site of the runway of Longhua Airport, which was Shanghai's only civilian airport until 1949 and closed in 2011.
Xuhui Runway Park was built on Longhua Airport
"Xuhui Runway Park is an innovative urban revitalization project that breathes new life into a unique piece of Shanghai's history," said Dou Zhang, senior associate director of Sasaki's Shanghai office.
"With the recent redevelopment of the Xuhui riverfront area into a mixed-use district, the historic runway is embracing its new life," Zhang told Dezeen. "Master-planned as a public street and linear park side-by-side, this project serves as a runway of modern life, offering a space of recreation for nearby communities as well as a respite from the high-density redevelopment around."
The park is almost two kilometres long
The runway site has been transformed into a linear park that contains pedestrian walkways and cycle paths alongside a new road, while six rows of deciduous trees run the length of the park.
It has been divided into a series of smaller gardens and planted areas that are connected by concrete pathways.
It is divided into small gardens and areas of planting
"The unusual linear and monolithic shape of the existing runway offered us unlimited inspiration,"...