The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Award recently announced the final list of winners for 2024. Two Chinese projects were selected, with the Yannan Park in Xi'an receiving the award of excellence in the urban design category.

The ASLA Award, held annually, recognizes the highest-quality landscape architecture globally and showcases future trends in the industry. It is widely regarded as an authoritative design award in the global landscape industry, featuring both professional and student categories.

An aerial view of Yannan Park in Xi'an. [Photo/IC]

Spanning 1,700 mu (113.33 hectares), Yannan Park is dubbed the "giant" park by locals. Since its opening, the park has become a favorite spot for locals to relax, unwind, and enjoy the diverse flora and fauna.

The park serves as both a "green lung project" and a "public welfare project". The park has achieved a self-sustaining water circulation system by integrating flood control rivers, purification wetlands, landscape water bodies, and irrigation channels, pioneering Xi'an as a sponge city.

The design details revealed in this award showcase how Yannan Park transforms a natural area in a densely populated urban environment through innovative rainwater management methods, revitalizing previous concrete facilities.

In the park's second phase, the design team utilized an 80-hectare site that was once a construction waste dumping ground. By using existing waste to create canyons and hills, they incorporated functions for rainwater discharge and sports fitness.

Yannan Park emerges not only as a picturesque urban landscape but also as a smart park that turns waste into treasure, blending the urban and natural environments.