The urban design  for the city of Wuhu addresses the reconstruction and completion of its original historic centre, which has been badly preserved and profoundly altered in its character because of highly demolishing building activities in the past forty years.

By proposing a large scale intervention that involves demolition and reconstruction, the project seeks to achieve a twofold objective; at first to reintroduce the identity and the specificity of the city centre by reconstructing the essential and symbolic elements that constitute the collective memory; secondly to provide a contemporary interpretation of the historic centre by creating an urban fabric where housing, economic productivity, culture and leisure can coexist.

In order to achieve these objectives, the masterplan has been developed according to the following principles;

-       The revival and recovery of the original street pattern - originating from the period of the Ming dynasty – in order to reestablish form and structure of the urban fabric as a whole.

-       The revival and recovery of the original figure-ground relationship within the site (as far as possible),  in order to reestablish a hierarchic relation between the basic urban fabric and monumental appearances.

-       The introduction of a functional mix that is typical to traditional historic centers, in order to favor creativity, variety and wealth in the experience and use of the city.

-       The definition of a structural network of public space - consisting of pedestrian routes, bicycle lanes, green areas, public squares and sites - that has the capacity to connect the entire centre urban fabric.

-       The revival and recovery of the scale and typology of the traditional building plots by using a contemporary interpretation of the courtyard and rowhouse typologies; with spaces for small commerce and arts & crafts activities on the ground floor and dwellings above.