A Taoism temple (dedicated to Green Clouds Goddess) built in the 17 century has been well preserved at the top of West Mountain north of the village.
Jiangou village is also well-known for its rose cultivation and associated industry. Floriculture, rose products manufacture and tourism constitute village’s main income.
The problems exist in the following aspects:
the local floriculture industry is still primordial. With no support from a more advanced irrigating system, the harvest is unstable and can only be determined by the climatic conditions.
The tourism is highly seasonal. Most visits take place in summer and autumn, and during the New Year market event. There is a lack of general management of tourism resources and supportive infrastructure.
There are also more than 20 family based countryside hostels in the village. But the service and room quality (especially sanitary facilities) in these hostels are subject to an improvement.
The village remains in the original character that it has inherited for hundreds of years and still embraces a pastoral charm till today.
Nevertheless the spatial structure of the village is not clear and ill-suited to the modern life. There is a lack of efficient control and planning in construction.
2. Planning research
The planning documents of Jiangou village have been drafted based on the survey and analysis of existing environmental conditions. It includes a master plan and an implementation plan.
The integration of these long-term and short-term approaches is the key to success.
In order to regenerate the village’s built environment as soon as possible, an immediate agenda has been set up in the implementation plan.
The master plan is made up of three basic parts: 1. Land Use Plans; 2. Economic Development Plans; 3. Long-term Development Plans
2008 - 2015.
(Figure 2)
2.1 Economic Development Plan 2.1.1 Planning for an advanced Rose Floriculture
Planning for the village’s economic growth is a very important component in the master plan, given its role in sustaining the village’s long-term development.
Jiangou village is well known for its traditional rose floriculture craft, which can be fully utilized and further explored when considering for the local economy. It has been suggested that more rose farm (350ha) should be introduced to south-faced hillsides around the village.
A controllable irrigating system would be established to improve the output and quality of rose.
With all the innovative techniques and management methods, the process of cultivation can be normalized and the new rose farm can be shaped as a demonstration ground for advanced horticulture, a production base for better seeds and a training center for the public.
A special rose garden can also be designed and set up to promote the rose oriented tourism.
2.2.2 Planning for an improved tourism
Jiangou village have a long history and abundant tourism resource. Besides the rose farm tour and the wealth of natural scenery, the Taoism temple at the West Mountain has attracted numerous visitors and pilgrims every year. The master plan suggests combining the existing discrete attractions into a more integrated tourism package with flexible but clearly designed travel routine.
The integration of existing tourism resources would help to improve the business in terms of quality and scale.
The supportive infrastructure is also a key to be renewed. More strict audit and management will be given to those family based hostels including to establish the basic norm regarding sanitary condition and customer service.
Unique character is encouraged in catering, hospitality and souvenirs to satisfy guests of various taste and consuming capability.
2.2 The village’s master plan
The function of land and the road network are the key issues to be addressed through the planning system, as well as the combination of the economic development plans with the master plan:
(1). In terms of the land use strategy, the basic principle is to manage and mobilize the land resources in a comprehensive way to ensure an efficient usage.
The greenery rate of the whole area should be gradually improved to protect the eco-system and the natural environment.
(2). In terms of the road network development, the strategy is to expand the current road system and its carrying capacity, improve the integrality of the whole network and strengthen the link with other villages in the region and the city of Beijing.
The paths to access all the tourism attractions will be enhanced; particularly the ancient pilgrim road linking the village center and the goddess temple will be restored and landscaped with trees and shrubs. These initiatives will not only benefit the tourists, but also improve the mobility of the local community and help to suppress bushfire when it takes place.
2.3 The village’s implementation plan 2.3.1 Land use management
The existing spatial form of the village will be preserved, using the gully to organize the development axis and string all major infrastructures. The main hubs such as Hill gate, Lord temple piazza and Rose piazza will be strengthened. (Figure 3)
2.3.2 Road planning
The current roads and footways will be hard-paved, greened and lightened. Several Cul-de-sacs will be demolished to satisfy the demands of fire fighting, medical rescue and the development of private cars. On the basis of a minimized building demolition, a ring road and three one-way motorways will be introduced to articulate the village’s main neighborhoods.
Pedestrian walk will also be set up along the village’s high street and commercial center, and linked to gateway of the ancient pilgrim road so that the village tour and the mountain tour can be easily combined as a single package.
2.3.3 Planning for basic infrastructure
The principle of infrastructure planning is to concentrate on the problems that were causing the most concern but at the same time leave space and flexibility for further development.
A new motor-pumped well will be built to satisfy the village’s needs for fresh water. Simple water treatment apparatus will be installed at each potable water outlet. Drains and sewers will be relined underground as well as storm drains and ducts for power and telecommunication cables. Public toilets across the village will be refurbished to reach an acceptable sanitary circumstance. And the model for domestic waste treatment will be: collected by the village station, gathered and delivered by the town council and disposal by the district managed recycling centre.
2.3.4 Planning for the public amenity
To improve the villager’s quality of life at a reasonable cost, public amenities and service facilities will be developed by remodeling and refurbishing the current buildings.
A new village hall, a fully equipped training center, new shops and a new bathhouse will be set up. More medical instruments will be bought in to the village’s clinic, as part of the village’s modernization process.
2.3.5 Housing renewal and rebuilt
This is the core part of the village’s regeneration scheme. The existing housing in the village can be classified into three grades in terms of their quality:
① buildings that newly built
② buildings that need to be partly refurbished or restructured
③ buildings that need to be demolished and rebuilt.
Most dwellings only need a minor repair or renovation. Buildings and courtyards with a street-facing façade will be a focus in the regeneration plan.
Main streets will be broadened and straightened wherever possible with a minimized demolition work. Compensation will be provided to the property owners whose house is affected in due course based on a transparent evaluation and negotiation procedure.
2.4 The village’s long-term development plan
The long-term development plan of Jiangou village is a step forward from the implementation plan and will lead the village towards a more modernized future.
A rose museum and rose workshop will be established to further highlight the village’s identity as a ‘rose country’. The road network will be further optimized with a more completed motorway system to meet the needs of a motorized society. More land will be deployed for housing development to be in line with population increase. Supportive infrastructure will be continuously introduced to serve local residents and tourists.
3．Discussion: planning for a better village in mountainous area 3.1 Regeneration of the traditional village: an urgent task
A successful village planning seems always derives from a holistic planning concept that respects the realistic conditions of the area and focuses on the local middle and short-term development targets.
The most effective and direct way to change a village’s built environment (and fate) is to conduct a regeneration oriented planning as soon as possible.
There are four fundamentals on this issue:
① Do not make over-ambitious plans that beyond the resources allowed, do not create ‘white elephant’ projects, and keep the existing building stock as much as possible.
② Priority of development is given to civic infrastructure and commercial facilities.
③ keep the original character of the village in terms of aesthetic style, cultural context and spatial form, particularly to those listed ancient villages. Lessons from the process of urbanization should be learnt in planning for villages.
④ Long-term and short-term plans should be well integrated to avoid any shortsighted approach.
3.2 Stay on focus and enhance the local character
There is a stream passing through the Jiangou village and dividing the land into several parts. The stream is the only channel for flood discharge and also can be seen as the natural axis of the village’s development, along with which major roads and buildings have been laid down for centuries.
This topographic character (a stream running between two uplands) is shared by many villages in the West Mountain area of Beijing. The valley is so important in organizing space. It determines the orientation of further expansion and shapes the main traffic flow.
Considerations in economic, agricultural, living and traffic aspects are interwoven on this spatial axis, making it the crucial component in understanding the regeneration of liner shaped village.
(Figure 5)
The measure finally adopted is to keep the geographic and topographic features of the gully at large, partly pave the area at crossroads and piazzas and fully pave the parts with narrow and deep ditches. Landscaping elements and open spaces are enhanced at the wide part of the gully. Pedestrian path is introduced along the creek by using the cantilever structure suspending over the embankment, which creates new scenery space without consuming more land. In the long-run, water design will be further incorporated into the plan and a mini pumping station will be established to keep water cycling around over time.
Reshaping the natural and built environment through a few steps is a feasible model for village regeneration which both considers the current conditions in the Chinese countryside and the needs of the era.
Through a gradual but constant regeneration, a more pastoral and humanistic new countryside will be ultimately created.
