Blue Loop - A brand new Chinese city on water inspired by the Italian lifestyle.

The Italian design studio Pininfarina Architecture, internationally known for bringing its expertise in automotive design and his aesthetic concept to the field of architecture, has been selected by The People’s Government of Taozhuang Town among over four esteemed architecture firms, to design the masterplan of a new city set to rise in the outskirts of Shanghai, part of the new urbanization processes underway in the Yangtze River Delta.

Water will be the primary element with which to move and interact in the new city. A new network of canals, some of which are navigable, constitutes the infrastructural and landscape connection between the town and the central lake. The city will be characterized by four districts with different housing and urban densities, progressing from east to west: Marina, Lungo Lago, Città Vecchia e Laguna.

Blue Loop has been designed in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Yangtze River Delta National Land and Space Development Plan (2019-2035), developing its main themes: water as a necessary impulse to create low-impact cities, the realization of an ecological civilization, and the water towns’ legacy.

The Blue Loop will connect three different integrated ecosystems: Italy-City, a city inspired by Italian urban spaces and lifestyle, an Innovation Valley featuring offices, research centers, and universities and Energia, a hub dedicated to energy and food production.

With the aim of strengthening the Sino-Italian strategic cooperation, initiated with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by Presidents Sergio Mattarella and Xi Jinping in 2020, Blue Loop has been conceived as a continuous water system that supports both existing rural heritage and innovative new urban developments, connecting them directly with the UNESCO World Heritage water city Xitang.