Kaohsiung waterfront
Kaohsiung Waterfront transforms the former port edge into an extension of the city, bringing the existing urban fabric all the way to the water. The urban plan builds on the spatial DNA of Kaohsiung: avenues are extended towards the quays and piers, while existing green structures are continued into the waterfront. In this way, the redevelopment strengthens qualities already present in the city rather than introducing an entirely new urban logic.
Location
Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
Type
Urban vision
Site
970.000 m²
Program
500.000 m² GFA (mixed-use)
Client
City government Kaohsiung
Design Partners
Juurlink+Geluk (Culd), Sputnik project, EDS architects
Status
Design phase (2006-2010)
Across Love Bay, two contrasting urban environments face one another. Instead of spreading a similar medium density across the entire waterfront, the plan concentrates density on one side while keeping the other lower, more open and closely connected to the harbour landscape. The contrast gives both areas a stronger identity and allows different forms of urban life to develop alongside one another.
The high-density side extends the Central Business District towards the water, creating a metropolitan waterfront with a lively boulevard and a mix of housing, offices, shopping and recreation. Buildings form a dense urban frontage, while roof gardens and green public spaces introduce landscape into the compact city. Across the bay, a lower and more open fabric offers room for creative industries, recreation and larger-scale activities related to the harbour. Together, these different settlement climates create a waterfront that is varied in both programme and atmosphere.
Connectivity binds the contrasting waterfront environments into one coherent urban structure. Existing streets and routes are extended towards the water, while new bridges connect both sides of Love Bay. In this way, the harbour is no longer perceived as an edge, but becomes a central space within the city.
At the point where the river meets the harbour, the two environments come together. New connections across the bay strengthen pedestrian movement between both sides, while public spaces and recreational programmes gather around the water. This central waterfront becomes a shared destination for the wider city: a place where landscape, urban life and the identity of Kaohsiung as a port city converge.
