Rooted Currents: Research-through-design for regenerative urbanism in Changzhou Island

Abstract

Changzhou Island in Guangzhou’s Pearl River Delta represents a site of both cultural significance and environmental vulnerability, facing increasing pressures from flooding, rapid urbanization, and the erosion of Lingnan architectural heritage. This article reframes the award-winning design proposal of the student competition Rooted Currents as a research-through-design (RTD) inquiry into regenerative urbanism in deltaic environments. The study develops a multi-scalar framework integrating landform modification, transit-oriented development, and distributed water–energy–nutrient systems, informed by heritage-based spatial strategies. Scenario-based modeling and literature-benchmarked estimations indicate that land elevation, ecological water management, and decentralized infrastructure can significantly reduce flood exposure and enhance resource self-sufficiency. At the architectural scale, reinterpreting Lingnan typologies, such as cold alleys and courtyard systems, demonstrates their continued relevance as performative climatic and social infrastructures. The findings are synthesized into three transferable principles: landform as infrastructure, heritage as anchor, and distributed systems of resilience. The article contributes by demonstrating how RTD can generate transferable knowledge for urban resilience in heritage-rich delta regions. While the results remain scenario-based, the study provides a framework applicable to rapidly transforming waterfront cities in China and beyond.