The Anxin Archipelago

The Anxin Archipelago is a landscape–urban proposal for Xiongan, China, that reimagines the relationship between city, water, and ecology at the scale of Baiyang Lake—one of North China’s most vital freshwater systems. Once ten times larger than it is today, the lake has suffered decades of ecological degradation, placing water management at the center of Xiongan’s ambition to become a model of ecological civilization.
The project responds by envisioning Xiongan as an amphibious city, where urban life unfolds in continuous dialogue with water. South of the dense urban core, a Green Peninsula is structured by a network of waterways that form an archipelago of eight interconnected villages. Together, they expand the lake itself, transforming flood management into a productive ecological and social framework.
Each island is distinct yet interdependent, connected by bridges, ferries, public transit, and pedestrian and cycling paths, while private vehicles remain below grade. Elevated landforms and working eco-dikes absorb flood energy, support biodiversity, and integrate agriculture, wetlands, and settlement. Historic Anxin Village is preserved and protected through a stone flood wall, maintaining its fine-grained urban fabric and pedestrian life.
At the heart of the archipelago lies a central botanical wetland garden—a space of equilibrium celebrating the essence of Baiyang Lake. Surrounding islands host complementary programs, including housing, research, education, culture, tourism, and small-scale production. Together, they support a mixed community of residents, farmers, innovators, artists, families, and visitors.
The Anxin Archipelago proposes a new model of water-based urbanism—where resilience, culture, and everyday life are shaped by living with water, not against it.