In recent decades Shenzhen has grown from a small fishing village on the border with Hong Kong into a metropolis with around 15 million residents. With the QianHai Bay project, Shenzhen is taking the next step in its rapid growth. The project area will eventually host a staggering 1.5 million inhabitants who will live, work, and recreate in the bay, while providing a new distinctive ‘face’ for Shenzhen towards the sea. 
Like many cities around the world, Shenzhen lacks sufficient fresh drinking water, despite being surrounded by several rivers that discharge directly into the sea along the city’s coastline. The integrated approach applied to the project by Waterfronts NL participants resulted in a new ring city that captures the fresh river water in a central inner lake, providing fresh water for new residents. 
The integrated plan also proposes multi-functional city parks within its ring-shaped urban fabric. These city parks host agro-parks for local urban food production, and energy plants for generating energy from city-waste, while also functioning as urban filters that purify the air, prevent urban heating, provide leisure facilities, and generate a greater biodiversity within the city.
