Designed for the Future Ninghai: A Sponge Town in the Making

Pu Zi

People in Ninghai， located in the southern coasts of Sanmen Bay in Ningbo， obviously have their own way of staying away from clichés， as has been proven by the sizzling development of this seaside haven.

Starting from scratch， the revitalization of the county features the rise of a brand-new “New-energy Automobile Town” built on a 3.47-kilometer sprawl. It took the local government only six months to make substantial progresses in turning paper work into reality and bring the town into the provincial-level “top 10” legion of “towns with special features” for its outstanding performances in advanced manufacturing.

Visitors look at a raised relief map of the future town

It takes one to know one. Only a true dreamer could build a town that breathes freely. Essentially， the town is designed for the future. The dreamer designer is an elite group of organizations led by DC from Singapore， AECOM from the US and China Academy of Art. The masterplan of the town strives to keep the town in the latest urban planning trends for more than 50 years and to build a truly livable place that is also ideal for entrepreneurial practices and leisure enjoyments.

The design of the automobile town is a splendid implementation of the worlds most prestigious urban planners experiences in incorporating infrastructure into long-term urban planning and in macro-micro balancing. In this ambitious， ingenuous plan， the town will be fused into the native soil and water in a beautifully scientific and perfectly natural way. In what will be rising as a magic “sponge city”， a concept that was introduced into China only a couple years ago to tackle urban waterlogging， a high-level infrastructural base will be in place to ensure a remarkable rate of rainwater permeability， with an elaborately designed sewer system to drain the water quickly and guide it to well-designed collection facilities for recycling.

An artists impression of the future auto town

The new town will not only be functioning based on such an eco-friendly mechanism. It will also be a “smart” one in all aspects of its industrial endeavors.

Firstly， the towns industrial ambition is well-knitted into the countrys “made in China 2025” strategy. Jointly founded by Geely Holding Group， China XINDAYANG， GSR Ventures， the Ninghai-based ZD Electric Automobile ranks among the countrys top three new-energy car manufacturers and has proven to be a leading innovator in new-energy car manufacturing. With an estimated value standing at 1.26 billion USD， the company ranks 86th in the “2017 Unicorns in China and Trends Report”， released by the Torch Center of Ministry of Science and Technology working jointly with the Great Wall Consulting Company in 2018， as the first “unicorn” in Ningbo to be included in this coveted hall of fame.

The towns smartness is also reflected in its manufacturing， represented by the assembly line of ZD Automobile. The companys new-energy car assembly lines are designed to meet the “4.0 industrial standards” of Germany， presenting the magic application of “Internet+” in industrial practice. The assembling process is powered by 110 intelligent robots. The smart mechanism of the company not only brings the town a high concentration of talents， technology and capital， but also serves as a catalyst that draws in more high-tech innovators to set up R&D headquarters. Among the newcomers are Suoling Electric， Chinas first on-board computer manufacturer to have been listed in the stock market， and the DSI 6AT transmission project of Shuanglin Group. A complete industrial chain serving new-energy car manufacturing is taking shape.

The towns culture and business zone is a mix of east and west， and a fusion of folk tradition and modernity. The towns vibrant pulse can be savored at one of those traditional Chinese teahouses， story-telling halls， a fine collection of cafes and bars， bookstores， boutique fashion houses， and a smorgasbord of restaurants of all culinary styles. Residents and visitors here are also served by a 6，000-square-meter supermarket.

For industrial tourists， the towns exhibition center is a nice place to visit for a quick glance at the latest goings-on of this land of promise. At the exhibition centers “Industrial Corridor”， the more tech-savvy can enjoy an eye-opening experience by surveying the “ZD Lab”， where the enticing beauty of high-tech manufacturing rivals the engaging scenery outside the window.