A 17.6km (10.9m) long cycling route is to be built in Jiaozuo, northern China by Dutch architecture and design firm Mecanoo.
Dubbed the ‘Golden Ribbon’ cycling route, the project is being funded by the World Bank. The route will allow for “connectivity, comfort and experience” whilst encouraging the use of bicycles to help improve public health, air quality and the environment.
Connecting the city of Jiaozhou with the mountains is a key factor in the design of the path. The route has been laid out to ensure minimal impact to the environment – it follows a former canal that will be reinstated and passes through two public parks.
Along the 17.6km (10.9m) path, there will be several facilities offering ‘comfort’ to cyclists. These include widened resting places, outlined in Taihan schist stone, as well as nine pavilions along the route. The pavilions, depending on their size, will have amenities such as restaurants, public showers, the option for bicycle rental and a new clubhouse for the cycling association.
Mecanoo’s design takes it’s inspiration for the local Yellow Rain Tree, which flowers in yellow during the autumn months. Stretches of the route will be planted with the tree, allowing for a clear trajectory to be seen. Tying in with this theme, the perforated steel that will surround much of the path will be patterned with the flowers of the tree, linking nature, culture and urbanism as one.
