Building on and enhancing an existing masterplan developed for the area, MVRDV takes on this challenge by presenting a concept for Shenzhen Bay that is multi-dimensional, and liberated from the ground level. Visitors navigate the city’s “super streets” of interconnected city layers, each with their own specific and intrinsic characteristics.

At ground level, the existing masterplan places major traffic arteries underground to facilitate an efficient distribution of goods and serve the logistical needs of the city, while freeing the space above ground from noise, pollution and vehicle-oriented activity. To enhance above-ground mobility while reducing dependence on fossil fuels, MVRDV’s proposal reserves the street grid for a fleet of electric and autonomous cars, as well as a public shuttle bus service. This frees space for pedestrians and other activities, while designating specific access for emergency vehicles. The absence of above-ground parking eliminates private use vehicles, making space for new possibilities in the enlarged public space, and green areas.

The city of the future is a “holistic city”, an urban tapestry where the connectivity and convergence between buildings, the streetscape, the wisdom of vernacular architecture, and nature form a harmonious backdrop to a balanced life style. In the Shenzhen Super Streets proposal, all of these qualities are integrated in the three layers to create a kind of “super street” system that does not yet exist in the world.