WeTown: A Sustainable City for 40,000

Vicky Chan's Visionary Urban Design Wins Golden A' Design Award

Derived from a collective global idea, WeTown draws inspiration from nature, people, and technology. Its unique properties lie in its sustainable design, reducing reliance on automobiles by providing an infinite loop connecting 36 buildings of apartments, offices, and retail spaces. The journey from home to work will be an 8-minute stroll filled with farmers markets, greenery, and activities, promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The project utilizes pre-fabricated modules with local materials to construct the towers, speeding up the construction process and minimizing impact on the existing community. Local woods will be used for the main market area, further reducing the carbon footprint and preserving local heritage.

With a gross floor area of 1,287,235 m2, the 36 buildings will rise over the next 15 years, with 3 to 5 towers erected every 2 years in 10 phases of development. The aim is to balance work and living qualities during each phase, with some buildings beginning as offices and gradually transitioning into apartments as the development matures.

The project, which started in July 2017 in Abbotsford, Canada, is estimated to be fully completed by 2027. It is the result of an international survey aimed at improving work-life balance. The research identified priorities and must-have items, including efficient transportation, proximity to destinations, better walkability, and more nature. New qualities include better food options, more public art, and better jobs.

Overcoming the challenges of providing water, drainage, and traffic solutions for 40,000 people, the team worked with traffic engineers and mechanical engineers to devise solutions for road expansion, car sharing programs, water reduction programs, rainwater collection, and grey water recycling.

WeTown is a testament to the power of sustainable design and innovative city planning. It's not just a project, but a vision of the future where people, nature, and technology coexist in harmony. This remarkable design has earned Vicky Chan and his team the Golden A' City Planning and Urban Design Award in 2018, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that advance art, science, design, and technology.