The Happy Forest Belt opened to the public on 1st July 2021. It is the largest underground complex in the world and the largest urban landscape forest project in China, with a total length of 5.85 km and a width of 210 m.

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In 2019, NL Urban Solutions participated in the landscape design competition phase of the project, obtaining the second prize with their nature-based design approach. NLUS aimed to create a true ‘urban oasis’ with ecological and recreational value at ground level. A ‘golden ribbon’ was designed as the center spine to connect the series of sunken squares, patios, and major facilities. Some ideas from the NLUS proposal were used and integrated into the final design of the project.

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The project is located on the cultural axis of Xi’an City, next to the new eastern center of the city. Happy forest provides not only public green space, but also ecological value, sponge city functions. It furthermore supports the urban development of economic, cultural, recreational, and technological functions. At ground level, there is a linear public green park, while the underground level has stadiums, culture centers, sports facilities, commercial facilities, municipal infrastructure, and parking lots, etc. The construction of the underground part officially started in 2016, and the construction of the ground-level landscape officially started in 2019. The total investment of the project exceeds 24 billion yuan, or 3 billion euros.

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Below you can see some recent images of the project.

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