Chongqing’s 680-Hectare Innovation & Education Smart City Project Fully Complete
After years of planning, construction and development, the ambitious 680-hectare innovation and education smart city in Chongqing has now been completed. The project, originally developed in phases, has entered its final stage and is now officially open for full operation.
Original concept sketch by Director Chris Lanksbury
The master plan for this project was driven by the vision of creating a sustainable, transit-oriented, ecologically integrated city cluster combining higher education campuses, research institutions, commercial zones and public amenities. Chapman Taylor, which won an international architectural competition to design this new smart district in the Liangjiang Innovation Zone, led the planning and design effort.
Highlights of the completed development include:
- Mixed-use clusters & campuses: Five university campuses now stand fully integrated with R&D clusters, commercial, residential, leisure, cultural and public service facilities.
- Operational infrastructure: All transit networks — including metro, BRT, railway, electric buses and water taxis — are fully functional across the site.
- Ecology & green space: The central Mingyue Lake and surrounding parks, landscapes, and ecological buffers form a continuous natural corridor across the city development.
- Energy sustainability: The smart city is designed to be self-sufficient in energy generation, leveraging solar, hydroelectric and biomass sources. The system is projected to reduce carbon emissions by over 450,000 tons of CO₂ annually.
- Active businesses & institutions: Even before full completion, the city already hosts 50 R&D institutions and 214 companies, and features publicly accessible amenities like the Mingyue Lake Hotel and Mingyue Square.
In the coming months, more academic, research, technology, and enterprise partnerships are expected to deepen their presence in the area, leveraging the full built environment.
With its completion, the Chongqing smart city now offers a compelling example of how large-scale urban development can fuse ecological design, education, transit integration, and sustainable energy principles into a functional, future-oriented district.