Source: Jia Yue/ TNC

For Kang Yan, a partner of The Nature Conservation (TNC) and Project Director of the Sustainable Ecological Design Center at the School of Design of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, every Habitat Garden she leads in designing is unique.

Whether it’s the Habitat Garden built within a commercial complex in The Place, Shanghai, Xinjing Wucun Habitat Garden, or Hongxu Habitat Garden Phase II built in residential communities, each project has its focus. Kang Yan and her team seamlessly integrated the ecological designers’ love for nature, pragmatism and romance, sustainable concepts, and practical exploration spirit into every innovative design, thus transforming Habitat Garden from a concept into a tangible result, becoming an integral part of people’s daily lives.

"Habitat Garden should  be a daily essential that Shanghai citizens can access and enjoy every day, rather than a rare and unattainable luxury. Kang Yan aspires, through her and her team's efforts, to make Habitat Gardens an indispensable presence in people's lives, allowing everyone to partake in the beauty of ecology.

Their concepts "clicked instantly"

At a 2020 event, Kang Yan got to know the staff of TNC's Shanghai project and gained a preliminary understanding of TNC's ongoing Shanghai Habitat Garden project. "At that time, I was working on sustainable landscapes, with a focus on the protection and utilization of plants. However, the Habitat Garden project focused more on creating urban microhabitats for wildlife. The idea inspired me and triggered my strong interest," said Kang Yan.

Considering herself a functionalist, Kang Yan places much emphasis on the practicality of an ecological design, which is the realization of ecological processes. "If a landscape facility fails to contribute positively to the ecosystem, then it is a wasteful and ineffective design." She once worked on a project where the primary concern was completing the work within a short timeframe. Due to cost considerations, there was a proposal to skip the initial soil testing phase, jeopardizing the long-term survival of vegetation. After unsuccessful discussions, Kang Yan’s team decided to abandon the project. This experience reinforced her determination to carefully choose collaboration partners. After continuous contact and communication with TNC, Kang Yan increasingly felt that TNC's commitment to scientific principles and on-site demonstrations resonated well with her long-standing philosophy in project implementation. This laid a solid foundation for their further cooperation.

For TNC China’s Shanghai project and Kang Yan’s team, the Habitat Garden project allows both parties tocontribute their strengths and move forward side by side. TNC's inclusive and interdisciplinary approach and international perspective provide designers with ample inspiration and space to unleash their potential; Kang Yan’s team, with its years of accumulated mature experience, contributes to the Habitat Garden project by introducing new attempts and ensuring reliability in engineering construction and material recycling.

Kang Yan at work  Source: Shan Liang/TNC

"TNC is a respected partner in terms of both scientific rigor and practical implementation," remarked Kang Yan. "TNC consistently works towards establishing standards and paradigms. More importantly, following its non-profit organization nature, it is committed to not only improving itself but also contributing to the improvement of others. I believe this aspect reflects even more the value of such an organization."

"Designing is not copy and paste"

"I hope my designs can reflect Habitat Gardens in different scenarios, rather than a straightforward copy and paste process," expressed Kang Yan.

A Corner of The Place Habitat Garden  Source: Jia Yue/TNC

On September 20, 2023, the first commercial integrated Habitat Garden project in Shanghai was completed and inaugurated in The Place, Shanghai. Kang Yan introduced that compared to Habitat Gardens built in community residential areas, thePlace Habitat Garden,as a commercial project, is more exquisite. Its distinct advantage lies in having only one property owner, ensuring that the pursuit of a sustainable development path won't be interrupted due to differences among various owners. Although there has been intense debate over pond design in the early stages of project implementation, once the plan was determined, implementation proceeded relatively smoothly. The Place Habitat Garden has introduced some loquat and persimmon trees, supplemented with fruiting plants and water sources for birds. The remaining space is primarily designated for people to enjoy the scenery or carry out activities.

Habitat Garden of Xinjing Wucun  Photo by Kang Yan

Located at the center of the community, Xinjing Wucun Habitat Garden faces more disturbances than other Habitat Gardens. After conducting preliminary research, the Kang Yan team decided to leverage the venue’s characteristics and focus on designing a science education space for the public. The team utilized the slope height to create a terraced garden and developed a large-scale science popularization board called "Ecological System of Habitat Garden", which introduced the commonly known native flora and fauna in Shanghai in the form of vivid illustrations and informative text, receiving widespread recognition from the surrounding residents.

For Hongxu Habitat Garden Phase II project, the primary focus during design was to avoid a "tedious replication of Phase I". The newly introduced "Secret Realm" in Phase II expands the community space beyond its original boundaries to external areas, reaching out to public hotspots in the neighborhood. This expansion aims to address the deficiency in activity areas around street corners and add leisure and recreational venues for residents. In terms of landscape design, all the original large trees have been preserved, and shade-tolerant plants have been planted in the newly added corridor area.

Hongxu Habitat Garden Phase II- The Secret Realm  Source: Jia Yue/TNC

People relaxing under tree canopies  Source: TNC

"There is a camphor tree in the Secret Realm Garden, which I nicknamed 'Romance of a Tree'.” As an ecological designer, Kang Yan enjoys observing the surrounding natural environment and using it as a basis to imaginatively tailor her designs to fit the specific context. Upon first encountering this camphor tree, she decided to center the spatial layout around it, while presenting a unique visual experience. "When people engage with the forest canopy at varying heights, diverse sensory experiences emerge, all characterized by a sense of comfort and delight. This makes it easy for people to fall in love with nature and be willing to embrace it," expressed Kang Yan.

Defending the "position",  for a promising future

Since the completion and inauguration of the first Habitat Garden in Hongxu Community, Changning District, Shanghai in November 2019, a total of 24 Habitat Gardens with distinctive features will be completed in Changning District by the end of 2023. In Kang Yan's view, the Habitat Gardens designed and built in the early phase of the project have relatively favorable conditions, with some featuring comprehensive and intricate designs, corresponding to a higher demand for funds. She envisions the future construction of small modules, such as ecological ponds or bird bathtubs, in old communities where larger construction may be challenging. This aims to reduce construction costs and complexity while conveying Habitat Garden and biodiversity conservation concepts to a boarder audience more simply and efficiently.

Shanghai Habitat Cooperative Stewardship officially established. Source TNC

On May 22, 2023, on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Shanghai Habitat Cooperative Stewardship was officially established. Government officials, social organizations, designers, university scholars, and resident representatives gathered to discuss the future of Habitat Gardens. Kang Yan believes that the important role of the Stewardship will become more prominent. She looks forward to taking this opportunity to truly connect various Habitat Gardens, defend their respective"positions",and play a pivotal role as a “stepping-stone”, to make the existing Habitat Gardens’ operation and maintenance system more practical. “With the division of labor charts and work guidelines in place, immediate identification of the right methods and appropriate personnel can address any issues that arise.”

"Public science education needs to be carried out continuously.” In addition to the theme of animal and plant protection, Kang Yan is eager to deliver lectures related to ecological aesthetics or the significance of life. She also plans to collaborate with nearby primary and secondary schools in the community to facilitate the shift in awareness to behavioral change among young people, committing to respect nature and care for the ecological environment a lifelong choice for the young generation."

TNC Shanghai Conservation project

Launched in 2017 as a TNC Shanghai Conservation project for Urban Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Practice, the Shanghai Habitat Garden project is dedicated to working with partners to create multi-functional community gardens and green spaces. The goal is to provide more and better habitats for urban wildlife while simultaneously improving the quality of ecological spaces for nearby residents, integrating nature into life with richer biodiversity, and creating a natural environment that people can easily connect with.In November 2019, the first Habitat Garden was completed in Hongxu Community, Changning District. Recognized as one of the outstanding cases for "effective land conservation, intensive utilization, and minimal idle land" in Shanghai's Changning District, the Hongxu Habitat Garden received a commendation from the State Council in May 2020. By the end of 2023, 24 Habitat Gardens, each with a unique style, will be inaugurated in Changning District, Shanghai. In September 2023, Shanghai's first Habitat Garden in a commercial complex was completed in The Place, Shanghai.