Lugu Lake Scenic Area Planning and Concept Design

Project Profile

1．Project Statement

The Lugu Lake scenic area is located at the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The Lugu Lake in Sichuan is constrained by transportation conditions, development models, and other limitations. Its tourist numbers and ticket revenue are only a third of those in the Yunnan region. In order to coordinate the ecological protection of Lugu Lake and enhance its cultural tourism appeal, efforts are being made to accelerate its transformation into a 5A level tourist attraction and to promote year-round tourism development in the Liangshan region. As such, we have drafted a special tourism plan and conceptual design.

This project adopts a major shift in perspective, transitioning from focusing solely on tourism to promoting residential tourism, thereby transforming Lugu Lake into a global ecological and cultural destination for those seeking long-term stays. Upholding the "mountain-gazing" lifestyle philosophy, and rooted in principles of "conservation at its core, invigorating through integration, harmonizing the old with the new, and ensuring shared prosperity with the local community," we aim to implement an integrated business model encompassing "poetic dwelling, ecological agriculture, enlightening educational trips, cultural and artistic creations, and free travel." Our goal is to direct attention to the beauty of the rural countryside, jointly building picturesque landscapes and promoting a poetic, slow-paced way of life.

2．Objective and Challenge

The development of the Lugu Lake scenic area faces five major misconceptions:

(1) Development Positioning Misconception: Reliance on ticket revenue has led to an underwhelming per capita tourist spending in Yanyuan County.

(2) Community Building and Shared Prosperity Misconception: Current projects at Lugu Lake primarily focus on guesthouses, leading to a homogenized business model. There is a lack of supporting facilities and community infrastructure. Furthermore, there is a pricing misalignment between local homeowners who rent out properties and guesthouse lessees, impeding shared prosperity.

(3) Land Supply Misconception: The provision of construction land lacks operational insight, resulting in restrictions on village residential land development and inefficient utilization of scenic resources.

(4) Ecological and Cultural Protection Misconception: A rigid approach to ecological protection boundaries and constraints on traditional village construction prevents land with the highest potential value from being utilized effectively.

(5) Road Traffic Misconception: Traffic jams during holidays around Lugu Lake have become the norm. There's a mix of pedestrians and vehicles in many areas, with a glaring absence of a safe and continuous pedestrian system. The roads around the lake are congested, parking is limited, there's limited waterfront access, and the land value is thereby compromised.

In summary, the current challenges include inefficient land selection, excessive ecological protection, wastage of village resources, a low-end and monotonous business model, and transportation issues that hinder value transformation. There is an urgent need to prioritize operations and change the mindset towards scenic area planning and construction.

3．Design Strategy

(1) Strategy One: Create a World Ecological and Cultural Tourist Destination. This project is positioned as the authentic Lugu Lake tourist destination, aiming to become the summer retreat and winter resort destination in Panxi, a cultural and scenic experience zone of Greater Shangri-La, a national 5A level tourist attraction, a national-level tourist resort, and a world heritage site with both natural and cultural attributes.

(2) Strategy Two: Community Construction and Shared Prosperity Strategy. Aligning with the standards of authenticity and integrity assessment for world natural and cultural heritage, and the international standards of "IUCN+GSTC+CITTASLOW", the "sow economy" development model will be adopted. By building an operational platform, the aim is to brand, diversify, and internationalize Lugu Lake, promoting shared prosperity.

(3) Strategy Three: Efficient Land Use Strategy. Based on the evaluation of land value, the principles of land acquisition, enhancement of land value, revitalization of idle land, and optimization of land boundaries are emphasized. The planning for the scenic landmark control land is being reviewed and optimized.

(4) Strategy Four: Ecological and Cultural Protection Strategy. Ecological rewilding will be implemented, building an ecological network centered around water and creating a sponge land system that starts with water storage at the source, slows down the process, and adapts at the end. The authenticity and integrity of the Mosuo culture will be protected, constructing heritage corridors, and revitalizing traditional villages based on categories.

(5) Strategy Five: Road and Traffic Strategy. Integrating regional block traffic with site-specific pedestrian traffic to achieve fast travel combined with leisurely exploration.

4．Conclusion

This project embodies three distinctive planning features: In terms of strategy: By prioritizing operations in advance and introducing the "sow economy" model, the project aims to promote shared prosperity; In planning: Through land value assessment, the project strives to achieve a high-quality transformation of ecological and cultural values; In design: The project adopts nature-based solutions and a minimally invasive innovative design.

By implementing the five strategies, the project: Clearly defines the position of tourism and residence; Puts operations at the forefront to achieve shared prosperity; Activates land value; Protects and revitalizes both the ecology and culture; Improves the "fast travel, leisurely exploration" transportation system.

This leads to the formation of ten scenic attractions for leisurely exploration around Lugu Lake and ten attractions for settling in the Lugu Lake area, ultimately fostering a "mountain-gazing, slow-paced" lifestyle by Lugu Lake.