Author: Yousheng Chen, Ziyu Ren, Chang Cang, Yuexin Zhi

School: Shanghai Xuhui Rihui Xincun Primary School

Introduction:

Rixin City is a conceptual sustainable future city envisioned for Wanning, Hainan, 100 years from now. Faced with frequent typhoons, fluctuating tourist populations and unstable energy transportation on Hainan’s islands, we aim to build a city that saves energy, recycles resources, and maintains basic functions during disasters. The city features smart farms, food processing zones, shared dining spaces, cold chain hubs, residential communities and a Blue Ocean Regeneration Center. Fruit peels, vegetable scraps and kitchen waste generated by residents, restaurants and farms are no longer discarded directly. Instead, they are converted into biogas, organic fertilizer and reclaimed water at the regeneration center. The biogas supplies part of the energy for cold storage facilities, emergency lighting, medical stations and public dining halls. Organic fertilizer and reclaimed water are reused in agriculture, forming an urban energy and resource cycle of "production – consumption – regeneration“.

Rixin City also employs an AI system to forecast typhoons, tourist volumes, energy demand and food reserves. Before typhoon landfall, foldable farms retract automatically while cold storage and emergency warehouses stock supplies in advance. During typhoons, micro energy systems prioritize power supply for hospitals, communities and food distribution sites. After typhoons, the city recovers rapidly using local energy and recycled resources.

We believe a true future city should not only be efficient but also protect residents amid changes and disasters. Rixin City strives to become a resilient city capable of energy conservation, on-site power generation, risk response and rapid recovery

Jury Citation:

Rixin City reflects the bold imagination of young students envisioning the future of urban life. By connecting energy, food, resource circulation, and disaster resilience, the project demonstrates strong social awareness, interdisciplinary thinking, and the creative potential of a new generation of designers.