Rapid growth in the port city of Ningbo, which lies in the northeast of Zhejian Province, has over-burdened the city's infrastructure during the past decade. To support continued development, the Ningbo government decided in 2002 to build Eastern New City, which will add about 16 square kilometers to the city. But as urbanization continues to sweep through China, the problem of housing displaced farmers has grown into a major problem facing local governments. In 2004, Ningbo commissioned the Shanghai-based architecture firm DC Alliance to design the first phase of a community for 11,000 relocated people on 19.77 hectares of land.

Good affordable housing for displaced farmers has been rare as Chinese cities swallow up surrounding villages, acknowledges Ping Gang, executive director of DC Alliance. Ping saw this project as an opportunity to set a different precedent. “Architects have the responsibility to contribute to social fairness and to play their role in the relocation process by offering exquisite design. The farmers now living in the Ningbo economical housing say that the community is the best they've ever known,” Ping says.