Recently, OBERMEYER was invited to participate in the "Dingzhou Ancient City Revitalization Urban Design Masters Invitation Competition"and won the Best Performance Award. As a pioneer in historic city preservation in Germany, OBERMEYER blends European expertise with Dingzhou’s unique context. With a deep understanding of the history and culture of the ancient city and a sharp insight into the development of modern cities, the team focuses on balancing history and the future, function and space, residents and tourists, and proposes a holistic urban development vision for Dingzhou’s ancient city.

1. Relationship between History & Future: The prime value of an ancient city resides in preserving its historical continuity while simultaneously creating space for future development. This balance ensures that the city’s heritage is respected and celebrated, even as it evolves to meet contemporary requirements.

2. Relationship between Function & Space: Anchored in modern life, an ancient city should accommodate diverse functions while evolving its urban spatial texture. This dual focus ensures that the city remains vibrant and relevant, while maintaining its unique character and historical identity.

3. Relationship between Residents & Tourists: For residents, the ancient city serves as a social space that facilitates daily life experiences and interactions. For tourists, it offers opportunities for cultural immersion and education, as well as a visually and sensorially enriching experience. This dual perspective ensures that the needs of both groups are harmoniously integrated into the urban fabric.

Using history as a brush and space as a canvas, OBERMEYER ’s design sketches the ancient city’s past and future. The plan reconstructs the central cross-axis and moat corridor systems to preserve urban memory, extends the axis from the Imperial Examination Hall to the waterfront, and integrates cultural exchange and Intangible Cultural Heritage industries, revitalizing cultural heritage in modern life.

With culture as its core, the plan established a "1+2" industrial system, prioritizing cultural tourism. Themed tour routes enrich experiential activities, creating immersive cultural journeys. Leveraging experiential learning and Intangible Cultural Heritage, the plan cultivates research and heritage industries, enhancing cultural influence and injecting economic vitality into the city.

Ancient City Integrated with Urban Tourism: Guided by market demands and emphasizing local cultural heritage, the plan shapes a fresh identity for the ancient city. By integrating the eight key tourism elements, it enhances the tourism product system, establishing a core cultural tourism space in Dingzhou’s ancient city, and focusing on the construction of the " Dingzhou Pagoda Zen Vibes" and the " Lively Urban Life " two major experience sections.

• Dingzhou Pagoda Zen Vibes: Rooted in the essence of Zen Buddhism, this initiative transcends conventional mindsets to integrate Dingzhou’s Buddhist culture. It offers four distinctive services: Zen Banquet, Zen Meditation, Zen Joy, and Zen Lodging. By creating an interactive, multi-functional tourism sanctuary, it invites visitors on a holistic journey of Zen Buddhist spiritual cultivation.
• Personalized Cultural Exploration: With Dingzhou Temple of Literature as the core cultural catalyst, a functional area integrating experiential learning, education and cultural activities is created around the temple in the northern area, aiming to provide visitors with abundant learning and experiential opportunities.