MLA+ More than Masterplans, Landscapes, Architecture, we deliver plus-value to projects.

MLA+ works on urban planning, landscape design, architecture and consultancy projects globally with more than 25 years of experience and a total staff of 100+ employees in Rotterdam, London, St Petersburg, Moscow, Berlin, Shenzhen and Shanghai. Through a vast variety of projects, MLA+ has built the knowledge and capacity needed to work in increasingly complex urban environments while maintaining a versatile and innovative approach to the challenges of tomorrow.

What can waterfront regeneration do for Southeast Asian and Chinese cities?Across the region, rivers, canals, lakes and ...
26/08/2026

What can waterfront regeneration do for Southeast Asian and Chinese cities?

Across the region, rivers, canals, lakes and coastlines are under increasing pressure from rapid urbanisation, heavy rainfall, rising temperatures and development demand.

But these same waterfronts also offer rare opportunities: space for water, space for nature, space to walk and cycle, and space to create new urban districts.

Five principles are shaping our approach:

-Give water room, and people access
-Turn the river into a pedestrian highway
-Create waterfront districts, not waterfront buildings
-Design different relationships with water
-Make water connect, not divide

Across our work in Asia, we have been testing how waterfronts can move beyond being city edges and become active structures for climate resilience, mobility, public life and urban growth.

What makes transit-oriented development different in Southeast Asia?Across our work in China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, w...
05/08/2026

What makes transit-oriented development different in Southeast Asia?

Across our work in China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, we have explored how climate, mobility habits, landscape, growth and public life can reshape the conventional TOD model.
These five principles summarise our approach:

1.Design for tropical comfort
2.Plan for tomorrow’s density
3.Make blue and green part of mobility
4.Build on existing mobility
5.Make the journey a destination

Each principle is grounded in a project where we tested how TOD can become more adaptable, comfortable and connected to the identity of its place.

Duo CityHow can a new district grow with nature rather than against it?Located around a new high-speed railway station a...
09/07/2026

Duo City

How can a new district grow with nature rather than against it?

Located around a new high-speed railway station and shaped by hilly farmland, Gui’An New District offers an opportunity to rethink the relationship between urban development and landscape.

The Duo City concept responds to this context by bringing together qualities often treated as opposites: nature and city, tradition and modernity, local identity and global ambition.

Rather than separating these conditions, the design creates proximity and interaction between them. Landscape structures support urban vitality, while new public spaces, mobility connections, and mixed-use environments establish a framework for everyday life.

The result is a district model where natural setting and urban intensity reinforce one another shaping a more balanced and distinctive future for Gui’An.

Nature and city as one system.
Urban growth rooted in place.

Summer at MLA+Last week, our team came together to enjoy the summer sunshine with our annual office BBQ.Good food, great...
07/07/2026

Summer at MLA+

Last week, our team came together to enjoy the summer sunshine with our annual office BBQ.

Good food, great weather, and even better company made it a welcome opportunity to step away from our desks, catch up with colleagues, and celebrate the people behind our projects.

Moments like these remind us that strong collaboration starts with strong connections both inside and outside the studio.

Here's to a summer of new ideas, shared experiences, and continued collaboration.

Yantai Coastal PlazaHow can a waterfront become more than a destination?The Yantai Coastal Plaza reimagines the city's w...
03/07/2026

Yantai Coastal Plaza

How can a waterfront become more than a destination?

The Yantai Coastal Plaza reimagines the city's waterfront as a shared public space where urban life, landscape, and the coastline come together.

Rather than defining the site as a single-function square or park, the proposal creates a layered public realm that responds to the different ways people experience the waterfront. Landscape, open space, and everyday activity are integrated to form a place that supports gathering, recreation, and civic life throughout the year.

Drawing inspiration from Yantai's coastal identity, natural elements become the foundation of the design, shaping a public space that is both distinctive and connected to its surroundings.

The result is a waterfront that functions as an urban living room where city and sea meet through public life.

Public space for everyday life.

Landscape shaped by place.

✨ Planning green corridors for long-term resilience🌍 How do you build resilient landscapes at a regional scale?This ques...
15/01/2026

✨ Planning green corridors for long-term resilience

🌍 How do you build resilient landscapes at a regional scale?

This question guided MLA+’s contribution to the Green Corridor Planner Guidelines for the Almaty Agglomeration, developed with the The World Bank as part of a broader vision for a connected green network across Kazakhstan.

Almaty’s region spans dense urban areas, river valleys, steppes, and agricultural land. While rich in landscapes, these systems are often fragmented and increasingly exposed to climate risks.

☀️🌊 The challenges are clear.

Heat stress, flooding, desertification, and habitat fragmentation demand a coordinated, long-term response.

🎯 Our ambition
To turn green space into infrastructure and resilience into a shared regional asset.

➡️ How we approach it

The guidelines offer a structured and scalable framework that combines:

🌿 Spatial planning and landscape connectivity

💧 Ecological restoration and nature-based solutions

🌱 Climate adaptation strategies across urban and rural contexts

By translating complex environmental challenges into clear planning tools and design principles, the project supports decision-makers, planners, and communities in shaping landscapes that are resilient, multifunctional, and connected.

🌱 The goal is simple and ambitious at once

To transform fragmented green spaces into a continuous system that cools cities, supports biodiversity, and strengthens regional resilience.

Landscape as infrastructure.
Green as a long-term investment.

✨ Dubai cycle the “Cool” Cycling Experience🚲 How do you make cycling viable in harsh climates?This question guided our e...
13/01/2026

✨ Dubai cycle the “Cool” Cycling Experience

🚲 How do you make cycling viable in harsh climates?

This question guided our explorations in Dubai, where we developed a series of design concepts and cooling strategies to rethink everyday cycling.

Dubai has made impressive investments in infrastructure, yet cycling remains largely a leisure activity. It is rarely seen as a comfortable or realistic daily alternative to the car.

☀️ The reasons are clear.
Bike paths are too hot, too exposed, and too disconnected to support a real modal shift.

🎯 Our ambition is to change that.
To make cycling part of daily life in Dubai not just a weekend activity.

➡️ How we approach it
We developed four core strategies to turn cycling routes into a comfortable, legible, and inviting network:

🌿 Natural shade through trees and vegetation, reducing heat and improving the microclimate.
☀️ Smart cooling canopies combining shade, misting, solar energy, lighting, and cooling.
🛣️ Heat-reflective pavements to lower surface temperatures.
❄️ Comfort nodes with shaded or air-conditioned rest points where cyclists can pause and recharge.

The signature element: the D shape
Inspired by the sail, the palm leaf, and the “D” of Dubai, the D shape represents movement, nature, and local identity.

More than a form, it becomes a scalable and recognisable design language for the Dubaicycle system.

From ground patterns to canopies, seating, lighting, and signage, the D shape ties the entire network together into a cohesive urban experience.

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