Just as Universal Studios’ Jurassic Park water ride takes customers on an unexpected plunge, the firm that designed the coaster has made its own surprising splash: It has gotten into the urban planning business.

North Hollywood’s Goddard Group was contracted by the Chinese government last year and this to help design a city called Shenfu New Town. Construction is well under way.

So how did a firm best known for thrill rides get the gig? It took an upstart city looking to add some fun to its landscape.

The 4.6-square-mile city in northeastern China is built to house a growing work force of industrial laborers, but similar cities have had trouble attracting residents due to a lack of character.

Goddard, which does have experience with mixed-use entertainment centers, got the job after designing a nearby theme park last year called Fushun Dream World. The government official who led that project was so pleased he introduced the firm to Liaoning Province officials overseeing Shenfu New Town’s development.

“I said, ‘We aren’t known for urban design, but we can do it,’” said founder Gary Goddard, whose work includes the Forum shops at Caesars Palace. “They wanted the heart of the new city to have a town that was tourist friendly.”

The firm got a $2 million-plus contract to design the three-fourths-of-a-square-mile heart of the city, which will include parks, shops and other attractions, but not residential or office components. The capstone will be a steel ring more than 300 feet high called the Circle of Life, which will overlook a lake.

The idea is that when the circle is finished it could serve as an icon to draw international visitors, but completion has been delayed due to a slowdown in economic growth and likely won’t be finished until the latter part of next year.

Brent Thompson, founder of Malibu firm Global Design Workshop, who got a separate contract to design retail and residential developments in the city, said Shenfu is likely a couple of years from realizing its potential.

“They got the initial kickoff, but there’s not really a critical mass in the city yet,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of housing built that will sit empty for a few years.”