Shanghai Launches Ambitious Waterfront Development Plan

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 ◆ Shanghai Launches Ambitious Waterfront Development Plan

Shanghai, in its aim to become a first-class international metropolis, has launched an ambitious plan to develop its waterfront area along the Huangpu River which
flows through the city.

The plan, the result of more than a year's efforts, including work by leading international urban planning and design units, was recently unveiled by the municipal urban planning bureau and involves an area of 2,260 hectares in Pudong, Luwan, Huangpu,
Hongkou and Yangpu districts.

These areas are currently occupied mostly by warehouses and wharf facilities, except the famous Bund, a downtown commercial and shopping area lined by impressive Western-style commercial buildings.

Under the new plan, the waterfront areas will be turned into a land of modern office, commercial and residential buildings, as well as leisure facilities.

Li Liangyuan, head of the municipal planning committee, said their goal is to make the waterfront of the Huangpu River as beautiful as that of the Seine in Paris.

His urbanism counterpart, Xia Liqing, said a leading principle of the plan is to satisfy citizens' desire for nature. For this purpose, planners are considering increasing green land and creating more waterside sights.

The authorities estimate that it would cost more than 100 billion yuan (12 billion U.S. dollars) to turn the whole plan into reality. Officials have termed the plan another milestone project after the development of the Pudong New District.

The sum required for the project will be mainly raised from the market, as the government will be only financing public utility projects, said Zhang Huimin, head of the municipal construction committee.