Shanghai aims to become global metropolis with new blueprint

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A new inclusive master plan for Shanghai will allow the city to develop to the highest international standards in the next two decades, experts have predicted.

The plan, known as Shanghai 2035, is designed to make Shanghai a human-centric city by striking a balance between further urban development and tightly controlling its population, thus allowing all groups of people to lead healthy lifestyles.

Shanghai will continue to be the lead city in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, one of the most influential and wealthy areas in China.

The master plan is scheduled to be completed by 2035 – earlier than the previous target of 2040 – emphasizing the municipality’s commitment to a quick renewal.

Positive limitations

Shanghai has now entered a restricted development stage, meaning the total amount of construction is no longer increasing, said Liu Daizong, director of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.

Many aspects in the plan show Shanghai’s ambition to build a metropolitan area that is both livable and competitive globally.

While many cities are expanding their urban areas, Shanghai is the first in China to declare an ambition to “shrink” its center. The city aims to cap its permanent population at 25 million by 2035 under the strategy, and limit construction to within 3,200 square kilometers.

Shanghai authorities say they will limit the use of private vehicles to below 15 percent of the central city’s total transportation. No other Chinese city has ever set a clear goal on regulating private-use automobiles in the city center.

Slowing down the speed of building metro lines in the central part of the city is another bold move, and is probably because the municipal government is aware of the heavy financial burden. However, according to Liu, there will be an increase in the amount of metro lines in the new city area.

With a limit on population, Shanghai will focus on raising the quality of life for the existing population, said Joe Zhou, head of research at JLL China. The bulk of construction will focus on the old urban centers and will benefit both state-owned companies and enterprises.

Inclusive development

Cities are featured in the sustainable development goals, launched within the UN’s current global scheme, as “hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more.”

With the population restriction limiting the city’s demographics, raising the level of well-being will be how Shanghai tries to increase tax revenue. Then the municipal government will carry out its strategies for increasing quality of life.

“The creation of the surrounding cities is the key to Shanghai’s growth, so restricting the growth of the key city and developing the referral cities around Shanghai is a great move,” said Keith Griffiths, who has been responsible for a number of landmark buildings in Hong Kong and other Asian cities as the founder of the Aedas architecture practice. The firm specializes in building density and city planning.

Griffiths said this strategy “allows the original city of Shanghai to develop and investigate how to develop for the future and provide more green space, waterways, and access to subway systems.”

While many cities in China focus on their residential population, Shanghai has shown interest in balancing public services between various groups of people: The plan aims to have the actual residential population, people visiting Shanghai, and people across the region covered by the city’s public services by the end of 2035.

“Each city has its own unique characteristics: Shanghai’s characteristic is that it’s the lead of the town cluster. It is more like a European city while Beijing is more like an American city,” said Griffiths.

But the direction will be the same: To recreate inclusive cities; to maximize land use in the city center; to create a satellite city when necessary; to coordinate the rail, road and general infrastructure network with the development master plan; and to protect traditional culture.

World-level models

“The most livable cities tend to be appealing to the brainworkers,” said Liu from WRI.

Entrepreneurial people under the age of 35 are the key to development and innovation in prosperous cities around the world. And how to attract as many of them as possible is what the city of Shanghai is working on.

Under the plan, at least 20 percent of all newly built state-owned real estate properties will be rented out for the young population to live affordably.

It also promotes livability, specifically in its 15-minute life circle idea: Ninety-nine percent of public service facilities will be accessible within a 15-minute walk.

The plan is helping to bring younger people back to the center of the city, said Zhou from JLL China. City renewal will be the main trend for the future of urban development, and it will definitely positively impact the real estate market.

Emphasis on public space, as part of renewing the market-oriented city center, is an idea previously used in cities such as New York, and proves again that the development model of China’s most developed city will shift to street re-development once expansion becomes limited.

The master plan of Beijing was published for public review before the final approval. Shanghai, on the other hand, involved the public in Shanghai 2035 from the start, with about 40 organizations and 26,700 people involved.

It proves that, for a city to become livable at an international standard, being open-minded is as important as creating open spaces.