Transcript Document

1. Changes
and
Developments
in
Shanghai
1.1 Buildings
1.2 Transportation
1.3 Infrastructure
1.4 Schools
1.5 Open Space and
Recreation
An Introduction
There are two main reasons for urban growth.
Firstly, rural-urban migration, or the migration of
people from rural regions like Xinjiang to Shanghai.
International migration also contributes to the
increase in population size. Shanghai attracts many
foreign investors with its booming economy and low
labour cost. Secondly, mortality rate has decreased
with advancement in medical science, better
healthcare services, and improved sanitation
conditions. Hence, rapid urban growth is a result of
natural increase.
To cater for the growing population, and economic
development, the city of Shanghai requires good
urban planning.
1.1.1 Old Buildings
The shikumen,石库门, is a
traditional home in Shanghai. The
shikumen houses are located in
estates, called longtangs, or back
alleys. The shikumen style is
unique to Shanghai.
1.1.2 From Old to New
However, the 2-to-3-storey-tall
shikumen buildings do not
provide adequate housing,
especially for the new
migrants to Shanghai.
So, there is a need to evict the
tenants of some of these
buildings to give space for
development of high-rise
buildings.
This photograph shows some
buildings in Hongqiao. It was taken
on the highway.
1.1.3 Skyscrapers galore!
The development of skyscrapers and
buildings have met the demands for housing
from the rapidly increasing population in
Shanghai.
The buildings also have other uses.
Skyscrapers in the Central Area nucleates the
offices and government buildings,
maximizing space.
The buildings not only served to improve the
standards of living for the people living in
Shanghai, but have also attracted more foreign
investors to use those skyscrapers, or develop
more of them. Foreign investments contribute
greatly to the economic growth in Shanghai,
providing many jobs.
1.1.4 The buildings
The below is a photo of the
Shanghai Technological Center in
Pudong, the east side of Shanghai.
The architectural style of the
building is very modern and
futuristic.
This photograph (above) was taken in
the city of Puxi, the west side of
Shanghai. As you can see, there are
many skyscrapers in the city, and many
more are still under construction.
One building that stands out in this
photo is that with a huge clock near the
top. This building is under the list of
historical buildings preserved by the
government.
The Shanghai Municipal Government recognised the importance of
the cultural and historical buildings in Shanghai. Many old
buildings in Shanghai are being preserved, adding a special flavour
to the city landscape while preserving the culture of Shanghai.
XINTIANDI…
• Preservation of the traditional
architectural style of shikumen
• Keeping the history of Shanghai’s
French concession alive
• Serving as a shopping/commercial
area, enhancing the quality of life of
city dwellers
• A recreational area where people can
spend time strolling and admiring the
beauty of the buildings
• A revenue for jobs and a source of
income
• A buffer zone between the
skyscrapers of Huai Hai Lu
1.2.1 The Old and the New
The photos of an old tricycle and a
modern motorcycle are highly
contrasting, and show the
development and changes of
transportation in Shanghai.
The ownership of vehicles
has been increasing in
Shanghai.
The volume of traffic has also
thus increased.
1.2.2 Transportation of Goods- Old
1.2.2 Transportation of Goods- New
1.3.1 The Highway
The complex highway system in Shanghai is a very
good transportation infrastructure that connects the
whole of Shanghai together in a spider-web-like
network.
1.3.2 The Shanghai Metro
The Shanghai Metro allows people to
travel all over Shanghai without having
to spend long periods of time in a car or
a bus, shortening travel time and also
reducing costs of travel.
The complex network of the Shanghai Metro (which was
shown on the previous slide) allows people to travel all over
Shanghai without having to endure long periods of time in a
car or a bus.
The maglev, or magnetic levitation train, transports people arriving at the
Pudong airport. It is the world’s fastest train, and is a symbol of the
technological advancement in the transportation infrastructure of Shanghai.
The good facilities of
a school and the
efficiency and
excellence of an
education system is
crucial to the future
leaders of the
country.
There are many schools in
Shanghai, among them are
specialize schools. This school
places an emphasis on the
learning of the arts, and teaches
her students to play the violin,
the piano, to dance, to act, and to
draw. The picture on the right
was taken in a piano room.
The location of this
school, Qi Se Hua
Elementary School, is
right beside HuaiHai
Lu, the shopping
haven in Shanghai. It
is thus highly
accessible.
A little greenhouse.
Sports
facilities
1.5.1 Parks and Gardens
There are many beautiful parks that
serve as recreational areas in the
crowded city of Shanghai. The open
space between buildings add to the
beauty and ease the tension of the city.
1.5.2 Recreation and Sports
Recreational areas like parks and golf clubs
enhance the quality of life. Sports facilities
and activities like tennis provides the
people with a chance to exercise and keep
fit.
International sports
competitions like the Shanghai
Tennis Grand Masters are
taking place in Shanghai.
2. A COMPARSION
BETWEEN THE OLD
AND THE NEW
2.1.1 On the Streets of
Shanghai
This photograph shows a
cobbler’s corner in a
longtang near Yuyuan, in
old Shanghai.
Developers have changed this strip of land near
Xintiandi to a shopping paradise, and a tall residential
building.
2.1.1 Eating out
The ambience of the eateries are very contrasting, and
it is obvious that is the one on the right that would
attract the potential customers walking by. The
difference in hygiene levels are also highly evident.
2.1.2 Going to the Hairdresser’s
10 yuan per haircut
in the longtang
At least 50 yuan per haircut
near Huai Hai Lu
LAYOUT OF THE ESTATES
The layout of shikumen buildings in a longtang can be
cramped and maze-like whereas the layout of various
high-rise buildings in a modern residential estate is wellspaced due to good planning.
2.2.1 Convenience
A dangerously steep stairway leads to this old building in the
photograph (left) while an elevator brings the residents of this highrise building up to their apartments.
The elevator brings convenience, and even safety, to residents.
2.2.2 Cleanliness
The doors to a shikumen home and to a
high-rise apartment show the difference in
the cleanliness and living standards.
2.2.3 Hygiene
Living in this shikumen building would have required you to come down to
the alley to get some tap water. It was not only unhygienic as the tap is
shared by many people, but it is also exposed to environmental factors like
sunlight and rainwater, corroding the sink and tap. On the other hand, the
modern facilities in a high-rise apartment allows the resident some privacy
in the daily washing up routine.
2.2.4 Electricity
Electrical appliances, such as
the dishwasher shown in the
photo on the right, takes away
the need for manual labor. The
living standards of the people
are improved with a good
electricity system or supply in
the city of Shanghai.
2.2.5
STORAGE
There is ample space in modern
apartments in tall buildings for proper
storage of food in refrigerators,
cupboards and drawers. However, in
the small shikumen home, storage
space is also limited.
2.2.6 Preparation
of food
Cooking during the olden
days of Shanghai required
charcoal and real fire.
Now, we use gas stoves.
The usage of gas stoves brings much
convenience and hygiene (no more ashes!)
to the kitchen.
2.2.7 The Bedroom.
A room in a shikumen is
cramped and dark.
Sometimes, 8 people have to
squeeze into one room of a
shikumen building. As many
as 10 families occupy one
shikumen building that is
two-to-three storeys high.
My room is bright and
airy, and my 2-yearold apartment is one
of 20 in this 10-storeyhigh building. There
are 2 apartments per
storey.
2.2.8 Other Facilities
Many newly developed estates are
also homes to convenience stores,
gyms, restaurants, swimming
pools, suanas, and other
recreational facilities.
The urban development has indeed
improved the living standards of the
people living in Shanghai.
In Shanghai, the volume of
traffic has increased rapidly
in recent years. Traffic
congestion thus occurs
frequently.
The number of cars on the
roads are increasing, and
the demand for transport is
growing along with the
population size. The road
network is becoming
increasingly inadequate,
and peak hour traffic jams
are common.
Traffic jams prolong
travel time, and affect
the efficiency of the
workforce, which is
proportionate to the
GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) of a country.
Such traffic problems can be solved by
better infrastructure like building more
bridges and tunnels, and adding a third-tier
highway.
Also, measures like charging drivers for
driving along congested roads during
certain times i.e. peak hours.
Car pooling could also be encouraged. Good
driving etiquette and observance of traffic
rules would also help.
3.1.2 Inadequate Transport System
• Long waiting time for public transport like the public bus
• Taxis are more commonly used than buses and the
Metro
• Buses and the trains are packed like sardines
• Affects the efficiency of workforce, productivity of
country, and thus the income and total Gross Domestic
Product
This can be solved by extending road and rail networks further.
The public transport system should include more routes, and
use more buses and trains to improve the efficiency and
adequacy of the public transport system.
3.1.3
Safety Hazards
Vehicles transporting goods are
sometimes not secured properly.
The goods could fall from the
highly-stacked piles they are
placed into, and knock onto the
next vehicle, resulting in
accidents.
Many old vehicles emitting
black gas are seen travelling
along the roads of
Shanghai. The black gas
could temporarily block the
vision of the driver of the
next vehicle, endangering
the safety of many.
Water pollution can be seen in the canals of
Shanghai. Litter carelessly strewn by the
increasing population pollutes the water.
And industrial waste further damages the
water system.
Thankfully, wastewater treatment in
industrial zones will be improved with all
effluents collected by sewage networks. By
2006, the wastewater treatment plants and
wastewater collection systems will be
completed in the 78 reserved zones.
Air pollution often causes
the sky in Shanghai to be
hazy. The sun is rarely
seen clearly, and the air in
the city is far from fresh
and pure.
Air pollution control will be
improved with effective air
pollutant emission reduction.
By 2008 district heating
systems will be developed in
all possible industrial zones.
By 2010, all industrial zones
will turn into smoke and dust
control areas.
Air pollution in Shanghai
is caused by the emission
of gases from the
industries and other such
sources that have come
about with the
urbanization and
development of Shanghai.
3.2.2.1 EVERYONE COULD PLAY A PART.
A great source of air pollution in cities, are the vehicles on
the road that increases exhaust emissions such as carbon
monoxide and sulphur dioxide. Vehicles also contribute dust
particles to the air, which could lead to respiratory
problems for the elderly and those prone to asthma.
Electrically powered vehicles such as this one would
reduce the emissions of exhaust gas.
The presence of domestic and
industrial wastes spoil the beauty
of the city, and become eyesores.
It also increases the risk of
diseases from poor hygiene.
The development of farmland into
skyscrapers, especially common
in Pudong, is also a form of land
pollution that comes along with
the increasing population and the
urbanization of the city.
3.2.4 Noise pollution
Noise pollution from the traffic, industrial
or construction activities can make urban
living unpleasant. High noise level can
lead to hearing problems and cause stress.
3.3 Hygiene
3.3.1 Disposal of Rubbish
This rubbish chute is located right opposite a
convenience store in a shikumen estate. Bad urban
planning has allowed that to happen. Germs and
bacteria could infect passers-by.
3.3.2 Sanitation
This public toilet is placed
right beside a garden which
also grows plants like the
green pea to be eaten by
the grower.
There is a foul smell around
the toilet, but residents of
this shikumen estate live
oblivious to it.
This public toilet could
result in the spreading of
fatal diseases.
This public toilet is actually a result of poor urban planning in
these settlements, where there is inadequate space in most
houses to build a toilet.
3.3.3 Bad
Hygiene Practices
Bad hygiene practices of the
Shanghainese is a result of rapid
urbanization with which the people have
not been able to catch up with.
That could be solved by educating the
public, and encouraging the people to
have good hygiene practices.
The government could also improving on
public toilets and other such facilities,
and giving more space for them in urban
planning.
There have been stories of several
inconsiderate vendors who collect old
bottles and then fill them up with
drinks from half-consumed cans.
They then sell it to the next
unknowing buyer.
3.4.1 Overcrowding
An overcrowded city creates tension in a person, and does
not give relief to the eye.
A city with good urban planning would have a well-balanced
plot ratio.
The city center should be less dense with buildings, and
dotted with more greenery.
3.4.2 Eyesores
Too many billboards present in
the city scar the landscape of
the Shanghai city.
3.4.3 Slums
In these dilapidated houses, there are inadequate
public services like water and electricity, with no
proper sanitation and sewage system. Diseases like
tuberculosis can arise and spread easily, especially
with the cramped conditions of these buildings.
These slums are also fire hazards.
The slums are still present in Shanghai due to bad
urban planning. The people living in these slums
have not been relocated to proper houses.
Solutions to such housing problems include
• Granting housing subsidies,
• Providing low-cost housing to relocate slum
dwellers, or
• Improving the living conditions of slums and
squatter settlements
The solution to these
problems in the city
landscape can be
solved with better
urban planning.
AS SHANGHAI ADVANCES
INTO THE FUTURE, IT WILL
REQUIRE BETTER URBAN
PLANNING TO DEVELOP AND
BLOOM INTO A WORLDCLASS CITY…
Bibliography
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<http://ww.nyu.edu/wagner/urbanplanning>
Pictures and information from Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.
18 October 2005.
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<http://www.urbanrail.net/as/shan/shanghai.htm>
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<http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20030809_pudong_airport_magl
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