Shanghai used the 2010 World Expo as an opportunity to redevelop and regenerate the city's waterfront along the Huangpu River. The large-scale renewal project relocated over 18,000 families and 270 enterprises to transform polluted industrial lands into new cultural, business, and public spaces. It extended the accessible waterfront from 3km to over 20km and improved the environment. Post-Expo, the site was planned for uses like creative industries, conferences, and sustainable urban districts to integrate neighborhoods across the river. However, more detailed guidance was still needed for coordinated development.

1. Big Event and Shanghai
Water-front Regeneration
——The experiences of post-Expo
2010 riverbank redevelopment
Ning Su & Qiyu Tu
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences
2017-7-7

2. Huangpu River
113 km totally
10 km in city
100+ wharfs
1st generation
Shanghai Port

3. River of Production River for Life

4. Shanghai Expo 2010 Renewal
• Largest scale inner-city renewal in the first decade in 21
century for Shanghai ( investment: 19.7 billion RMB for Expo
Site, 363.2 billion RMB(estimate) for the total construction)
• ---Operation form:
1. Mega-Even Waterfont Renewal
2. Municipal Government-Led
3. Multi-Task: Expo area building, environmental
improvement and inner city renewal
---Location and Condition: Central city, Water front, 5.28
km², 18000 family, 270 enterprises,

5. The Strategy : Beyond Expo 2010
• Shanghai attempted to use World Expo 2010 as a catalyst to
regenerate Shanghai’s main waterfront along Huangpu
Riverbank and enhance its economical and cultural sector.
• The event also aimed to facilitate the regeneration of large
industrial sites into the host city’s waterfront new cultural and
exhibition, business agglomeration.

6. Expo Area

7. Site of World Expo 2010

8. Expo Area
(Before Redevelopment)

9. Expo Area
(Before Redevelopment)

11. Goals for Expo Renewal
• Goal 1:Legitimacy of relocate the polluted factories along the
Huangpu River to suburban areas and replace with high-quality
cultural and service–oriented urban function, which will speed up
Shanghai on-going economic restructuring process.
• Goal 2: Attracting more people to the waterfront with new urban
function, instead of only 3 kilometre out of 41 kilometre waterfront
of the Huangpu The attention towards the expo brought both
banks of Huangpu River to River can be accessed by the
public(2002).
• Goal 3: the focus and facilitate integration of both Huang Pu banks.

12. The Planning(2000-2001)
• Concept design competition in 2000 and 2001 by Shanghai Urban
Planning Administrative Bureau :Redesign the waterfront area of
Huangpu Riverbank covering 20 kilometres long riverbank and
covers an area of 22.6 square kilometres.
• A total area of 6.68 square kilometres defined as core areas of the
project would be used to prepare the expo. The plan combined
Huangpu Riverbank development and Shanghai’s economic and
spatial restructuring.
• Aim: Turning the waterfront area of Huangpu River bank into new
city centre with high quality office space, housing products,
attractive public space and green areas.

13. Expo Area under Construction

14. Expo Area under Construction

15. Expo Area under Construction

16. Chian Pavillion under Construction

18. Expo 2010

19. Expo 2010

20. 5 Key Actions of Expo Renewal
• Resident Relocation(18,000 families)
• Conservation of Historical Heritage (1/6 original construction,
re-used 370,000㎡ construction)
• Infrastructure Building
• Environment Improvement( 20.5 km water-front public space,
1.49 million m2 public green area)
• Housing Improvement

21. Expo Residential Area Before 2006

22. Expo Relocation Community

23. Expo Relocation Community

24. Nanshi Power-plant (Before EXPO)

25. City Future Pavilion (During EXPO)

27. Conservation of Industrial
Construction

28. Environment Improvement(2001-2010)
• 2001-2010, 4 rounds of “Three-year Action Plan”covered:
cleaning up of the polluted waters and the atmosphere, solid waste
treat, green belt construction, preservation of the agricultural eco-
system and creating of eco-industrial enterprises. 2006-2010,
chemical oxygen demand(COD) decreased by 27.7%,SO2 emissions
decreased by 30.2%
• Improved water-front area (Bin Jiang) environment: Re-modified
the Middle Huangpu Bund area, 20.5 km water-front public space,
1.49 million m2 public green area been built.

29. Bailianijng Area (Before)

30. Bailianijng Garden Plan (Plan)

31. Bailianjing (After)

32. Bailianjng Garden (After)

33. Houtan Wetland Garden

34. Master Plan of Expo Site After 2010
• sites for creative industries, international organizations
• exhibition space, industrial heritage as museum
• international conference centre and public performance
centre
• sustainable urban districts
• public green space to improve the urban quality
• cross river tunnel and transportation nod

35. Post-Expo Urban Renewal (2010-now)
“5 zones”+”1 band”
• International Conference and Exhibition Zone
• International Community Zone
• Houtan Potential Development Zone
• Puxi Culture Zone
• UBPA Zone
• Waterfront Environmental Leisure Band

36. Functions of post-Expo site
International Community Zone
International Conference and Exhibition Zone
UBPA Zone
Puxi Culture Zone
Houtan Potential Development Zone
Waterfront Environmental Lesuire Band

37. Land Planning for Post-Expo Site

38. Expo SOC Headquarter Area

39. Influence of Post-Expo Renewal
• Area Function Transformed: Turned the former industrial area to
service and commercial Area, The polluted and anti- esthetical 272
manufacturing plants, which are undesirably located on the Expo site,
was moved to new industrial area.
• Extended Huangpu River Water-front area: the length of river-bank
extend from 85km(2002) to 119km(2010), zoning area from 74 km2 to
144 km2
• Integrated the Districts across the River: Building the first trans-
bank/district function area in Shanghai inner city: Pudong-Huangpu-
Xuhui districts

40. Issues Need to Improve
• Lack of Guidance: Although the post-expo plan has clearly defined the
function of the blocks, the more detailed guidance is still lacking.
• A similar development can also be found in the exhibition and business
area, where 28 regional headquarters will be located in several blocks.
• Little coordination has been made to define their architecture feature,
urban quality in general or public space in particular.
• All urban districts focused only on their own urban blocks. District
governments with strong financial background have already developed
their Riverbank, others have difficulty even to start their pilot project due
to financial constraints, like Yangpu District.

41. From Expo Axis to The River Mall

42. From Expo Axis to The River Mall

43. From Expo Axis to The River Mall

44. From Expo Axis to The River Mall

45. From Expo Axis to The River Mall

46. Thank You!