Shanghai seeks public's input on master plan

Shanghai has invited its residents to contribute ideas to its ambitious plan for development through 2040, aiming to lift the living, working and learning conditions of the city's people to a new high.

The public can provide opinions through September 21, officials said when publishing the proposed plan on Monday.

The basic philosophy of the development plan is to prioritize people as well as to further make Shanghai "a city of prosperity, innovation, happiness and humanity", said Zhuang Shaoqin, director of Shanghai's planning bureau.

Many changes are planned by which Shanghai will strive to place itself in the world's first echelon of economic, financial, trade, shipping, research and cultural centers, Zhuang said while introducing the Shanghai Master Plan (2016-40).

With ceilings set for the city's permanent resident population and the overall land planned for construction, Shanghai will pursue a path of meticulous growth, Zhuang said.

The ceiling for the city's permanent resident population is targeted for around 25 million by 2040, an increase of 850,000 from the current figure. Overall land planned for construction will be kept within 3,200 square kilometers, an increase of about 100 square km from the present.

The plan sets forth a system for the city's public activity centers that will consist of four tiers — the city's central activity area, subsidiary central areas, regional centers and community centers. The system is designed to enhance Shanghai's role as a major global city and to meet residents' diverse needs.

The central activity area, mainly within the municipality's inner ring road, will be the core zone for global city functions, including the integration of finance, business, commerce, culture, leisure and tourism.

Community development is highlighted in the plan. It guarantees that all residents will be able to walk to a public services facility within 15 minutes and that a subway station will be available for any community with a population of 100,000 or more.

Metro lines will reach a total of more than 1,000 km, compared with nearly 600 km at present. At least 60 percent of Shanghai's residents will be within 600 meters of a subway station by 2040, compared with 32 percent now.

"The fundamental philosophy of the plan is to prioritize all the people living, working and studying in Shanghai, a city of prosperity, innovation, happiness and humanity," Zhuang said.

Shanghai will become more cycle-friendly as well. "The total length accessible to cyclers will be more than 2,000 kilometers," said Xu Yisong, deputy director of the bureau.

While experts say the development of Shanghai as well as China depends on spatial expansion and construction, the focus for Shanghai, as seen in the plan, has shifted to improvement of the quality of life.

"The idea penetrates every detail in the plan, which provides more lanes for bicycle riders and joggers and more space for the public and parks, while that for business is reduced," said Zhu Dajian, head of the Institute of Sustainable Development at Tongji University.

Zhu said Shanghai is ranked in the world's top 10 regarding economic, financial, trade and shipping development, but it lags far behind when it comes to cultural and environmental indicators, compared with the world's first-class cosmopolitan cities.