Urban World

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WORLDWORLDWORLDu r b a nu r b a nu r b a n

What the Shanghai Expo means for China

Interview: Philadelphias Mayor reveals new strategic growth plan

How ICT is transforming the lives of slum dwellers

New UN-HABITAT Executive Director

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www.unhabitat.org 2010 UN-HABITAT

UN-HABITATP.O.Box 30030, GPO

Nairobi 00100, KenyaTel. (254-20) 762 3120Fax. (254-20) 762 3477

E-mail: [email protected]

EDITOR: Roman Rollnick

EDITORIAL BOARDAnantha KrishnanChristine Auclair

Daniel BiauEdlam Abera Yemeru

Eduardo Lpez MorenoJane NyakairuLucia Kiwala

Mariam YunusaMohamed El-Sioufi

Naison Mutizwa-MangizaOyebanji Oyeyinka (Chair)

Raf Tuts

PRESSGROUP HOLDINGS EUROPE, S.A.Pasaje Dr. Serra, 2-6-646004 Valencia, SpainTel. (34) 96 303 1000Fax. (34) 96 114 0160

E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: Vicente Carbona

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: Jonathan AndrewsART DIRECTOR: Marisa GorbeADVERTISING: Liam Murray

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Flossie Mbiriri, Tom Osanjo

PUBLISHER: Angus McGovern

Urban World is published four times a year by UN-HABITAT and Pressgroup Holdings Europe

S.A. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect the views

and policies of UN-HABITAT. Use of the term country does not imply any judgment by the authors or UN-HABITAT as to the legal or other

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WORLD u r b

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What the Sha

nghai Expo m

eans for China

Interview: Ph

iladelphias M

ayor reveals n

ew strategic

growth plan

How ICT is tra

nsforming the

lives of slum

dwellers

New UN-HAB

ITAT Executive

Director

UN-H

ABITA

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CONTENTS

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W O R L Du r b a n

11

ImagemageImageI mage mage marmarm IarIar saIsaI gorbegorbeg and Cand Cand hr Chr C IhrIhr stIstI IstIst anIanI Lan Lan IndgrenIndgrenI

OPINION

4 A message for World Habitat Day 2010

UN-HABITAT NEWS

5 Changing of the guard

COVER STORY

Shanghai Expo

7 A dazzling Expo makes historyGuillermo Garca

10 Better City, Better Life future city?Dr. Awni Behnam

12 The Shanghai powerhouseDaniel Biau

16 Walking through the great pavilionsRoman Rollnick

22 Using Chinese art for diplomacyZhang Zifeng

ANALYSIS

25 A new approach to gender equality Lucia Kiwala and Emily Wong

BEST PRACTICES

28 How ICT is transforming the lives of slum dwellers Jonathan Andrews

INTERVIEW

32 Philadelphias Mayor reveals new strategic growth plan Vicente Carbona

W O R L D u r b a n 3 September 2010

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Volume 2 Issue 4

FOR A BETTER URBAN FUTURE

IN-FOCUS

36 AfricaKenyas new constitutionDaniel Biau and Alain Kanyinda

News and project round-ups

42 Latin America and the CaribbeanBrazilian city neighbourhood receives extensive upgrade Manuel Manrique


48 Asia-Pacific


50 Middle East and North Africa


52 Central and eastern Europe


54 North America and western Europe


URBAN WATCH

56 Urban economiesBetter cities, better economiesXing Quan Zhang

59 Conference briefingsWorld Cities Summit Mayors Forum

Asia-Pacific Housing and Urban Development Conference

62 New publications

63 Calendar of events

W O R L Du r b a n4 September 2010

C ities are the greatest legacy of humanity and the greatest achievement of our civilization. Around the world

and through the centuries cities have

endured and survived wars, famine,

natural disasters, epidemics, crum-

bling empires, and the disappear-

ance of the gods, kings and queens

for whom they were built.

But we have to keep improving our

cities, and doing that means making

our cities better for those who live

in them and for those yet to be born

in a world that will be from here on

forever urban. Today half of human-

ity lives in towns and cities, and the

trends show that this figure will in-crease to two-thirds within the next

two generations.

This is why the theme chosen for World Habitat Day, Better

City, Better Life is so important to all of us. To that I would add

the term smarter city, for it is only a smart city that can provide

its citizens with a better life in our planets new urban era. It is

an era we are entering with many unknowns, especially when it

comes to the global impact of climate change.

We have all the tools at our disposal in good science to mitigate

against most such problems. We also have the tools and know-

how for good governance, education especially for women and

girls health services, toilets for all, or energy efficiency. We are smart, but we have to be smarter. And World Habitat

Day 2010 is an occasion to highlight five strategic steps that can be taken:

l Improve the quality of life, especially for the estimated 1

billion people living in slums and other sub-standard hous-

ing around the world. Improved access to safe and healthy

shelter, secure tenure, basic services and social amenities

such as health and education are essential to a better life for

every individual.

l Invest in human capital. This is a condition for socio-

economic development and a more equitable distribution

of the urban advantage. This will also enable cities and re-

gions to implement policies more effectively and to ensure

that they are properly adjusted to lo-

cal needs.

l Foster sustained economic

opportunities. Cities can stimu-

late sustained economic growth for

the poor through labour-intensive

projects. These include primarily

public works and the construction in-

dustry. Cities in the developing world

are starting to provide social security

to give better access to economic op-

portunities for those traditionally

excluded.

l Enhance political inclusion.

Today, more and more municipal and

national authorities share the same

basic philosophy: bringing govern-

ment within the reach of ordinary

people through enhanced mutual

engagement. This means engaging

people and their neighbourhoods in dialogue and partici-

pation in decision-making as a fundamental aspect of local

democracy.

l Promote cultural inclusion. Culture has historically

been left out of the conventional international development

agenda. More and more local development policies take into

account the cultural dimensions of urban life, such as social

capital, tradition, symbols, a sense of belonging and pride

of place. This helps integrate ethnic minorities, preserve re-

gional values, safeguard linguistic and religious diversity,

resolve conflicts and protect the heritage.As we move into a world of better cities with smarter policies,

these are the five essential catalysts for success and a better life for all.

Inga Bjrk-Klevby

Officer-in- Charge of UN-HABITATAssistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and

Deputy Executive Director

OPINION A message for World Habitat Day 2010

W O R L Du r b a nSeptember 2010 5

UN-HABITAT NEWSChanging of the guard

T he United Nations General Assembly on 25 August 2010 elected Joan Clos to a four-year term as the Executive Di-rector of UN-HABITAT at the level of Under Secretary-General of the UN.

The former Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos, has had a long career in

the Spanish Government both at the local and national level. Between

2006 and 2008, he was appointed Minister of Industry, Tourism and

Trade under President Jos Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Between 1997

and 2006, Joan Clos served two terms as Mayor of Barcelona. He was

serving as Spains Ambassador to the Republics of Turkey and Azerbai-

jan when his UN appointment was announced. On hearing the news, Mr. Clos said he was honoured to have been

elected by the UN General Assembly as the new Executive Director of UN-HABITAT and thanked the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon for nominating him.

I am deeply committed to my new task and look forward to building

on the achievements of my predecessor, Anna Tibaijuka. I am a long time

believer in sustainable cities that practise participatory urban governance

and which provide shelter and basic services for all, he said. With over

half of humanity now living in cities, we must prioritize both urban pover-

ty reduction and environmental sustainability, especially as there are now

almost 1 billion slum dwellers. Through collaboration and partnership

with governments, local authorities, non-governmental organizations,

the private sector and all Habitat Agenda partners, our urban areas can

be environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. I look forward

to making my modest contribution to the future of cities.

Mr. Clos succeeds Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka who has headed UN-HABITAT since it was set up in 2001 to replace the former UN Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS). The agency is mandated by the UN General As-sembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and

cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

Mrs. Tibaijuka welcomed the General Assembly decision: Joan Clos is

a committed advocate of the urban agenda. With his long and illustrious

career in local and national government in Spain, he has a wealth of expe-

rience in managing urban renewal and development projects, she said.

As Mayor of Barcelona he became world famous for the way he

turned around the fortunes of the city. Mr. Clos was also one of the first people to understand the need to strengthen international institutions

and networks to support the work of local authorities everywhere,

she added. I can think of no better person to build on what we have

achieved so far at UN-HABITAT. He is the perfect choice to meet the future challenges of urbanization.

UN General Assembly elects Joan Clos as new Executive Director of UN-HABITAT

Mr. Clos and Mrs. Tibaijuka at a meeting earlier this year on the eve of the fifth session of the World Urban Forum PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat / tat / tat e. aPUt

On one of her last official missions, Mrs. Tibaijuka met former President Nelson Mandela when she attended the World Cup final in South Africa in July

PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat / J. tat / J. tat mweLU

Message from the Executive Director ADVERTISEMENT

COVER STORYShanghai Expo

Shanghai is taking the scale of the 2010 Expo to a higher level than ever before for such a world class event, says Guillermo Garca, writer and expert on world exhibitions. Expo 2010 Shanghai is the sixth he has visited. His latest work, Wode Shibo Yuan (Destination Expo), is the first time a Mexican has published a book directly into the Chinese language.

A dazzling Expo that makes history Shanghais showcase to the world and an urban future

Inside the UN Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 Photo Un-habItat / ChrIstIan LIndgren


COVER STORY Shanghai Expo

has a number of ecological mechanisms, for

example, panels to capture solar energy, or

rooftop gardens on the structure that houses

the pavilions of the Chinese provinces. The

final exhibition room, through which visitors pass, focuses on promoting a future of zero

carbon emissions.

Of the international pavilions, South

Koreas offers a good balance between the il-

lustrated and the entertaining: their exhibits

include the urban regeneration projects in

Seoul, and also Chorus City, a fantastic movie

which mixes the virtual with the real. The pa-

vilion finishes with a promotion area for the Yeosu international exhibition of 2012. Nearby is the Saudi Arabian pavilion, which is perhaps

the most popular of the Expo. Its major attrac-

tion is the audiovisual experience which com-

bines one of the biggest screens in the world

with an exquisite soundtrack. On peak days,

the queues for the Saudi pavilion are up to eight

hours. Also in this zone is the Japanese pavil-

ion, whose emphasis on sustainable develop-

ment is expressed through samples on water

purification, clean electricity generation and a movie of the joint work of China and Japan to

reintroduce the crested ibis into the wild.

With respect to European countries, it is

worth mentioning Denmark. Its pavilion ex-

alts the bicycle as the best means of transport

for cities, and, of course, it has a cycle track

spiralling up to the roof. In the centre there

is a pond with the original statue of Copen-

hagens Little Mermaid, especially shipped

to Shanghai for the Expo. And her Shanghai

pond shows how water once contaminated is

now clean, thanks to a government effort to

raise the quality of life.

Italy, host of the Milan Expo 2015, focuses on fashion and design. At the same time it does not

neglect the importance of sustainable develop-

ment. Its building is made of a new material

called transparent concrete, which is appropri-

ate for both thermal insulation and lighting. On

one side of Italy is the United Kingdom pavil-ion, better known as The Seed Cathedral. The

main structure is six floors high and covered by 60,000 transparent rods which contain seeds

in one of its ends. The message is that seeds and

plants have enormous potential to provide the

necessary solutions to confront the ecological

challenges of the planet.

One of my favourite anecdotes from the

Expo 2010 is concerning parts of the Span-

ish and German pavilions. In the last room of

the German pavilion there is a spherical screen

that moves according to visitors noise. Spains

third room showcases Migueln, a baby-shaped

giant animatronic that represents the future.

There have been some people that get con-

fused and clap and yell in front of Migueln

hoping to make him react. From the Span-

ish pavilion, it is also remarkable to mention

the first room and its audiovisual exhibition, made by movie director Bigas Luna.

Of the Americas, the Mexican pavilion has

a natural grass slope from which 125 kites, of various colours and heights, soar. The

kites represent a common element between

Mexico and China. The slope symbolizes the

importance of public spaces, and beneath it

is an exhibition that pays homage to Mexi-

can art.

Chiles City of Relations pavilion is made

entirely from ecological materials. Other coun-

tries of the Americas with self-built pavilions

On both banks of the Huangpu River an astonishing exhibition has risen. There, visitors can ex-plore more than one hundred pavilions while

at the same time take part in a world-class

event. Under the theme Better City, Better Life, this world exhibition offers a panorama

of life in urban environments in the 21st cen-

tury and how to raise the standard of living

in them. The logo of the Expo is inspired in

the ideogram , which signifies world and is the first of three characters of the term (Shibohui), which means, Expo in Chinese.

The Expos are unique events of their kind,

combining the latest science, technology and

imagination to show the versatility and the

progress of humanity.

The Shanghai 2010 Expo is very special for

many reasons. It is the first to be hosted in a so-called developing country, yet at the same

time it is the biggest ever, with an Expo site of

almost 400 hectares.

Every day it draws an average of 380,000

visitors, making it feasible that it will achieve

its objective of 70 million visitors during the

six months of the Expo.

Shanghai 2010 is innovative because it ad-

dresses cities and urban matters as its central

theme a topic deemed particularly impor-

tant given that nowadays roughly 55 percent of the world population is urban, and within

the next two generations that figure is expect-ed to grow to two-thirds.

In fact, apart from the domestic, internation-

al, corporate and institutional pavilions, Expos

also have thematic pavilions; and their exhibits

are referent to the concepts by which the Expo

is accomplished. One of the most outstanding

is the Urban Planet pavilion. It reflects on how Urban Planet pavilion. It reflects on how Urban Planetexcessive development seriously affects the en-

vironment. The most impressive aspect in this

exhibition is a projection of the earths surface

on a spherical screen 22 metres in diameter.

Other thematic pavilions are City Being, which

offers an analogy between the city and living or-

ganisms; and the Urbanian pavilion, at which

various aspects of the daily lives of six families

in six different cities are compared.

The most emblematic and perhaps the

most dramatic building at the Expo is that

of the host country, China. It is a colossal

inverted pyramid whose design is inspired

by Dougong supports, an element of tradi-

tional Chinese architecture. The building



include Canada, the United States and Ven-ezuela. Then come those of Argentina, Cuba,

Peru, Colombia and Brazil, with rented pavil-

ions, meaning they are not self-built by par-

ticipant countries. The rest of the Americas is

located together under the same pavilion, ex-

cept for the Caribbean countries, which have

their own joint pavilion.

Located in Puxi, on the eastern side of the

Huangpu River, The Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) is a major innovation of Expo 2010. Here cities have the opportunity to

present their most relevant achievements

with regard to solving problems, resource ad-

ministration and improvement of the quality

of life in the cities. There are 44 cities in the

shared pavilions and 13 others with their own

pavilion. Some of the most notable here are

those of Madrid, Vancouver, Shanghai, Ham-burg, Ningbo, Macao, Mecca, London and the Rhne Alps region.

But not everything in the Expo is all about

pavilions. The Shanghai organizers have

been careful to incorporate many green are-

as. One of the most valuable is Houtan Park,

located in Pudong, on the east bank of the

Huangpu, in what was once a derelict, con-

taminated abandoned factory. Here, 14 hec-

tares of land were converted into a park with

functions like flood control, natural water treatment, food production, and environ-

mental regeneration. Given that the treated

water can be used in the Expo, except for

drinking purposes, it has resulted in savings

of USD 500,000.Another favourable point of Expo 2010 is

its strong emphasis on public transport, in

particular the metro. The Expo Site has its

own internal line connecting Puxi with Pu-

dong. Indeed, in just 15 years Shanghai has built a metro network so large that soon it

will overcome Londons underground.

Moreover, apart from the investment in the

metro and other transport infrastructure, the

city of Shanghai has benefited from various re-generation projects and improvement of other

facilities because of the Expo. All this in order to

reinforce the Better City, Better Life ideal.Better City, Better Life ideal.Better City, Better Life

Of course not all at the Expo is perfect. Wait-

ing times for the popular pavilions can be many

hours long. For more exigent visitors it might

be uncomfortable to cope with the crowds, the

humidity and the heat in the summer months.

Fortunately, organizers made an additional ef-Fortunately, organizers made an additional ef-Fortunately, organizers made an additional ef

fort to guarantee that not even in peak hours will

visitors have to make long queues for the toilets.

Also, in order to give directions to visitors, vol-

unteers are often seen with loud-speakers giving

information in both Chinese and English.

Shanghai 2010 is likely to become my fa-

vourite Expo, given that I have had the op-

portunity of living it from the inside, working

at the Expo site the whole six months. It is

true that my memories from Seville 1992 are

unbeatable; but the fact is that in Shanghai

2010 I have been able to further enjoy the in-

teraction with people from all over the world.

The Expo is a unique setting, just like the Ol-

ympic Games or the World Cup, but within a

cultural and social perspective.

This Expo is an excellent opportunity to ap-

preciate the enormous cultural heritage and rich

anthropology of our planet, at the same time

describing the latest technological and scientific advances of our rapidly urbanizing world. Expo

2010, like its predecessors, offers a truly global

perspective, in which a large number of coun-

tries from all five continents participate actively. Bear in mind that this sophisticated approach is

the product of a century and a half of evolution

of the Expos.

Now that the first decade of the 21st century st century st

comes to a close, and both the communication

revolution and the scope of globalization have

become evident, it continues to be crucial that

the forum is not virtual, where a wide variety of

participants meet to treat a relevant theme in an

illustrative and entertaining manner for visitors.

Expo 2010 has already changed Shanghai

forever, which at the same time is revolution-

izing China. If this country is going to be the

most influential in the world throughout the 21st century, this Expo can be considered an

example of what is to come. Its because of all

this that Shanghai, The Pearl of the Orient,

makes history and shines more than ever as

the host of a great Expo.u

The United Kingdoms Seed Cathedral pavilion is a favourite PhotoPhotoP g. gargarg CIaCIaCI


Under the Expo 2010 theme Bet-ter City, Better Life, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-Gene-ral of the United Nations, decided that the UN Pavilions own slogan, One Earth, One UN sends a clear message on the universaUN sends a clear message on the universaUN -

lity and unity of the UN system in meeting the challenges of building better cities and

better lives.

The message of one earth is the inescap-

able notion that humans have to share in this

one planet, in a sustainable relationship, as

we go forward in preparing for better cities

and better lives.

On many occasions, I have been asked as

to what a future city would look like. The

only answer I could think of was based on the

design and concept of the UN Pavilion where the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the first indication to any visitor of the substantive content of the pavilion displayed

on the wall. And that is a precursor of the

content of the permanent exhibition where

all the physical challenges are displayed,

ranging from the environment, food secu-

rity, disasters, education, economic welfare,

health, and urban peace to good governance.

However, there is a special place in the UN Pavilion called the Creative Corridor where

the human dimension and human ingenuity

are displayed. That very focus on the human

dimension in the UN Pavilion inspired my an-swer as to what a future city could be about.

Describing future cities is both a difficult and easy task. It is uncomplicated because

we all know the right words for what we wish

a future city to be. We want green, carbon

free and environmentally sustainable cit-

ies; cities with all the amenities within easy

reach, from schools to hospitals, to mar-

kets and workplaces. We want accessible,

frequent and reliable public transport and

communications technologies to solve all of

our needs. I could go on and on with a wish

list for future cities, what I term the mother-

hood design. The challenging part however

is the reality of our existence. Soon 80 per-

cent of the worlds population will be living

in cities, and the pressures will grow larger

and larger as time goes by.

Therefore, when addressing the idea of

future sustainable urban cities, I will ex-

clude the fantasies of the privileged few who

dream of private underwater cities or float-ing artificial islands.

I will also exclude the model dream city

for which the technology has yet to be de-

veloped and resources harnessed; resources

that few developing countries can ever de-

liver.

So what is the core issue? It is about urban

sustainability that is human-centred. Cities

that improve the relative quality of life of

their people; cities geared towards the hap-

piness and fulfilment of their citizens. I believe that future cities with sustain-

able urban design will be a reflection of the people who will inhabit them. Such cities

should therefore be judged by the content

of their character and not strictly by their

physical endowment. Of what use is a city

with the most sophisticated infrastructure

that it is disengaged from the needs of its

people?

A future city is a fair city that is inclusive,

where all find in it equal opportunities and services without discrimination. A future city

is one whose governance is at the hands of all

stakeholders who share in the decision-mak-

ing, where local communities have a voice in

their governance.

A future city is also one that protects cul-

tural heritage and does not divorce itself from


Better City, Better Life future city?future city?future cityThe dazzling state-of-the-art United Nations pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo has drawn nearly 2 million people since it opened in May this year. Indeed thousands of people queue for hours every day to get a glimpse at what the United Nations does and how it works. Here, Dr. Awni Behnam, Commissioner General of the UN Pavilion, explains some of the hard reflection that went into showcasing the breadth and scale of this global mission.

Dr. Awni Behnam PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat


the traditional past, and enriches modernity

through cultural diversity and creativity.

A future city is one that invests in the poten-

tial and expectations of its youth and facilitates

their empowerment. A future city is one that

does not distance itself and its communities

from its rural roots where modern cities re-

main closely linked with the values of rural life

despite rapid urban development.

In summing up, the future city is a city of

integration and communal harmony where

society is living at peace with itself. This way

we can look forward to a better city, a better

life, and also, a better future.

That takes me to the last reference to the

UN Pavilion, where at the very heart of the concept of it, is the Forum a Forum for

dialogue, a Forum for consensus building, a

Forum for harmony, where human interac-

tion and resolve for a better future is in the

making as in the United Nations itself. u

The UN Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 PhotosPhotosP Un-habItat / Ctat / Ctat hr / Chr / C IstIstIst anIanI LIndgren



Infrastructure foundations of the Shanghai powerhouseIn 2010, Shanghai counts a population of some 16.5 million inhabitants, according to the United Nations Population Division. It is Chinas largest city and the economic capital of a country that has experienced a growth rate of over 10 percent per year for more than 20 years. Here, Daniel Biau, Director of UN-HABITATs Regional and Technical Cooperation Division, shares his appreciation for the city and its awe-inspiring bridges.

The city of Shanghai: the old and the new Photo Un-habItat



L ocated in the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai is on the way to becom-ing the largest port in the world. For centuries Shanghai was merely a large vil-

lage on the west bank of the Huangpu River. It

was fortified in the 16th century so as to hold back Japanese pirates. This location explains

the name Shanghai: shang meaning rising

towards, and hai meaning the sea, hence

Shanghai being the place where the river

reaches the sea, or before the sea.

Ancient Shanghai

Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th

century in the aftermath of the Opium Wars

(waged by the European powers against

China so as to force the Chinese to consume

opium exported from India), when it became the siege of the western concessions. In fact

although Shanghai, a fishing town, was born under the Song Dynasty in the 11th century

and became an administrative centre in 1291,

the city was only founded in 1843 as the first Opium War came to a close. At the time,

Shanghai had dozens of wooden and stone

bridges, such as the Xin Zha bridge which

straddled the Suzhou River.

The British were attracted by Shanghais

ideal location for import and export trade.

They attacked the city in June 1842 and

through the inequitable Treaty of Nanjing, they obtained the opening of Shanghai and of

four other ports to their products.

Over the second half of the 19th Century,

the first modern bridges appeared as in-dustries and businesses rapidly developed

around the Suzhou creek (this river links

Shanghai to Suzhou, which is twinned with

Venice). The first bridge was built in 1856 by the English engineer L.S. Willis. It was a toll

bridge that sparked strong discontent among

Chinese pedestrians, and the toll was there-

fore soon abolished.

In 1863 Shanghai was divided into three

parts: the so-called international (British-

American), the French concession, and the Chinese city. This division lasted until the

Second World War. In 1900 the city num-

bered one million inhabitants, 350,000 of which lived in the concessions, 7,000 of

these were foreigners. The Garden Bridge

(Waibaidu Qiao), a modern metallic bridge, was inaugurated in January 1908 at the

mouth of the Suzhou creek. With this bridge

Shanghai entered the 20th century.

In the 1920s Shanghai became Asias finan-cial hotspot, the capital of businessmen and

gangsters. Shanghais popular habitat was

made up of adjoining houses, usually with

two floors, which overlooked narrow streets. These streets, which housed several dozen

families, were called Li Long. For over a cen-

tury (1880-1980) they formed the vast majority of Shanghais housing, a high-density habitat,

1,500 inhabitants per hectare, mostly made up of rental units. The buildings, called Shi Ku

Men, combined brick, stone and timber. They

provided different levels of comfort depending

on the districts and rents. The Li Long always

fostered a vibrant social life and close neig-

bourhood relationships that disappeared with

the emergence of the vertical social housing of

the 1970s. Most of the Li Long have since been

demolished and replaced by the myriad sky-

scrapers that characterize Shanghai today.

New Shanghai

The city grew from 6 million inhabitants in

1950 to 7 million in 1970, 8.2 million in 1990, 13.2 million in 2000, and 16.5 million in 2010. Since the end of the 1980s, Shanghai has ex-

perienced an unprecedented economic ex-

plosion, as demonstrated by its tremendous

population increase doubling in the last 20

years, following 40 years of slow growth. As

the city spread beyond its borders, the author-

ities decided to urbanize the completely rural

east bank of the Huangpu river.

The lack of a bridge linking Shanghai to

Pudong, , meaning east bank, was a

significant obstacle to the citys growth. As had been the case with the Neva in Saint Pe-tersburg and the East River in New York a century earlier, it became urgent to bridge the

Huangpu. Over the 1980s decisions were there-

fore taken to construct several large bridges

over the busy river, with the help of cutting-

edge technology. The first of these master-pieces was the Nanpu Bridge, inaugurated by Premier Li Peng in December 1991, a year

in advance of the planned opening date. The

bridge was designed and built in three years.

The new Pudong Area was born and grew at

breakneck speed. In the space of two decades,

hundreds of sky-scrapers, wide avenues, and

a giant television tower, the 468-metre Pearl

of the Orient, were built.

The second bridge was the Yangpu Qiao,

inaugurated in 1993, also a composite cable-

stayed bridge built of steel and concrete. The



first two bridges were built by the Infrastruc-ture Company of Shanghai Municipality. The

Nanpu Bridge has a central span of 423 metres and a total length of 765 metres. It boasts seven lanes (four west-east and three east-west). Its two H-shaped pylons, built on the riverbanks,

rise to 150 metres. To some extent this bridge is a more elegant version of the Alexander Fra-

ser Bridge in Vancouver. The now-retired lead engineer of the Shanghai Municipal Engineer-

ing Design Institute (SMEDI) who piloted the project, Lin Yuan Pei, is highly respected by his

peers. At a meeting in November 2006, his col-laborator Yue Gui Ping told us that although the

Yangpu held the world record for its 602 metre

central span, the Nanpu Da Qiao was incontest-ably the most symbolic of Shanghais four great

urban bridges. Since 1997, the Nanpu Bridge displays magnificent lighting at night.

The third bridge, Xupu Qiao, inaugurated

in 1997, is also a cable-stayed bridge (590 metre span, again with pylons on the river-

banks). The fourth and last bridge, the Lupu Qiao, was inaugurated in 2003. It stands in

the very centre of the Expo. As the arch tech-

nique of this 550 metre steel bridge had be-

come obsolete because of its cost, the Lupu

Qiao broke a world record held since 1932 by

the Sydney Harbour Bridge and New Yorks Bayonne Bridge. This engineering feat was

intended to prove that by the 21st century

Chinas engineers could master every technol-

ogy. Nevertheless, the dominant technique in China remains the cable-stayed bridge (as is

evidenced by the Runyang Bridge, inaugurat-

ed in 2005, which straddles the Yangtze near Yangzhou).

Infrastructure the foundation of

economic growth

The Asian Development Bank contributed a

total of USD 155 million to help finance the first two bridges. The Nanpu Bridge cost USD 227 million, including a USD 70 million ADB loan. Of this sum, USD 91 million was allocat-ed for the relocation of economic activities and

thousands of residents. Traffic on the Nanpu Bridge quickly reached an average of 120,000

vehicles per day, far outstripping all forecasts.

Maintenance costs amount to USD 500,000 a year, and 24 cameras (linked to an ultra-mod-

ern control room operated by a young female

engineer) enable the permanent surveillance of the bridge and of its traffic.

The toll initially established on the bridge

was abolished in May 2000 and replaced by

a vehicle tax. By 2002, Pudongs GNP had risen to 20 times its 1990 levels, from USD 740 million to USD 14 billion! The population on the east (or right) bank of the Huangpu exceeds 3 million inhabitants and may soon

reach 5 million. Due to its importance in the financial, com-

mercial and industrial arenas, the Pudong

district now plays a key role in the Shanghai

agglomeration. As housing, infrastructure and

services are made available, many residents of

Puxi (the opposite bank, Puxi, meaning

West Bank on which Shanghai was born) are now settling in Pudong. This led Shanghai to

build 430 kilometres of subway lines between

1995 and 2010, setting a world record.

Better linkages, better life

The western access to the Nanpu Bridge boasts a very elegant spiral shape, which el-

evates the automobile traffic to 46 metres above the river within a minimum amount of

Bridge building has helped Shanghai overcome obstacles to growth PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat


space. The surrounding area has been the tar-

get of an enormous urban renovation project,

in order to host the 2010 World Expo. Shang-

hai thus counts four great urban bridges on

the Huangpu going downstream, these are

the Xupu, the Lupu, the Nanpu and the Yang-pu. The bridge names always refer to the two

locations linked by each bridge: the first char-acter of the west district (such as Nan, , or Yang , and the first character of the east district (the Pu of Pudong, as Pu initially

meant river and Dong means east). Although tunnels, rather than bridges, are

increasingly being built in high-density ur-

ban centres (as they require less demolition), the double-deck Mingpu Qiao is currently

under construction upstream. The Hangpus

bridges testify to the essential role of infra-

structure in urban development.

Last but not least, we must mention the an-

cient Zigzag Bridge in the heart of Shanghai.

This footbridge, made up of nine orthogonal

sections, was built in 1559-77 in the exquisite Yu Yuan garden. This is the lunch-time and

evening meeting place for all tourists, both

Chinese and foreigners. The Zigzag bridge

is just some three kilometres away from the

Nanpu Bridge.China is a country of water, of rivers, and of

deltas, and is therefore home to thousands of

bridges. It is also a rapidly urbanizing country,

with an urban population of 640 million people

(47 percent of the total) in 2010 and 133 cities of over 750,000 inhabitants. As a sponsor of the first State of Chinas Cities Report (2010-2011), State of Chinas Cities Report (2010-2011), State of Chinas Cities ReportUN-HABITAT fully recognizes the positive role of cities in the economic and social develop-

ment of this immense country.

Words of wisdom

Shanghai is often compared to Beijing, the

political capital of China. Shanghai is a much

younger city and does not boast the splendid

historical monuments which rightly make

Beijing renown. However a crucial differ-

ence is that Beijing has no significant river, only beautiful artificial lakes surrounded by manicured gardens. By contrast, Shang-

hai lives in symbiosis with the Huangpu

River. Ms. Ling Bai, a Beijing-native mar-

ried to my Shanghai-born colleague Jianguo

Shen, succinctly summarizes this difference:

Beijing is beautiful and orderly, while

Shanghai is progressive, aggressive and al-

ways on the lookout for new challenges. The

municipal fiscal revenue of Shanghai reached CNY 254 billion (close to USD 40 billion) in 2009. Imports and exports through Shanghai

customs reached USD 515 billion, accounting for one quarter of Chinas total. This wealth

may explain and justify Shanghais aggres-

siveness, a city which builds around 100,000

housing units per year.

Confucius once stated that time flows like the waters of a river. Another Chinese phi-

losopher, Xun Kuang (250 B.C.) compared rulers to ships and warned: a rivers water is

like a countrys people, it can carry a ship but

can also overturn it. Rivers, large and small,

have been at the heart of Chinese civilization

for 3,000 years.

An old Shandong proverb known throughout

China says: If you want to be rich, you must

first build roads. This is similar to the French saying, when the building sector is fine, every-thing is fine. Many countries share the same wisdom. In the 21st century this Shandong provst century this Shandong provst -

erb rings truer than ever. If you want to pro-

mote better cities, begin by granting them good

infrastructure and related services in terms of

transport, energy, water and sanitation.

This will prevent Xun Kuangs ship from

capsizing. u


Shanghais population will keep ris-

ing, reaching 21.4 million by 2015 and 22.5 million in 2020, according to the Shanghai Population and Fam-

ily Planning Commission, writes Cai

Wenjun in the Shanghai Daily News.

Nationally, Chinas urban popula-tion is on pace to surpass its rural

population for the first time in 2015, with the number of Chinese living in

towns and cities set to top 700 mil-

lion, reports the National Population and Family Planning Commission. It

also says that China is likely to have

1.39 billion citizens by 2015, up from 1.32 billion at the end of 2008.

Shanghais population growing

Shanghais population growing

Shanghais

and growingpopulation growing

and growingpopulation growing

For over a century Li Long houses formed the majority of Shanghais housing PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat


A huge house of wonders

Shanghai has skillfully used the 2010 Expo to remodel and remake itself as a 21st century gateway to the east, writes Roman Rollnick.

The China Pavilion, Crown of the East, uses building techniques that date back more than 2,000 years Photo C. g. garCa



There is no better way to start a visit to Shanghais huge house of won-ders than to step aboard the worlds fastest train at the airport for a 430 km/h ride

into town that takes just eight minutes.

Known locally as the Maglev train, it is the

first revenue-producing, point-to-point, high-speed magnetic levitation train in the world.

Completed in 2004, the 30 kilometre line runs

between Pudong Shanghai International Airport

and the Shanghai Lujiazui financial district. Another first is that this sleek, super-aero-

dynamic train, with a design speed of over 500 km/h and a regular service speed of 430 km/h,

is the fastest railway system in commercial oper-

ation in the world. Other maglev lines are under

consideration in China.

So smooth is the ride on this train that it feels

more like a plane. At a price lower than most taxi

fares, it gets downtown to the new Shanghai so

fast that it makes this giant city and its outskirts

seem small.

To the foreign visitor, another superlative is

that the Shanghai Maglev is mainly operated by

women a matter worth pondering as one re-

flects on the Shanghai Expo 2010 theme, Better City, Better Life.

For here in the house of wonders that is mod-

ern Shanghai, every effort has been, and is being

made, to live up to that theme, even if the going

has not been as easy, or without dissent, as the

Maglev ride into town.

Many groups have protested against the way

the city relocated some 20,000 families, and

removed 250 factories including the giant Jiang Nan Shipyard. All of this to clear 530 hectares of prime riverside land on both sides of the

Huangpu River to make space for the biggest

world fair ever staged. A corruption scandal

five years ago led to the downfall of the citys party boss and Expo champion, Cheng Liangyu.

But when it comes to the Habitat Agenda for Habitat Agenda for Habitat Agenda

better cities, China has improved living condi-

tions by embracing economic reforms and imple-

menting modernization policies that have used

urbanization to drive national growth. It can be

argued that pro-growth policies have focused

on improving the lives of the urban poor. This

has considerably reduced the number of slums.

Its programmes aimed at old, often dilapidated

villages, within its fast expanding cities like

Shanghai, have given a new lease of life to areas

once written off as crime or poverty pockets.

The Expo has served to help give the city two

new airports, many new roads and parks, and a

new metro rail system similar in scale to those

of Paris, London, Moscow and New York. Yet compared to those cities, it is cheaper to use, far

cleaner, better ventilated, better lit, and designed

so carefully that a commuter never feels alone or

in danger of criminals lurking in the trains or the

many kilometres of pedestrian passageways be-

low the city.

Opened in May, the USD 40 billion Shang-hai World Expo 2010 has cost double the price

tag of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And once it is

over, the city plans to build a giant international

convention centre with modern office and resi-dential blocks to rival that of Hong Kong.

City officials expect the Expo to draw some 70 million visitors, a figure not unrealistic giv-en that there are queues lasting several hours

to get into the popular pavilions like those

of China, the European Union, the United States or India, to cite some examples. The

UN Pavilion, for which UN-HABITAT is the lead agency, had itself attracted nearly two

million visitors by the end of August.

Indeed, Shanghais city planners have used

the Expo to stimulate public spending, and

strengthen its economy as the city grows and

grows.

Thus the prospect of life in a very urban

future is a subject of global interest, and con-

cern to all countries, developed or less devel-

oped. This is why officials say they chose the theme, Better City, Better Life.

The theme of Expo 2010 represents the

common wish of the whole humankind for bet-

ter living in future urban environments, says

the official Expo website. This theme repre-sents a central concern of the international

community for future policy making, urban

strategies and sustainable development. This

thinking is depicted in the breathtaking 69-me-

tre-high bright red China Pavilion, an inverted

pyramid which will remain a permanent fix-ture after the six-month event draws to a close.

Known as the Crown of the East, the CNY 1.5 billion (USD 220 million) pavilion has a square roof made of traditional dougong, or brackets,

which date back more than 2,000 years.

Into a time machine

Getting inside after several hours standing in

line is well worth it. The lights are dim to ensure

that the visitors focus on a sloping wall along

which they walk looking across an eerie river at

their feet represented in wavy laser light. As if

one has just stepped out of a time machine, on

the far bank is an early Chinese city as repre-

sented in a scroll depicting the idyllic Riverside

Scene during the Qingming Festival.

Every figure, all of them laser projections and almost perfectly three-dimensional, in

this giant scroll is life size and all are mov-

ing independently; traders are haggling, a

man displays a cart of vegetables, a dog sniffs

around for a snack, parents play with their

children, day turns to night and red lanterns

come on. People can be seen eating their

meals by the light of a flame. Seconds later as a night of long ago fades, the village wakes

up to another day. And as the visitor leaves, it

is like stepping out of the time machine back

into the crowds of the Expo. Nevertheless

The Shanghai Maglev is the fastest railway system in commercial operation in the worldPhotoPhotoP dennIs Kr Kr K Uyt



one leaves with the impression that time is

standing still somewhere behind in a fourth

dimension.

China also regards this Expo, according to

its official website, as an important platform for displaying historical experience, exchang-

ing innovative ideas, demonstrating esprit de

corps and looking to the future.

It thus wants to give its people a good idea

of life in other countries, of international

trade, a window on other cultures. One of the

most interesting pavilions in this sense is the

small but very informative Portuguese win-

dow to the world. It was the only one of many

visited by Urban World that drew spontane-Urban World that drew spontane-Urban World

ous applause as the crowds moved through.

Drawing visitors into a glimpse of 500 years of shared history with China, it has a wonder-

ful holographic globe of the known world at

the time. Visitors learn that the countrys greatest poet, Luis de Cames (1524-1580), wrote his masterpiece, Os Lusiadas, while liv-

ing in Macau on the south China coast. They

learn too that the Portuguese were the first

Europeans to import Chinese tea which they

then introduced to the Western world from

plantations in the Azores. Alongside ancient

tea flasks, and other artefacts brought in from its museums, there is a display case with ac-

tual pages in Portuguese from the Treatise

of things Chinese of 1569, and a letter in Chinese to the Chinese Emperor citing Lis-

bons interest in diplomacy and friendship.

All matters to which ordinary people can

relate as they pass through the pavilion in

their droves in a matter of 20 minutes before

The urban experience at Expo 2010

it has such a great foundation, said a

spokesman for Hong Kongs Case Pavilion.

Shanghai remains a city with many opportu-

nities attracting people from all over China and

abroad. The city has also seen record-breaking

housing prices from the influx of outsiders, leaving some unable to find affordable hous-

Just like Shanghai, Madrid also had

the problem of providing efficient, af-the problem of providing efficient, af-the problem of providing efficient, affordable housing. Madrid has relieved

the strain on residents caused by the

housing market by providing alterna-

tives.

Buildings constructed using high-

tech, low-cost materials make effi-cient use of energy and provide comfortable

housing to residents. Through these projects,

Madrid has become famous for its excellent

public housing system.

I think it would be quite possible for Shang-

hai to adapt the model of our bamboo house

project for social housing, said Ignacio Nino, Commissioner General of the Madrid Case Pa-

vilion. However, this was built with Madrids

climate and urban development in mind.

In order to make this concept effective in

Shanghai, it would need to be changed. We

keep in mind the need for building under

sustainable principles, which can be applied

to any dynamic and upwardly mobile society

like that in China, he said.

Shanghai has always been a city open to

the influence of many cultures, combining the

best parts of culture

to create a city with its

own unique features.

Expo 2010 has brought

another great opportu

nity to satisfy its thirst for

knowledge and influence.The UPBA, a first-time

feature of World Expos,

has attracted many visitors

since the Expo opened. The

UPBA is a platform for cities to exhibit and showcase their

most successful initiatives of

various urban experiences, all

of which focus on how to im

prove the quality of life for residents.

Its a chance for cities to learn from

each other, said Sun Liansheng, director

of the UPBA. Each city has its own level of development, and not all cities can share

and use all the same solutions.

Many factors account for the modern-

ization of a city. Not only does it include a citys industrial level, but also the

conveniences provided to residents, in-

cluding transport and housing systems.

These are some of the most important

issues for the sustained development

especially for Shang-

hai because of its size and ever-increasing

population.

Hong Kong, one of the most developed

cities in Asia, is highlighted by its residents

convenient lifestyle. For example, the citys

Octopus card, a rechargeable, stored-value

smart card, allows holders to access more

than 2,500 service providers, including pub-lic transport operators, convenience stores,

retail outlets and fast food chains.

Weve spent more than 10 years develop-

ing the smart card system, which we believe

Shanghai can do in the future as

The Urban Best Practices Area (UPBA) highlights the best cities have to offer, writes Li Xinzhu of the China Daily.

it has such a great foundation, said a

spokesman for Hong Kongs Case Pavilion.

Shanghai remains a city with many opportu

nities attracting people from all over China and

abroad. The city has also seen record-breaking

housing prices from the influx of outsiders, leaving some unable to find affordable housing.

Just like Shanghai, Madrid also had

the problem of providing efficient, affordable housing. Madrid has relieved

the strain on residents caused by the

housing market by providing alterna-

tives.

tech, low-cost materials make efficient use of energy and provide comfortable

housing to residents. Through these projects,

Madrid has become famous for its excellent

Shanghai has always been a city open to

the influence of many cul-

own unique features.

Expo 2010 has brought

another great opportu-

nity to satisfy its thirst for

knowledge and influence.The UPBA, a first-time

feature of World Expos,

has attracted many visitors

since the Expo opened. The

UPBA is a platform for cities to exhibit and showcase their

most successful initiatives of

various urban experiences, all

of which focus on how to im-

of a city,

especially for Shang-Shangh

ai could adop

t technology f

rom Hong Kon

g to

update its tra

vel cards

PhotoPhotoP LInda m

orrIs



Business meets Lifestyle Liveable City and Sustainable Development as Strategic Goals and Achievements of the State Capital of Dsseldorf

Dusseldorf

Complexe Environnemental De Saint-Michel (CESM) - Saint-Michel Environmental Complex Montreal

29 Sustainable City Transformation: Urban Regeneration of the Olympic City of Amaroussion Amaroussion

The City List Urban best practices at Expo 2010

The fascinating urban best practices at Expo 2010 are drawing record crowds. In this full list, cases 1-24 signify the Liveable City; 25-38 Sustainable Urbanization, and 39-44

Protection & Utilization of the Historical Heritage


pausing at the exit for a glass of Portuguese

wine, and outside again into the crowds of

our very urban world.

Already half the global population lives in

cities, and in the next generation that figure is forecast to reach the 70 percent mark.

Back to the future

Thus the prospect of life in a very urban future

is a subject of global interest, and concern to

all countries, developed or less developed, and

their people. Being the first world exhibition on the theme of the city, Expo 2010, also gives a

wonderful representation of what the future

holds.

To see this, any of the thousands of young

guides clad in white will direct the visitor in ex-

cellent English to take a ferry across the Huang-

pu to the various urban themed pavilions.

Enter the Urbanian Pavilion, and go up the stairs alongside bamboo scaffolding, that

ever present symbol of construction sites in

the Far East. The idea, says the guide inside,

is to show visitors that attempts to build

future cities are only steps in the long journey

of history, be it in the past, the present or the

future! Thus imagining the cities of the fu-ture, is imagining the future of our cities

Over the next four decades, we learn that

urban areas will absorb all population growth.

It depicts the possibility of cities built on the

oceans and even in giant orbiting space con-

traptions. But much more realistic, as the

guide is quick to point out, is the city of the

immediate future, around the year 2050. This it is forecast will be the era of the in-

telligence city, a place of high-rise living and

working dwellings, a place with pedestrian-

scale neighbourhoods where one can get

around easily by foot and a place rich in social

relationships.

In the intelligence city, energy efficiency is embraced and integrated into every aspect

of life. People will be able to choose their own

work environment and those with whom they

work through connected social networks.

They will live in buildings that are aware and

track the patterns of peoples lives from their

eating and heating habits, to their choice

of reading, listening or entertainment. The

buildings will keep track of waste discarded.

Every aspect of it will be aimed at sustain-

ability.

Conceived as an integrated organic being,

the city of the near future will have a huge

computerized central nervous system that

governs every aspect of urban life rooted in

six key areas: accessibility, safety, energy ef-

ficiency, governance, education and health. It will be a city of instant digital diagnosis of

health problems, new face recognition tech-

nology, fridges that keep track of ones prefer-

ences and order new items when the shelves

run low, e-newspapers, books and magazines,

robots, laser projection television, and quiet

ultra-economic cars, buses and trains.

Back to reality

If the security cameras everywhere in Shang-

hai are already a fact of life, as they are in

other big cities around the world, face recog-

nition might be closer than we think. And the

police are everywhere.

Yet it feels safe and friendly. There always

seem to be clean public toilets nearby in

Shanghai. And just try to count the handful of

cities anywhere in the world, like Shanghai,

where the police do not carry guns.

And contemplating the wonderful nightly

laser light shows up and down buildings and

along bridges, think of the Shanghai Maglev

again: Which other country in the world

would allow a young woman to drive its fast-

est, most expensive and prestigious train? u


30 From Knowledge to Innovation: Urban Mobility Solutions Bremen

ValdesparteraZaragoza

City Planning Cadastre of the City of Moscow as a Tool for Sustainable Urban Development Moscow

Protection and Utilization of Historical Heritages in Liverpool Liverpool

Protection and Utilization of Historical Heritage: Urban Best Practices in Venice.Porto Marghera, Arsenale minorareas

Venice

Source: Expo 2010, Shanghai

W O R L D u r b a n September 2010 21

ADVERTISEMENT

Choosing the ultimate Chinese symbol for the Expo the quest for a universal language for public diplomacy

Photo CoUrtesy of Hong Kong Wen Wei Po


Using the Shanghai Expo 2010 to show Chinas best face to the world, the Expo Chief Planner, Zhang Zifeng explains how that great symbol of Chinese culture, the ancient stone signature seal, has been transformed into a wonderful emblem of the countrys new public diplomacy drive.


stamp or chop with its character-based signa-

ture. Indeed, this idea makes our seals univer-

sally comprehensible and serves to promote

the development of the special Chinese art of

the seal.

During two years of hard work, a team of

over 20 specialist artists and expert craftsmen,

produced portrait seals with the faces of 195 leaders around the world.

The set of portrait seals, which are all made

of semi-precious lazurite, one of the top four

stones in China, carries the portraits of the po-

litical leaders of 192 participating countries and

regions.

All the seal-cutting craftsmen, many of them

famous and many of them masters from the

Xiling Society of Seal Arts, produced a set of

books that are unique in that their pages are

made up of soft, smooth silk, stamped with the

portraits hewn from rock-hard lazurite.

The project of creating those seal portraits

has been fraught with difficulties.Some political leaders that were expected to

visit Shanghai, had to step down or retire due

to a coup or sudden death making our task very

complicated. For example, the President of Kyr-

gyzstan was forced to retire, while the countrys

temporary government nevertheless decided

to participate at Shanghai Expo 2010. Since a

new president had not been named, we decided

to remove the former presidents portrait seal

and leave a vacancy for the new president. In

another example, Polands president died in an

air crash on 10 April. Though no new president

was elected in time, we opted to keep the late

Presidents portrait seal within a black frame.

Likewise the black border around the Nigerian presidential portrait seal, in acknowledgement

of his death 4 May just days after the Expo of-of his death 4 May just days after the Expo of-of his death 4 May just days after the Expo of

ficially opened.San Marino was another special case where

we decided to opt for the portraits of both its

co-leaders.

It has not been easy for our team to keep con-

stantly abreast of such developments up to the

Expo opening on 1 May in every country and

territory around the world and to maintain the

principle of equality among different nations

with a thorough understanding of the diplo-

matic policy of the Expo through our works.

We therefore solicited all parties to show

their understanding here and to point out any

problems to us so that we could rectify these.

We approached this huge task humbly in

a spirit of friendship and with the courage to

A t this years sessions of the Na-tional Peoples Congress (NPC) and the Chinese Peoples Politi-cal Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the new (CPPCC), the new (term public diplomacy became a catch phrase.

The meetings also gave rise to a new journal

entitled Public Diplomacy which said that the

year of the Shanghai World Expo should be the

year for developing Chinas public diplomacy.

So what is this? On the one hand, public di-

plomacy refers to non-governmental organi-

zations instead of the government. It fosters

mutual understanding among ordinary people

from different countries and regions. On the

other hand, it is via the culture and art of im-

mense aesthetic appeal that the idea promotes

a peaceful dialogue between different civiliza-

tions, in which the language of art is employed

throughout as a universal language.

Xu Bo, Assistant to the Commissioner Gen-

eral of Shanghai World Expo 2010, raises

many pertinent points in his book entitled, The

Good Performance of Public Diplomacy at the

Shanghai World Expo. He characterized the

Shanghai World Expo as a historic opportunity

for showcasing Chinas 5,000 years of culture. Paging through the documents of every expo

past, we came to the realization that the his-

tory of an expo is simply an accumulation of its

cultural heritage passed down to later genera-

tions.

The challenge for us therefore was to produce

something that was universally understandable

and at the same time something very symbolic

of Chinas long history and the occasion of the

Expo.

The Shanghai World Expo 2010 is a giant

event for China. What special gifts would there-

fore be appropriate for us as the host country

with 5,000 years of civilization? What could we give to so many distinguished guests, and po-

litical leaders paying a visit to Shanghai?

Much hard and painstaking thinking went

into this before we finally came up with the idea of producing a specially bound set of books

presenting the portrait seals of political leaders.

This was the kind of universal language we

were looking for.

Though the Chinese seal is accepted as a

symbol of the worlds heritage, very few non-

Chinese can read the character or characters on

a seal, and indeed some are also very difficult for a native Chinese to understand. In order to

address this matter, the producers decided to

opt for portrait seals, rather than the standard



accomplish it to the best of our ability as some-

thing very special for our very special guests.

Art knows no national boundaries. Thus,

this set of Portrait Seals of Political Leaders

belongs to the whole world and to the people

of all countries. Besides the exhibition of our

works in the Expo and the donation of some of

the works through the transfer from the Shang-

hai Peace Museum to those ambassadors, we

also plan to hold touring exhibitions around the

world after the Expo, expecting to open a new

page of Chinas public diplomacy.

The aim of these exhibitions is to spread

Chinese art as public diplomacy, along with the

concept of an extended family of the Expo and a

new symbol of the ancient Silk Road.

Of the many who contributed with such ded-

ication to this work, our gratitude goes in par-

ticular to Chen Qiwen, for his initial inspiration

and proposal to create the set of books; to Lu

Ziyue, Mayor of Lishui City, Zhejiang Province,

for his initial favourable response and support

for the creation of these works; and to those

seal-cutting artists and craftsmen for their

painstaking and very exacting work.

We are also grateful to the sponsors, Chen Li-

angjun, General Manager of Qingtian Dingshen

Construction Projects Co. Ltd., and Li Jianhua,

President of Wensli Corporation for their gen-

erous financial support. It is our common aspiration that what we

have done will foster understanding and sup-

port from people both at home and abroad.u

The publication of this article and the

photographs accompanying it has been

made possible by the Chinese-language

daily newspaper, Hong Kong Wen Wei

Po. UN-HABITAT expresses its apprecia-tion to the newspapers Hangzhou-based

editors for their support in enabling us to

share this with our distinguished interna-

tional readership.

The portrait collection was first pub-licly displayed at the Shanghai Library

on 18 June 2010, and afterwards trans-

ferred to the United Nations Pavilion at Expo 2010. It will then go on a world

tour before being consecrated to the per-

manent collection of the United Nations headquarters in New York. It is a point of interest that the very Yung Kee Silk on

which these portraits are stamped was

itself first introduced to the world by the Shanghai merchant, Xu Rongcun, who

won the Gold Medal at the first World Expo in London in 1851.

The China Seal, usually engraved with

standard Qin-dynasty calligraphy, first appeared during the 11th century B.C.

Made of clay, it evolved into a popular

artistic signature stamp or chop used to

sign everything from commercial and po-

litical deals to works of art. The logos of

The portrait collection

Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and Expo 2010

Shanghai all carry the seal.

The lazurite stone used for the world lead-

ers was mined in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province.

Mr. Wang Shucheng, President of Hong Kong

Wen Wei Po, one of the bodies which first came up with idea of this symbol for the Expo,

told guests at the UN Pavilion: The staging of a successful Expo is not only the mission

of our government but also the obligation of

every Chinese citizen. Other distinguished

guests of United Nations Commissioner Gen-eral Awni Behnam and his team at the pres-

entation in the UN Pavilion included Gong Xinhan, former Vice Minister of the Central Propaganda Department; Tu Jie, Secretary

General of Asia Pacific Art Committee of Com-munications Committee for the UN; Chen Qiwei, Spokesman of Shanghai Government;

Lu Jianchu, Vice Minister of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial

Committee; Lu Ziyue, Mayor of Lishui City;

Shou Guangwu, Vice Chief Editor of Libera-tion Daily; Yue Zhenwen, Executive Director

of the Shanghai Painting and Calligraphy In-

stitute; Chen Zhenlian, Vice President of Xilin Society of Seal Arts; Wu Ying, Vice President of China Sigillography Museum; and Wang

Tonglin, Secretary of the CPC Qingtian Coun-

ty Committee.

Additional research and reporting: Grace Liu.

PhotoPhotoP Co Co C Urtesy of Hong Kong Wen Wei Po



A new approach to gender equalityA new approach to gender equalityA new approach to

ANALYSISGender equality

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action revolutionized international approaches to advance womens rights in 1995. But as the world reviews progress on its 15th anniversary, women in slums deserve much more attention, write Lucia Kiwala, Chief of UN-HABITATs Gender Unit, and Emily Wong, a consultant with the gender team.

Discussing gender matters at the Fifth session of the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year PhotoPhotoP Un-habItat


ANALYSIS Gender equality

I n September 1995, the most compre-hensive global policy framework to achieve gender equality and empower women was adopted in Beijing, at the Fourth

World Conference on Women.

Although the Beijing Declaration and Plat-

form for Action acknowledges that there are

many poor women living in urban areas, policy

makers in developing countries have tended to

pay more attention to the Platforms assertion

that the plight of women living in rural and re-

mote areas deserves special attention.

In 2010, the prioritization of rural pov-

erty, over urban poverty, needs review. In

many countries, it may not be the best way

to achieve progress towards gender equality

or to empower women. A more balanced ap-

proach to development is needed.

Since 1995, the worlds population has be-come and will remain predominantly urban.

Already half the global population lives in

towns and cities, and that figure is projected to reach the 70 percent mark by 2050.

As we celebrate World Habitat Day this

year from China, a matter worth pondering

as one reflects on the Shanghai Expo 2010 theme, Better City, Better Life is that the

greatest impact for new advances in empow-

ering women will be in cities.

Prioritization of gender policy

The spirit of the Beijing Declaration is as relevant

now as ever before. Women as well as the chil-

dren and vulnerable adults in their care still

suffer the worst effects of poverty, all of which

are made worse by gender discrimination.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, re-cently stated that social, political and eco-

nomic equality for women is integral to the

achievement of all the Millennium Develop-

ment Goals.

Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals peace,

security, sustainable development stand in

jeopardy, he said.

And so the need for a paradigm shift is not

about shifting away from promoting gender

equality, but about viewing gender matters

from a lens that makes sustainable urban

development a clearer target not at the ex-

pense of rural development, but alongside it.

Without adequate interventions to im-

prove conditions for poor, urban women, the

number of slum dwellers in the world will

continue to grow rapidly.

Already, the population of slum dwell-

ers around the world continues to grow

at around 10 percent every year, and the

number of slum dwellers is close to 828 mil-

lion, according to UN-HABITATs 2010-2011 report, State of the Worlds Cities: Bridging

the Urban Divide.

It is encouraging news then, that some

countries are making clear efforts to incorpo-

rate gender perspectives into urban develop-

ment plans, as well as urban perspectives into

national plans of action on gender equality.

The Government of Brazil is one of the few

countries in the global South which has gen-

der equality and the empowerment of women

duly covered in their national gender plan,

said Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, former Executive

Director of UN-HABITAT.Brazils National Plan of Policies for

Women discusses sustainable development

in both urban and rural areas, covering topics

such as food safety and land and tenure rights.

If we want more democratic cities, women

who are half of the world, must have half of

the power and half of the earth, said Ms. Nil-ca Freire, Minister in charge of the Special

Secretariat of Policies for Women in Brazil,

which co-hosted a ministerial seminar with

UN-HABITAT during the July meetings of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York.

In Brazils Women for Peace Programme,

women in poor, urban communities have

been supported by the national and local

governments to lead community peace and

mediation efforts in favelas (slums) where guns, violence and drug crime are rife.

Of all the regions in the world, Latin Amer-

ica and the Caribbean have the highest level

of urbanization, so it is perhaps not surpris-

ing that countries such as Brazil have gender

equality initiatives that are urban-based.

According to the latest estimates for 2010,

from UN-HABITAT and the United Nations Population Division, 79.4 percent of people

in Latin America and the Caribbean live in

urban areas.

A far greater challenge is for countries in

Africa and Asia, which are expected to become

mainly urban by 2030 and 2023 respectively.

In the 15th anniversary reviews of progress on implementing the Beijing Platform for

Action (called Beijing+15 for short), the re-gional reviews for Africa and Asia continued

to make explicit references to rural poverty

among women, without any acknowledge-

ment of urban poverty.

Acknowledging urban poverty

To be fair, none of the regional Beijing+15 re-views make any references to slums or informal

settlements, but at least the review by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and

the Caribbean makes use of urban data, reveal-

ing that one third of women in urban areas of

the surveyed countries still live in poverty.

Acknowledging urban poverty in gender anal-

ysis and policy is important because compared

Gender initiatives need to focus more on urban areas, particularly in Asia, as it increasingly urbanizesPhotoPhotoP ILarIaIaI reCaCaC LCatLCatLC IatIat


ANALYSISGender equality

to rural poverty, its effects can be equally or

even more damaging. A Beijing+15 review cited Jamaica as one of the Caribbean countries where

women in urban areas can access better basic

services and healthcare than rural women.

While many Jamaicans may have left rural

areas to search for a better life in cities, many

have ended up unemployed and squatting in

crowded informal settlements where crime is

high. Good housing in secure and well-serv-

iced areas is generally beyond their means

and often remains so for their children. The

most recent UN-HABITAT estimates show that 60.5 percent of Jamaicas urban popula-tion lived in slums in 2005.

High levels of poverty in slums and in-

formal settlements are often accompanied

by high levels of urban inequality. This can

give rise to crime, violence and poor security.

It separates poor women and their families

from the opportunities economically, so-

cially, politically and culturally that are

enjoyed by wealthier urban residents, putting

such opportunities in sight, but out of reach.

Schools in some slum areas of Africa and

Asia are as overcrowded as rural schools, and

too many still lack separate-sex toilets. Time

and time again, studies on girls education

have shown that girls are less likely to at-

tend school after the onset of puberty if girl-

friendly learning environments, including

separate-sex toilets, are not available.

Urban poverty combined with over-crowding, fierce competition for land and

housing, poor access to clean water and a lack

of sanitation or power in many slums and

informal settlements makes it difficult for many women in poor urban settings to sur-

vive, let alone to live healthy lives or to fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

Reviewing progress

In some respects, the omission of urban pov-

erty in the Beijing+15 regional reviews is sur-prising because it fails to give due credit to

countries even in the less urbanized regions

in Africa and Asia that are already ensuring

that action on urban poverty is included in

gender equality programmes and policies.

Namibias latest review of progress on the Beijing Platform speaks of a need for balanced

development between rural and urban areas

and for poverty alleviation in both rural and

disadvantaged urban areas. This is a marked im-

provement from Namibias 1999 review, which emphasised great disparities between rural and

urban areas without acknowledging great dis-

parities within urban areas themselves.

As early as 2001, Indias National Policy for the Empowerment of Women already made

specific mention of the need for womens per-spectives to be included in policies for safe and

adequate housing, both in rural and urban ar-

eas. The policy actually refers to urban slums

and special attentionto the needs of women

in the provision of safe drinking water, sewage

disposal, toilet facilities and sanitation within ac-

cessible reach of households.

UN-HABITAT works with governments around the world to convert such policies

into practice and to improve policy frame-

works even further. In water and sanita-

tion projects in India, Nepal and Pakistan, UN-HABITAT is supporting gender training for staff in government and water companies.

Similar initiatives are in place in African

towns and cities.

UN-HABITATs gender strategy

UN-HABITATs Gender Equality Action Plan (2008-2013) provides a strategy for in-corporating gender perspectives into all poli-

cies and programmes through gender main-

streaming, an approach endorsed through-

out the United Nations, and adopted within the Beijing Declaration.

Gender mainstreaming places the princi-

ple of gender equality at the heart of all work,

instead of paying lip service in token projects

with little widespread impact.

UN-HABITAT is helping governments to incorporate gender perspectives into their

own urban planning.

Gender-responsive programming

UN-HABITATs work with the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) is helping grassroots women to lead community-based projects

and studies on land reform and slum upgrad-

ing in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the

Caribbean.

Recent work includes a project in Lima-Cal-

lao, Peru, where informal settlements are often

vulnerable to landslides. GLTN is working with local womens groups and community networks

to train them on community hazard assess-

ments, community-led planning and how to en-

gage with government agencies.

Efforts like these to help urban women

fight poverty will help families and commu-nities enormously. It is an opportune time

to consolidate these efforts. In July, the

UN General Assembly voted unanimously to form UN Women, a new agency that will merge four existing UN agencies and offices focusing on women and gender equality.

UN Women is well positioned to guide the international development community towards

a more balanced approach to achieving gender

equality, one that still strives for targets in the

Beijing Declaration and the Millennium Devel-

opment Goals, but that addresses the needs of

both rural and urban women. u

In South America GLTN works with local womens groups to train them in community initiativesPhotoPhotoP herIberto herrera

BEST PRACTICES Information Communication Technology

As Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays an ever more important role in our lives the pressure is on ICT not to leave slum dwellers behind. Here Jonathan Andrewsreveals some pioneering programmes that are helping to improve the lives of slum dwellers through innovative uses of ICT.

How ICT is transforming the lives of slum dwellers

In Nairobi, Kenya, slum dwellers are able to make payments via their mobile phones Photo safarICom


BEST PRACTICESInformation Communication Technology

village but we also know that many people are

completely cut off.

The Ajegunle programme aims to extend

this inclusiveness by offering 25 students, like Taiwo, every other month the chance to learn

ICT skills and entrepreneurship training for

free. At the end of the six-week training period

they are expected to start their own business

and compete for internships and special train-

ing slots when available. While the training is

entirely free, graduates are expected to return

10 percent of their income over six months to

help sustain the project.

Ugo Nwosu, Programme Manager for Aje-gunle.org, believes that ICT is a leveller, pro-

viding simple tools that will fastrack develop-

ment in slums. Our graduates do well in busi-

ness and are able to better express themselves,

thus opening up more opportunities.

The graduates support their education

and families from their earnings, either from

internships or small businesses. According

to Mr. Nwosu they have also become bolder

and go on to tackle life issues without the feel-

ing of insecurity.

The benefits not only help the trainees inte-grate better into society, through job and ICT

skills, but also improve the image of the com-

munity through the Internet.

For this reason a group of favela (slum) resi-dents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were so fed up

by negative media coverage, they established,

in 2001, their own small website to link them-

selves directly to media directors and provide

them with an alternate source on life in fave-

las, rather than just via the police.

The goals of Viva Fave

Urban World

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