Beizhan spells out development plans along Suzhou Creek

Editor's note:

Jing'an comprises 13 subdistricts – Jing'ansi, Caojiadu, Jiangning Road, Shimen Road No.2, Nanjing Road W., Tianmu Road W., Beizhan, Baoshan Road, Zhijiang Road W., Gonghexin Road, Daning Road, Pengpu Xincun and Linfen Road, and one town – Pengpu. Each of them is working to make Jing'an a better place. We invite a local resident or worker to introduce the best of each subdistrict and town in this series.

Waterfront demonstration area

Suzhou Creek runs through the subdistrict for 2.3 kilometers. Beisuzhou Road, Guangfu Road, Xizang Road N., Haining Road, Zhejiang Road N., Tiantong Road and Henan Road N. encircle the 0.43-square-kilometer demonstration zone.

The subdistrict is trying to improve the area’s basic facilities, management and greening.

More green areas, riverfront benches, art installations and walking routes will be created on Beisuzhou Road and Shanxi Road N., in particular. The overall landscape will be upgraded as well, with walls encircling the former site of Shanghai’s Chamber of Commerce being embellished.

More patrols will be conducted to combat begging, littering, unauthorized parking and other issues.

To promote green travel and a low-carbon lifestyle, a low-carbon smart management platform will be established.

An emerging investment highland

The subdistrict has prioritized improving the local business climate to foster high-quality growth and the creation of a world-class CBD along Suzhou Creek.

The subdistrict has put in place a number of concrete measures to give personalized service to local companies.

It has offered to support industry giants such as Sotheby’s, Coach and Saint-Gobain when they established local offices and headquarters and assisted them in the formation of industrial partnerships.

It has established close relationships with high-end office buildings such as Suhe Center and Joy Center to boost tenant satisfaction, as well as working with property managers to solicit additional business, identify management flaws and address common concerns.

It has also conducted various events, such as the CEO Club forum, to create a platform for multinational corporations’ regional offices to increase communication and cooperation.

Art-wise community

The subdistrict is establishing “art corners” in public places to create a community museum without walls.

Art installations are created in “art corners,” and basic facilities such as walls and benches are designed with unique shapes or covered with paintings.

In addition, the subdistrict has formed an art alliance with 15 art venues and cultural institutes.

Sotheby’s, Fotografiska, UCCA Edge, Design Miami, MadeIn Gallery, Lu’an inkpad, Uart Space, Wu Changshuo Haipai Cultural Promotion Center, Shanghai Haipai Comic Book Center, Vanguard Gallery, Sanjie Gallery, Line Gallery, Arts & Collections, Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial and Shanghai Railway Museum are among the venues.

The alliance’s secretariat is housed at the subdistrict’s art library. The members meet every 15 days, and events such as seminars and talks are organized on a regular basis.

Three walking trails have been created to guide visitors through the subdistrict’s historical structures, revolutionary past and rich cultural ambiance. Meanwhile, information of 50 heritage-listed buildings has been digitalized, and visitors can scan QR codes on the facades to learn about the history behind each brick.

This year, the subdistrict began a series of “meet and talk with Beizhan” activities in local historical places, such as its annual traditional opera festival.

The subdistrict will increase its efforts to make its waterfront areas into an art-focused locality.