New town to gather latest smart projects
Wang Jian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and founder of Alibaba Cloud, is appointed honorary governor of Haina Town.
A new high-tech town is to be built in Shanghai's northwest downtown to gather the latest digital applications and innovative startup projects.
Haina Town, its name meaning inclusiveness and integration, will be in Putuo District's Zhenru subcenter.
The town, covering 3.12 square kilometers, will mainly attract high-tech incubators and research institutes as well as recreational and commercial facilities.
A large swathe of smart applications such as unmanned service centers and intelligent senior care systems will be applied across the town, according to the blueprint.
It will become the source of Putuo's scientific innovation sector and core area for the development of digital technology, the district government said.
The town will be part of an industrial innovation belt in the Yangtze River Delta region. It will develop together with Cloud Town in neighboring Hangzhou and Xuelang Town in Wuxi. Both projects are known for cloud computing, big data and Internet of Things developments.
The town will have four core sections – "innovation engine," "integration sitting room," "innovative incubation" and "mix of thoughts."
The town will feature offices and living areas with rivers, lakes, parks and forests. Economic development and ecological environment will be equally important to the town's development.
Wang Jian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and founder of Alibaba Cloud, has been appointed honorary governor of the town.
Officials from Yangtze Rive Delta cities share their views on integrated development in Putuo.
Zhenru, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is to become a "public activity center" for the Yangtze River Delta region. It was originally formed around Zhenru Temple and will become the "northwest sittingroom" of the city.
It is one of the four subcenters in the city's downtown, along with Xujiahui in Xuhui District, Wujiaochang in Yangpu District and Huamu in the Pudong New Area.
They will become a new driving force for the city's development along with the five "new cities" in Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui.
The "Along Shanghai-Nanjing Industrial Innovation Belt" is one of the most dynamic economic zones in China. It includes Shanghai and five other Yangtze River Delta cities. The land area accounts for just 0.4 percent of the nation's territory, but contributes 10 percent of China's gross regional product.
Putuo serves as the main traffic hub along the belt. It is the beginning of the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway.
The three towns along the belt are expected to cooperate with others in talent exchange, capital support and other fields in the near future, according to the Putuo government.
"Putuo aims to become Shanghai's 'key engine' and main source of scientific innovation," said Li Wenbo, director of the district's science and technology commission.
The district government is soliciting pilot applications in the digital transformation of the economy, daily life and urban governance as part of Shanghai's ambition to become an international capital for digitalization.
