Microsite gives futuristic glimpse of 'resilient cities'
An artistic rendition of the greenbelt in Pudong's Biyun International Community, one of the resilient city pilot projects.
A microsite featuring the latest urban development projects and opinions has been launched in Shanghai to offer insights on building "resilient cities" across the country.
A "resilient city" can survive disasters and recover quickly. The concept was initiated in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), and has become one of the core principles during urban planning and regeneration across the country.
The COVID-19 outbreak has made the new concept popular again among policymakers and urban planners across the world, hoping future resilient cities can resist such global emergencies.
The microsite (http://weixin.aecom.com/city-resilience/) launched by the world infrastructure consulting firm AECOM has listed many of the resilient city construction projects across China. It is only available in Chinese, but the English version will be launched soon.
South Xintiandi, a regeneration project in Huangpu District, has been listed as one of the pilot projects. Before the renovation began, the site had issues such as empty space, wide pavement, noise, a mixture of pedestrians and trucks as well as unclear entrances.
The renovation has brought more vertical greenery to indoor areas, created more flexible outdoor space for exhibitions and events, and placed garbage bins and parking lots behind greenery walls.
The Dasha River Ecological Belt in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
The completed project has created a new urban renewal demonstration, and serves as a great reference for future commercial projects, according to the microsite.
Other listed cases cover regeneration projects in other Chinese cities related to parks, waterways, communities, buildings and underground spaces.
"We hope that the microsite will offer professional opinions to all stakeholders, from citizens and practitioners to policymakers who are involved in co-building city resilience in the country," said Stone Shen, City Resilience and Market Sector leader of AECOM China.
He said the company has tailored solutions for regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Bay Area, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Chengdu-Chongqing.
The microsite was launched at a forum themed "resilient city" at the Knowledge and Innovation Community in Yangpu District on Thursday.
Experts from the Shanghai Water Authority, China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong and AECOM shared global practices and discussed the opportunities and challenges building city resilience in China has presented.
"The global spread of the pandemic highlights the urgency and necessity of enhancing city resilience," Liu Hungchih, AECOM's senior vice president, Asia, told the forum.
The Starry Sky Town in Yunnan Province's Fuxian Lake.
Officials and experts share opinions on resilient cities at the AECOM City Salon @ Shanghai in Yangpu District.
