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Shanghai: Urban Development and Regional Integration Through Mega Projects

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Abstract

The development goal of Shanghai is to regain the world city status and the specific targets are to become international finance center, trading center, shipping center, and economic center by 2020. The city plans to achieve these targets through the bold strategies in urban and regional development including mega projects. The chapter examines how the goal and targets are being realized by analyzing the frantic enthusiasm of the local government in conducting mega projects. Six mega projects including Hongqiao Comprehensive Transportation Hub and the 2010 World Expo and their possible impacts to Shanghai at local, regional, and global levels are examined. These mega projects not only build a modernized and brand new urban landscape for Shanghai, but also intangibly raise the image of Shanghai in the global platform. Regionally, they are the milestones and catalysts to facilitate better flows of people and production factors, and enhance closer socio-economic integration in the YRD region. Nevertheless, there are shortcomings and lessons in the development in Shanghai which are discussed in the chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The three others are Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing.

  2. 2.

    The 2011 figures indicated that Shanghai was ranked first in the number of RHQs and foreign investment companies in China, see http://sh.eastday.com/qtmt/20111231/u1a950672.html, accessed 4 August 2012.

  3. 3.

    According to another publication by Taylor and his colleagues (Taylor et al. 2011), Shanghai was ranked 9th in the overall network connectivity (NC), 7th in the financial NC, 11th in the law NC, 8th in the advertising NC, 14th in the accountancy NC, and 23rd in the management NC.

  4. 4.

    The London-New York-Hong Kong ranking is very stable throughout the 17 reports of GFCs, except that Singapore was in the third place in the fourth and fifth reports, and New York replaced London as the top global financial centre since the 15th report.

  5. 5.

    For details, see China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone website: http://www.china-shftz.gov.cn/jrcx_index.aspx.

  6. 6.

    For details, please see http://www.yangshanterminal.com and http://baike.baidu.com/view/88787.htm.

  7. 7.

    The historic location of Jiangnan Shipyard founded in 1865, see http://jnshipyard.cssc.net.cn/compay_mod_file/mode_3.php?cart=1.

  8. 8.

    For details on the number of visitors, please refer to the homepage of the 2010 World Expo (http://www.expo2010.cn/). Among the 4.25 million foreign visitors, about two third were from Asia. For the detail of distribution, please refer to http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-11/09/c_12755602.htm.

  9. 9.

    For details, please see http://www.expo2010.cn/sbw_sblt/list.htm.

  10. 10.

    See http://en.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/press/company-information/fact-sheet/, accessed 29 August 2012; and https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/press-room/press-release-shanghai-disney-resort-tops-out-enchanted-storybook-castle/, accessed 13 August 2015.

  11. 11.

    Many Hong Kong people, through different media reports and discussions on the Internet, generally consider that the Hong Kong government signed an “unequal treaty” in the joint venture development of the Hong Kong Disneyland. They criticized that although the government is the major shareholder of the theme park, it is indeed under full control of the Walt Disney Company. Any disclosure of business results such as the data on visitors and revenue is at the discretion of the company. The adoption of the American-style management is also regarded as the reason for the failure.

  12. 12.

    Chongming County is the only county among all county-level units of Shanghai, and all others are districts. While most parts of Chongming Island are under the administration of Chongming County, there is a small part under the administration of Jiangsu Province.

  13. 13.

    For details, see China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone http://www.china-shftz.gov.cn/Overview.aspx.

  14. 14.

    MICE refers to meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.

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Shen, J., Kee, G. (2017). Shanghai: Urban Development and Regional Integration Through Mega Projects. In: Development and Planning in Seven Major Coastal Cities in Southern and Eastern China. GeoJournal Library, vol 120. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46421-3_5

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