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Changning brightens up its welcoming gateway
By Fei Lai and Pan Zheng |
March 7, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Changning District is carrying out an ambitious renovation project to spruce up its section of the Yan'an Elevated Road, the road that leads from Hongqiao Airport to the Expo site, report Fei Lai and Pan Zheng
Changning District with its neat streets, modern infrastructure, artsy lighting designs and abundant greenery is serious about being the west gate of Shanghai.
A renovation project along Yan'an Elevated Road, within the district, one of the city's main arteries, is now in full swing in preparation for World Expo 2010.
Starting at Hongqiao Airport in the west and ending at Zhenning Road in the east, it runs 9 kilometers and is the road that everyone will use to travel from the airport to the World Expo site.
With 70 million visitors from all over the world expected in the city during the Shanghai Expo, Wu Yiming, an official from Changning District's city management headquarters for the 600-day Action Plan for Welcoming Shanghai Expo, says the scenery along both sides of Yan'an Road W. and the elevated road is a significant window showing Shanghai to the world, and is the first impression visitors will get of the city.
The local government's research on the road shows that architectural styles along the road are a mix of the old and the new and there is a great disparity in styles, which makes the area seem discordant.
Shop signs are in a mixture of styles and often ugly. Greenery along the road has been arranged differently and with a variety of densities. Some of the walls look worn and in need of repair.
"The World Expo is an event highlighted by artistic creativity. In line with this, renovating the scenery along the road should be full of creativity," Wu says. "The creativity should be embodied in function, culture, art, technology and service in the new designs."
Eight elements are high on the renovation agenda: architectural appearance, shop signs, walls, entrances and exits, lighting, greenery, sculptures, and infrastructure such as traffic signs, litter bins, book stalls and public toilets.
By the end of January, the district had started work smartening up the appearance of some 1.01 million square meters of buildings, removing 12 advertising billboards from roofs and 95 boards from ground-level sites, adding 650 parking spots for two wheelers and clearing away 18 shop signs.
At the same time the district is trying to achieve its goal for the "Four-Year Plan for Improvement of Old Residential Areas."
This plan mainly centers on renovating old residential areas that were built in the 1970s-80s to improve living conditions. Launched last year, it focuses on five key sections:
Mending and decorating the exteriors of buildings with windows onto public spaces.
Mending roofs to make them waterproof and insulated.
Fixing the interiors of residential buildings, including floors, corridors, drains, elevators and gardens. Some residential areas may also get more parking lots.
Mending and refitting water tanks, water meters and pipes.
Refitting and improving mail boxes, chairs and security cameras and doors.
A good example can be found with the six old apartment buildings at 649 Yan'an Road W. They were all built in 1976. Renovations began in November 2007 and now the work has been finished with an extra 1,578 square meters in floor space added after providing every home with its own kitchen and washroom. A total of 205 householders will benefit from this project.
Another example is No. 5 Xinjing Community. Located in the northwest of Changning with 1,467 apartments covering 97,455 square meters, it was built in the early 1990s. The government has spent 13 million yuan (US$1.901 million) on renovations here aiming to set it up as a model community.
The Hongmei Garden has done well from the program, too. Located on Hongqiao Road, it was built in 1995. After 10 years, problems appeared, which affected many of the residents.
The local government spent 3.8 million yuan renovating the community last year. The project lasted five months, after which the garden took on a new look inside and out. More than 2,000 residents benefited.
In 2008, the Changning government renovated 23 residential areas covering 700,000 square meters that benefited more than 14,000 households. And it launched the renovation of another 710,000 square meters of old residences in the same year, ahead of schedule.
This year, the local government has started renovating 900,000 square meters in old residences which will benefit more than 30,000 householders. It will achieve its four-year goal one and a half years ahead of schedule.
Changning District with its neat streets, modern infrastructure, artsy lighting designs and abundant greenery is serious about being the west gate of Shanghai.
A renovation project along Yan'an Elevated Road, within the district, one of the city's main arteries, is now in full swing in preparation for World Expo 2010.
Starting at Hongqiao Airport in the west and ending at Zhenning Road in the east, it runs 9 kilometers and is the road that everyone will use to travel from the airport to the World Expo site.
With 70 million visitors from all over the world expected in the city during the Shanghai Expo, Wu Yiming, an official from Changning District's city management headquarters for the 600-day Action Plan for Welcoming Shanghai Expo, says the scenery along both sides of Yan'an Road W. and the elevated road is a significant window showing Shanghai to the world, and is the first impression visitors will get of the city.
The local government's research on the road shows that architectural styles along the road are a mix of the old and the new and there is a great disparity in styles, which makes the area seem discordant.
Shop signs are in a mixture of styles and often ugly. Greenery along the road has been arranged differently and with a variety of densities. Some of the walls look worn and in need of repair.
"The World Expo is an event highlighted by artistic creativity. In line with this, renovating the scenery along the road should be full of creativity," Wu says. "The creativity should be embodied in function, culture, art, technology and service in the new designs."
Eight elements are high on the renovation agenda: architectural appearance, shop signs, walls, entrances and exits, lighting, greenery, sculptures, and infrastructure such as traffic signs, litter bins, book stalls and public toilets.
By the end of January, the district had started work smartening up the appearance of some 1.01 million square meters of buildings, removing 12 advertising billboards from roofs and 95 boards from ground-level sites, adding 650 parking spots for two wheelers and clearing away 18 shop signs.
At the same time the district is trying to achieve its goal for the "Four-Year Plan for Improvement of Old Residential Areas."
This plan mainly centers on renovating old residential areas that were built in the 1970s-80s to improve living conditions. Launched last year, it focuses on five key sections:
Mending and decorating the exteriors of buildings with windows onto public spaces.
Mending roofs to make them waterproof and insulated.
Fixing the interiors of residential buildings, including floors, corridors, drains, elevators and gardens. Some residential areas may also get more parking lots.
Mending and refitting water tanks, water meters and pipes.
Refitting and improving mail boxes, chairs and security cameras and doors.
A good example can be found with the six old apartment buildings at 649 Yan'an Road W. They were all built in 1976. Renovations began in November 2007 and now the work has been finished with an extra 1,578 square meters in floor space added after providing every home with its own kitchen and washroom. A total of 205 householders will benefit from this project.
Another example is No. 5 Xinjing Community. Located in the northwest of Changning with 1,467 apartments covering 97,455 square meters, it was built in the early 1990s. The government has spent 13 million yuan (US$1.901 million) on renovations here aiming to set it up as a model community.
The Hongmei Garden has done well from the program, too. Located on Hongqiao Road, it was built in 1995. After 10 years, problems appeared, which affected many of the residents.
The local government spent 3.8 million yuan renovating the community last year. The project lasted five months, after which the garden took on a new look inside and out. More than 2,000 residents benefited.
In 2008, the Changning government renovated 23 residential areas covering 700,000 square meters that benefited more than 14,000 households. And it launched the renovation of another 710,000 square meters of old residences in the same year, ahead of schedule.
This year, the local government has started renovating 900,000 square meters in old residences which will benefit more than 30,000 householders. It will achieve its four-year goal one and a half years ahead of schedule.
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