Yangpu, as a national innovative pilot city, has made a revolutionary transformation from being an old industrial area into a modern community focused on knowledge, creativity and comprehensive planning.

Based on its abundant educational and scientific resources as well as innovative service systems, Yangpu has evolved into a creative urban center based on commerce, research, development and ecological preservation.

Over the years, Yangpu has become a prime destination for people wanting to start their own businesses. Whether it’s a small start-up or cutting-edge technology, there’s always a place one can reach the future.

It’s amazing to see the progress Yangpu has made in the last 10 years. New Jiangwan City has sprouted up, offering an international, intellectual and ecological community.

The Wujiaochang area has become a prime shopping destination while old Chifeng Road is now the Tongji Knowledge-based Economy Ring, and Dalian Road has attracted multinational corporations like Siemens AG and Continental AG.

In 2000, Yangpu’s fiscal revenue was 1.6 billion yuan; in 2011, the number soared to 6.45 billion yuan, with the service sector contributing 77 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the district the most new technology companies in the city.

Wujiaochang — an integrated business area

As a core region of Shanghai’s sub-center, Wujiaochang has always been an important part of Yangpu. The south part is for business, while the north boasts the Knowledge & Innovation Community.

A total of 21 projects have been completed as of June 2013, covering a construction area of 1.456 million square meters, including 430,000 of commercial space, 472,000 for businesses, 23,000 for hotels, 92,000 for education, 79,000 for residential as well as 360,000 square meters for other purposes including 5,948 parking spots.

The numbers only show how large the area is, but what’s inside is what draws people to Wujiaochang, whether it is for business or pleasure.

Bailian Youyicheng Shopping Mall, Wujiaochang Wanda Plaza, Orient Shopping Center and surrounding business facilities are attracting people from all over the city, leading to increased spending.

Boutique stores, supermarkets, 3D cinemas and restaurants that will satisfy all kinds of tastes as well as children’s playgrounds are all within reach.

Wanda Plaza is one of the largest and most comprehensive business projects in Shanghai. It continues to do very well in terms of revenue and income.

According to statistics in 2012, the number of visitors to Wujiaochang every day reached 100,000 and during the holidays over 500,000 come for shopping and leisure activities.

Knowledge & Innovation Community

This community is a new landmark in Shanghai developed by Hong Kong-based Shui On Group, which also built Xintiandi. The center not only incorporates rich history and cultural resources of Yangpu, but also pulls in new industries like financial technology and cloud computing.

Oracle, IBM, eBao Tech, emcore, EMC, VMware and the Shanghai branch of SVB Financial Group are among the companies that have located in the KIC.

The community is broken down into four areas — KIC Plaza, KIC Village, KIC Venture Park and Jiangwan Sports Center.

KIC Plaza features office buildings, learning centers, exhibition halls and conference facilities. KIC Village is a residential area with apartments and recreational facilities along with some retail space. Small and medium-sized businesses focusing on innovation make up the core of companies in KIC Venture Park. Jiangwan Sports Center is designed to complement the community’s other features.

KIC has been designed to integrate the resources of government, businesses and universities for the benefit of society. The area has also become a magnet of sorts for entrepreneurs, who settle in the area to try new ideas.

Daxue Road, or University Avenue, a 700-meter-long street in KIC Center, was finely planned and designed with the style similar to La Rive Gauche in Paris, which is the southern bank of the river Seine.

The upgraded University Avenue gathers all kinds of restaurants serving authentic food of different countries, open-air cafes, dessert shops and concept stores.

The street is pedestrian-friendly and lined by trees, it’s also like the University Avenue in the town of Palo Alto in California, which is next door to Stanford University.

Daxue Road is not simply a destination that attracts visitors looking for some places to spend their afternoon, but also a place where innovative ideas and people wishing to start their own businesses come to settle down.

New Jiangwan City

New Jiangwan City was established in 1996 on the grounds of what was once a military airfield.

It has since evolved into an international community that has made great strides in environmental sustainability.

The once isolated wetland is now a nature reserve and part of New Jiangwan City’s network of parks.

US-based developer Tishman Speyer is currently building the highly anticipated project The Springs, which will combine office buildings, apartments and a conference center.

Dong Xinwang, deputy secretary of New Jiangwan City (neighborhood) Party Working Committee, said the area has several distinct advantages.

“High quality planning and the positioning of the region provides a higher starting point for attracting investment,” Dong says.

“The high-end business resources and beautiful ecological environment are our core advantages.”

In 2014, Nike plans to move its China headquarters to New Jiangwan City.

Dong also says Silicon Steel Urban Concept Park — a cluster zone for e-commerce and software companies — was completed this year.

As of the end of September, more than 190 companies have entered the park and over 90 percent of the space in the first two phases have been rented out. The third phase will be ready for tenants in December.

The intellectual community is another major highlight in New Jiangwan City. Various projects have been introduced to improve the quality of life for residents.

For example, 24-hour self-service XBOX terminals are available to ensure residents don’t miss packages when they are delivered. Meanwhile, Jifutong is a service platform making it easier for residents to pay bills.

“Next step for us is to build projects like smart retirement care, wireless community, intellectual campuses and more, continuing to make the life easier and more efficient for residents,” Dong said.

New Jiangwan City is the next generation of urban development. During the first decade of the reform, the community has become resident friendly with cutting edge concepts and smart living technologies benefiting everybody.

In the northwest of New Jiangwan City is the cluster zone for R&D and education industries. In March 2012, a new science and technology park adjacent to Fudan University’s campus in New Jiangwan City started construction, a project fully supported by the talents and resources of the universities while the companies in the area will also be practical bases for the students.

New Jiangwan City has also hosted many cultural and sport events like Gravity SMP, which took place at New Jiangwan City SMP Skatepark, the largest in the world.

The environment and ecological protection remains a priority for New Jiang City as it plans the new landscape. The developers are specifically asked to build ecological architectures according to standards of low carbon communities and green building. Twenty percent of the land has designated for public green.

The ecological lobby in the east of the town is 2.7 kilometers long and 26 hectares in total area. More than 20 aquatic plants were artificially cultivated, and with more than 30 kinds of wild plants that were already there, the lobby is essential for protecting the river banks, purifying the water and enriching the landscape.

At present, there are 42,000 residents in New Jiangwan City, while back in 2003 only 12,000 people were living here.