One City, Nine Towns

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Shanghai's One City, Nine Towns initiative began in 2001 and is one of the most prominent examples of the Chinese urban design trend of developing "themed towns". The Shanghai government promoted this approach to encourage decentralisation. Urban planning for the projects generally emphasized Western-style traditions, motifs, and architectural features, with Zhujiajiao New Town using traditional Chinese design elements, Lingang ultimately focusing on an identity as a modern harbor city, and Dongtan using an eco-city approach. All but one of the contemplated satellite towns had been built, as of the 2020s.

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History

Shanghai's One City and Nine Towns initiative, which began in 2001, began is one of the most prominent examples of the Chinese urban design trend of developing "themed towns". [1] : 29  The Shanghai municipal government promoted this approach to encourage decentralisation. [1] : 132  The aim of the project was to find ten attractive suburb settlements to counteract the housing shortage. [2] The municipal government viewed this approach as contributing to the city's development as a "mega-international city" and it was designated as the flagship urban development program for China's Tenth Five-Year Plan (covering 2001–2005). [1] : 133 

In 2001, the municipal government of Shanghai announced its Pilot Proposal for Promoting Town Development in Shanghai. [1] : 133  The proposal emphasised creating urban identities through tese fengmao (characteristic landscapes) and therefore it proposed that the new towns should generally adapt foreign styles. [1] : 137  It proposed Songjiang (adapting British style) as the "city" and the "nine towns" as Anting (adapting German style), Luodian (adapting Scandinavian style), Zhujiajiao (traditional Chinese style), Gaoqiao (adapting Holland style), Pujiang (adapting Italian style), Fengjing (adapting Canada style), Fengcheng (adapting Spanish style), Zhoupu (proposed to adapt French style, and later renamed Lingang with a greater emphasis on its role as a new harbor city), and Baozhen. [1] : 137–138  After the initial proposal, Baozhen was replaced by Chenjiazhen, which was later renamed Dongtan and proposed with the goal of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral city. [1] : 138 

Anting New Town was the first location chosen for construction. [1] : 138 

As of the 2020s, all but one of the contemplated satellite towns have been built. [1] : 132  As of 2025, many are in a second phase of construction. [1] : 132  Most have been successful in attracting residents and several still struggle with long-term growth. [1] : 132 

New towns

The city level project for the initiative is Thames Town in Songjiang New City. [1] : 141  Songjiang is jointly administered by the Shanghai municipal government and the Songjiang district, the only area in the initiative to have this administrative arrangement. [1] : 111  Before the One City, Nine Towns initiative, it had been slated by the Shanghai municipal government as an "Automobile City". [1] : 147 

Anting New Town Anting German Town.jpg
Anting New Town

Anting New Town combines a modern German urban style with a block layout. [1] : 129  From the central European design tradition, it incorporates winding streets and enclosed plazas. [1] : 129  Oktoberfest and other German holidays are celebrated as community events. [1] : 129 

Planning for Baozhen began after most of the other towns. [1] : 157  Responding to criticism of the Western-focused designs of other towns in the project, the Chongming county government deemphasized the thematic approach and instead the proposal changed to development of Dongtan Eco-City. [1] : 157  Ultimately not realised, the project influenced eco-city design principles elsewhere like Tianjin Eco-City. [1] : 163–164 

Gaoqiao New Town is influenced by the design of Dutch port cities like Rotterdam. [1] : 154  Its architectural features include brightly coloured stucco facades, pitched roofs, and Dutch gables. [1] : 154  Public spaces include Netherlands-style features like canals, plazas, windmills, and a drawbridge. [1] : 154 

Fengjing New Town's Canadian theme is a play on feng, which can mean "maple". [1] : 154  The initial architects were replaced in 2010, after the town infrastructure was complete but only one residential area had been built. [1] : 154–155  After that point, its emphasis on the Canadian theme decreased although motifs remain. [1] : 154–155 

Luodian New Town is in Baoshan District, which has been associated with the steel industry given its history with Baosteel Group. [1] : 155  Luodian sought to development as a tourism destination through adoption of a Scandinavian style. [1] : 155  Wealthy Shanghai people residents use Luodian as a place for weekend trips. [1] : 156 

Fengcheng was planned to have a Spanish theme and includes a street called La Rambla, after the Barcelona thoroughfare of the same name. [1] : 156  The Spanish theme is not fully executed and historic structures of the old town remain. [1] : 156 

Another of the developments was Lingang (meaning "bay front," but which was named Zhoupu at the beginning of the initiative). [1] : 135, 138  It is an entirely new town developed 75 km from Shanghai. [3] : 43–44  Following the construction of the Yangshan deepwater container port, the Shanghai government viewed this as an opportunity to develop a heavy equipment manufacturing zone and the new town nearby. [3] : 44  A significant portion of Lingang is reclaimed land. [3] : 44  Lingang's development was initially conceived as French-influenced, but then changed to a modern harbor city design. [1] : 138, 157  Its master plan was designed by the firm GMP Architekten and used a design of circular roads around a large lake, inspired by Garden city principles. [3] : 44  Elements of the originally conceived French-influenced design remain. [1] : 157  Development of Lingang was initially slow, but the new town's development accelerated after the 2019 opening of Tesla's first non-US gigafactory. [1] : 158 

Pujiang New Town was designed by Neo-rationalist architect Vittorio Gregotti. [1] : 156  Its design includes neo-rationalist Italian style rather than traditional Italian style. [1] : 156  It includes large public amenities at the core of the town with residential areas to the north and south of the core. [1] : 156  Pujiang New Town is close to the city center of Shanghai and the Expo 2010 site. [1] : 156 

Zhujiajiao New Town uses traditional Chinese design elements. [1] : 156  It adapts its cultural identity from a nearby historic canal town and includes features like traditional Chinese rowhouses. [1] : 156 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Lin, Zhongjie (2025). Constructing Utopias: China's New Town Movement in the 21st Century. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-779330-5.
  2. ↑ "Shanghai's copycat European towns". Shanghai Daily . 2011-07-12. Archived from the original on 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wu, Fulong; Zhang, Fangzhu (2025). Governing Urban Development in China: Critical Urban Studies. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-003-35517-5.
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