Sanlin Expo Homeland of Shanghai

The Expo 2010 Shanghai of the theme : "Better City, Better Life", the Sanlin Expo Homeland being built on the prime land of Pudong will offer a better life to those who will be resettled there from the expo site.

A few days ago, several residents who will be resettled from the Pudong expo site came to Sanlin Expo Homeland. After viewing the model apartments and the planning model of the homeland, they smiled and said, "The living environment here is so beautiful." The proposed expo site covers 5.28 square kilometers, of which 3.93 square kilometers or 74.4 percent are located in Pudong. In all, 10,420 households and 28,000 people in the three neighborhoods of Zhoujiadu, Shanggang and Nanmatoulu will be affected. The total floor space of the buildings to be dismantled is 730,000 square meters. According to the authorities, the Sanlin Expo Homeland is one of the bases to be built by Shanghai for resettling the residents to be affected by the construction of the World Expo Park. The homeland is located in the downtown area within the middle ring road. Specifically, the homeland, situated within the jurisdiction of the Sanlin Town in Pudong, borders the Chuntang River (which also serves as the boundary of the town) in the east, the Huaxia West Road in the south, the Pusan Road in the west and the Nanxin Estate in the north. It is not far away from the expo site and will be used mainly to resettle the affected residents in Pudong New District.

The project is designed by the China United Engineering Corporation and the Shanghai Metropolitan Architectural Design Co., Ltd. Emphasizing human comfort, the homeland will have both residential buildings and complete municipal facilities. The design uses a landscape framework to guide the overall layout. With a landscape axis linking up nine major residential groups, the overall layout will be made up of "one axis, two centers, three zones and four belts", and become a bright spot in Pudong's related commercial housing projects.

The homeland will occupy a total area of 101.23 hectares. In all, 900,000 square meters of residential buildings and 150,000 square meters of commercial and municipal facilities. In the first phase starting on November 8, 2004, about 360,000 square meters will be built. In the second phase starting at the end of December, 540,000 square meters will be constructed. The whole project will be completed and delivered for use in June 2006, along with all supporting projects.

"One Axis" and "Two Centers" Set Each Other off

The future Sanlin Expo Homeland will have one axis running through it. The proposed Road One, which will go from south to north, will serve as the axis, which will be flanked with green belts and commercial stores in the west and the parks and commercial, educational and other service facilities in the east. This public service axis will serve both the residents in the homeland and those living in the neighboring areas. It starts in the south with a community park and ends in the north with a civic recreation square.

The two centers refer to the two public service centers that will be located in the east of the axis, with one in the north and the other in the south. The two centers will model on the design of the Yuenlong Business District in Hong Kong. Yuen Long is one of the nine townships built by the Hong Kong Development Department since 1973 when a new township development program was launched. The basic concept for township development is to provide a balanced and self-contained community, including infrastructure, community facilities and some basic facilities for daily life. Based on this model, the Sanlin Expo Homeland will optimize the layout of the public facilities such as public transport, commercial entities, cultural establishments, banks and post offices. All the functional areas will be connected with corridors to create a human-oriented urban space. The northern public service center will comprise a large supermarket, an indoor grocery, banks, a community health service center, a cultural center, a nursing home, a civic recreation square and some small commercial facilities. A public transport station will be conveniently integrated with the supermarket, the civic square and other facilities. After disembarking from a bus, people can disperse through sidewalks or the passage on the supermarket's ground floor or enter the square, cultural center and other public facilities through elevated corridors. The southern public service center will have a community commercial and service center, a community affairs center, a public transport station, an outdoor playground and other supporting facilities to offer every possible convenience to the residents.

In conjunction with the design of the community park, landscaping will be introduced into buildings. Squares, internal passages and an elevated ground floor will be used to direct the flow of people and create comfortable spaces for human exchanges. The two centers will be ideal grounds for living, shopping, recreation, entertainment and meeting. In the homeland, the axis and the two centers will set each other off wonderfully.

"Three Zones" and "Four Belts" Are in Perfect Harmony

Harmony dominates the spatial layout of the homeland, and the most typical in this respect is the integration of "three zones" and "four belts". The three zones refer to the fact that the high-voltage corridor in the north and the Sanlin north port divide the whole residential area into the north, central and south zones. Each zone will have a distinct characteristic, created by different heights, colors and shapes of residential buildings. Community planning emphasizes "plan from a high starting point, design according to high requirements, construct according to high quality specifications and manage according to high standards". It uses "four new" technologies to create an ideal living environment. Architectural design takes simple European style as the basic tone and takes groups as units. With different heights and densities, it emphasizes a harmonious outline of the homeland while creating public space within each zone. Each zone will have a vast central green field, with lush trees and grasses, flower beds and winding streams. In addition, it will have mini scenic spots and playgrounds for seniors and children. The spaces between buildings will have bamboos, trees and lawns. The streams will be lined with willows, an ideal place for strolling in the sunset. The four belts refer to the four main green belts to be built in light of the existing conditions. These green belts link up all the residential zones and public service zones and increase the integrity and harmony of the homeland. The green belt on both sides of the proposed Road One is made up of two parts: one along the riverside south of the Sanlinbei Port and the other along the high-voltage corridor. The two form a community ecological and green network. In addition to meeting the needs of daily life, the homeland will also build supporting facilities, such as the beautifully located kindergarten and primary school and a middle school designed according to the requirements of modern education. It will also have a community health service center to offer medical services to the local residents and a 7,500-square-meter nursing home which will have 150 beds, an activity hall, television, newspapers and chess playing area to make the life of the seniors here more colorful. Here the three zones and four belts will coordinate with and complement each other.

The design of the homeland has incorporated environmental protection. New materials and new technologies will be used to improve the overall quality and environmental protection of the housing estate. For example, the rain recycling device will be used to save water resources, the sorted garbage will be collected and sent out in bags to ensure the housing estate is sanitarily clean and beautiful, and solar heating system will be used for the nursing home, schools and other facilities to save energy and protect the environment. Currently, the Pudong Real Estate Group, which has won the bid, is working hard to organize construction and turn the beautiful blueprint into a beautiful reality.