Exhibition commemorates the past, present and future of Shanghai

Compiled after the city was turned into a special municipality by the newly established Nanjing National Government of the Republic of China, the first city plan of Shanghai was unveiled in 1929. Though the plan was not fully carried out due to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), the spatial pattern and structure that was already in place had a profound influence on the development of northeastern Shanghai.

The Greater Shanghai Urban Plan, which was created in 1950, was the first master plan to include some regions in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces as part of Shanghai. This plan also helped to decentralize the majority of the population gathered in the downtown area. In 1958, the Preliminary Opinions on Shanghai Master Urban Plan promoted the process of urban construction and the renovation of the downtown areas.

The Shanghai Urban Master Plan in 1986 was the first to gain approval on the national level and this in turn laid the foundation for the city to play a leading role in China’s growth. It was also during this time that national economic and technological zones, such as the Hongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, were established.