culture_society

Environment & Energy Brian Howell Brian Howell howell.b1@gmail.com Brian Howell 09/17/2009 Feature asia

Shanghai is preparing for the 2010 World Exhibition, the first to be hosted by China. Construction is disrupting access to city sights like The Bund.

Shanghai is moving forward with preparations for next year's World Expo, but tourists and motorists will soon notice a new inconvenience in that process. Disruption caused by trucks, equipment and workers led to a fire earlier this month, and has temporarily blocked access to Shanghai's famous pedestrian walkway, The Bund. Renovations to the riverside Bund and Zhongshan Rd. are expected to continue through the end of this year. Along both sides of the Huangpu river, 5.28 square kilometers of land have been dedicated for the use of Expo participants. Preparations for the event include the construction of national pavilions, a multi-story tunnel under the Huangpu river, and structures such as the 140,000 square meter World Expo Center, the Expo Boulveard, and the Expo Performing Arts Center. One hundred and forty-six nations have accepted invitations to the event, where they will stage an exhibit in a national pavilion. The United States has raised $61 million USD of private funds for the construction, staffing and operation of its Expo pavilion, which will promote themes of "sustainability, teamwork, health, and the Chinese Community in America." The stress of construction hasn't erased excitement for the upcoming showcase. Vendors along Nanjing Rd., Shanghai's main shopping artery, are already selling toy replicas of the Expo mascot "Haibao." A large digital sign beside the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in Pudong counts down the days and minutes until the event begins. "Better City, Better Life," is the theme of next year's anticipated event. Planners have chosen fifty-five projects to represent "Urban Best Practices" and promote ecological improvements in urban design. The mission statement on the Expo website states: "Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living." Seventy million visitors are expected to attend the 2010 World Exposition, which begins May 1st and finishes Oct. 31. Ted Iliff tiliff@upi.com Brian Howell 09/17/2009 Feature asia

Shanghai is preparing for the 2010 World Exhibition, but construction is disrupting access to the legendary Bund.

Shanghai is moving forward with preparations for next year's World Expo, but tourists and motorists can expect a new inconvenience in that process. A disruptive mix of construction trucks, equipment and workers, complicated by a related fire earlier this month, has blocked access to Shanghai's famous riverside walkway, the Bund. City officials said renovations to the Bund and adjacent Zhongshan Road and the resulting limited access are expected to continue through the end of this year. Along both sides of the Huangpu river, two square miles of land have been dedicated for the use of Expo participants. Preparations for the event include the construction of national pavilions, a multi-story tunnel under the river, and structures such as the 1.5 million-square-foot World Expo Center, the Expo Boulevard, and the Expo Performing Arts Center. One hundred and forty-six nations have accepted invitations to the event, where they will stage an exhibit in a national pavilion. The United States has raised a reported $61 million of private funds for the construction, staffing and operation of its Expo pavilion, which will promote themes of "sustainability, teamwork, health, and the Chinese Community in America." The stress of construction hasn't erased excitement for the upcoming showcase. Vendors along Nanjing Rd., Shanghai's main shopping artery, are already selling toy replicas of the Expo mascot "Haibao." A large digital sign beside the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in Pudong across the river from the Bund counts down the days and minutes until the event begins. "Better City, Better Life," is the theme of next year's event. Planners have chosen 55 projects to represent "urban best practices" and promote ecological improvements in urban design. The mission statement on the Expo Web site states, "Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living." Seventy million visitors are expected to attend the 2010 World Exposition, which runs May 1 through Oct. 31. UPI Editorial noreply@upiu.com Brian Howell 09/28/2009 42 Shanghai Feature

Shanghai is preparing for the 2010 World Exhibition, but construction is disrupting access to the legendary Bund.

SHANGHAI, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Shanghai is moving forward with preparations for next year's World Expo but tourists and motorists can expect a new inconvenience in that process. A disruptive mix of construction trucks, equipment and workers, complicated by a related fire this month, blocked access to Shanghai's famous riverside walkway, the Bund. City officials said renovations to the Bund and adjacent Zhongshan Road and the resulting limited access are expected to continue through the end of this year. Along both sides of the Huangpu River, 2 square miles of land have been dedicated for the use of expo participants. Preparations for the event include the construction of national pavilions, a multistory tunnel under the river and structures such as the 1.5 million-square-foot World Expo Center, the Expo Boulevard and the Expo Performing Arts Center. One hundred forty-six nations have accepted invitations to the event, where they will stage exhibits in a national pavilion. The United States has raised a reported $61 million of private funds for the construction, staffing and operation of its expo pavilion, which will promote themes of "sustainability, teamwork, health and the Chinese Community in America." The stress of construction hasn't erased excitement for the upcoming showcase. Vendors along Nanjing Road, Shanghai's main shopping artery, are already selling toy replicas of the expo mascot "Haibao." A large digital sign beside the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in Pudong across the river from the Bund counts down the days and minutes until the event begins. "Better City, Better Life," is the theme of next year's event. Planners have chosen 55 projects to represent "urban best practices" and promote ecological improvements in urban design. The mission statement on the expo Web site states, "Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living." Seventy million visitors are expected to attend the 2010 World Exposition, which runs May 1-Oct. 31. A sign counts down to the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Exhibition in Shanghai, China. Construction work on "Expo Boulevard" is seen between the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China. The city is preparing for the 2010 World Exposition. Construction workers prepare for the 2010 World Exposition on Daming Road in Shanghai, China. The Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors to the city. 2009-09-17 14:00:06 UTC 2010-03-10 13:17:26 UTC