Some cities have soul, and some don't. Many old cities have it, like New York, Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai. Some new cities have it as well, including Vancouver, Taipei, San Francisco and, perhaps, Hong Kong. Cities with soul have three things in common, say urban planners: mixed-use neighbourhoods, good public transport, and plenty of people living downtown. Those are the ingredients of soul, that lively swirl of street life, culture and convenience that makes a city special.
Which brings us to Pudong. Fifteen years ago, Pudong was a rambling collection of warehouses, farms and small houses. Then in 1992, a magnificent plan was hatched, a plan that would turn Pudong into a global financial centre that would rival or even eclipse Hong Kong.
This colossal attempt at city-building is without precedent. Consider all the stars that were aligned in 1992: huge tracts of empty land sitting opposite one of the world's greatest historical and cultural hubs, in a country that was just launching a sustained upward trajectory, with a government that was willing to spend heavily on infrastructure and tax incentives. All this, in a city (Shanghai) that was on the verge of attracting US$10 to US$12 billion dollars in foreign investment each year.
Yes, the Pudong New Area is a sensational experiment. It is also a huge challenge, because Pudong is taking on Shanghai, famous old Shanghai, with its iconic name, gripping past, lovely old architecture and atmospheric street life – not to mention its status as a world-class business centre. Compared with that, Pudong can only offer broad boulevards, tall buildings and a burning desire to succeed. Early comparisons favour Shanghai, of course, but the final verdict won't be known for decades.
"You have to remember, Pudong is still a developing area," says Chuck Abbott, general manager of St Regis Shanghai. "Fifteen years ago, all this was farmland."
In its current half-completed state, Pudong's best feature is its architecture. Most public buildings in Pudong, and many private ones, are crazy glass-and-steel designs that really seem to suit the New Area. In Shanghai's booming 1920s, its landmark art deco era, nobody tried to create classic buildings – it just happened. Will the same thing happen to Pudong? Will this art-techno architecture, or whatever you want to call it, grow old gracefully and eventually become beloved? It's possible, but for now it's enough that these buildings are the highlights of the New Area.
For the most part, Pudong isn't very appealing. It has too many empty lots and vacant streets, too many half-built towers and too few people. Anyone strolling its lonely sidewalks will feel small and isolated, a car-less outcast in a land of long distances and pedestrian-free streets. The hand twitches for a passing cab.
One of the problems is that Pudong is just so enormous. The New Area is scattered over a whopping 522sqkm of land that contains a foreign trade zone, a high-tech zone, an export zone, a biotech zone, a tourist zone, a financial zone. You get the picture.
Pudong also lacks a centre of gravity. Shanghai grew organically outwards, from its ponderous beginnings on the Bund. City planners are trying to do the same in Pudong, anchoring the city at Riverside Park and building Century Boulevard, an eight-lane motorway, to connect Riverside Park to Century Park, 5km away. In time, this strip will become the heart of town. "Century Boulevard, just look at all the new buildings along there, it is booming," says Abbott. "It will be the financial capital of China, and probably of Asia as well."
Aside from Riverside Park and Century Boulevard, the rest of the Pudong New Area was seeded randomly, as if by dandelions, sprouting here a clump of skyscrapers and there a block of apartments; here some big streets and there some government buildings. This sense of randomness is startling, given that Pudong is (supposed to be) a planned city.
Yet even here, in certain blocks, in busy neighbourhoods, there is a modest smattering of street life, rooted like tough weeds in a hostile environment. These small collections of pubs, restaurants, convenience stores, noodle shops, hotels and boutiques are scattered throughout Pudong, most of them near office buildings, five-star hotels and residential towers. Will these points of light grow and prosper?
That brings us back to the three elements of urban soul. If Pudong's small patches of soul are to grow and spread, they must be fertilised by good public transport, mixed-use neighbourhoods and lots of people living downtown.
In terms of public transport, Pudong is on the right path. Four more tunnels and bridges will soon link Pudong to Shanghai, and besides, the perception that Pudong is far from Puxi, or Shanghai, is simply not true.
"From here to Xintiandi [in Shanghai] takes less than 15 minutes," says Abbott.
A new subway line has just opened, and two more are planned, including a circle route that will further connect Pudong to Shanghai. The New Area's broad boulevards are bus-friendly and taxis are plentiful, much more so than in Puxi. ("Pudong" means east of the Pu River, and "Puxi" means west of the Pu).
As for people living downtown, that too is happening. Some of the apartment blocks stand empty, but they will surely be filled someday, mostly by former residents of Puxi, who are crossing the river in large numbers, looking for more space and cheaper homes.
Mixed-use development is also important. This is the process that puts workplaces, residences, and recreation right next to each other, lifting people out of their cars and putting them onto the streets. Here, Pudong hasn't done so well. Most of the residential blocks are huge and sequestered, so big that they blot out any possibility of restaurants, pubs, shopping boutiques, and other fun buildings sprouting in their midst. The office towers are similarly clustered in zones, rather than sprinkled among the residences and shopping areas and recreation. Only the five-star hotels are scattered well enough to help enhance any street life.
Pudong had a historical opportunity to do something special, to create a world-class city from scratch, and yes, the city planners could have done a much better job.
Still, the outlook is reasonably bright. The 104-story World Financial Center, aiming to be the world's tallest building, will be finished in 2008. A Disneyland is rumoured to be on the way, twice as big as Hong Kong's, and in 2010, the World's Fair will arrive in Pudong.
Most encouraging of all is the US$10 to US$12 billion in foreign investment that flows into Shanghai every year. This tidal wave of investment is Pudong's best hope – as it floods the New Area with cash, it might eventually make the entire area so rich and fertile, the office buildings so tall and the residences so dense, that it all blends together into a city with urban soul.
12 Highlights of Pudong
1-Yangpu, Nanpu, and Lupu bridges.
These three bridges are, respectively, the world's longest cable-stayed suspension bridge, the world's fourth-longest cable-stayed suspension bridge and the world's longest arch bridge, respectively. Now you know.
2-Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.
This 650-metre tunnel under the Huangpu River is a quick way to get from the Bund to Pudong. Visitors enter transparent pods and ride the rails while lights flash, inflatable figures spring to life and an inaudible voice drones along. This psychedelic interface is a perfect introduction to Pudong.
3-Riverside Park.
The waterfront is thriving, with coffee shops, beer houses, ice cream parlours and great views of the Bund. People come here to gaze at the bright lights of the big city.
4-Pearl Oriental Tower.
The tower is more than just a pretty face — it's a lightning rod for foreign investment. Pudong developers reckoned that a world-class attraction would lure the big bucks, and that's exactly what happened. The tower is the perfect place to view the work in progress that is Pudong. The steep price tag, RMB100 (£7), helps to keep the crowds down.
5-Shanghai Aquarium.
This Singapore-designed attraction has the toothiest sharks in town, not counting the lawyers, developers, and realtors.
6-Superbrand Mall.
One of the few malls in Shanghai that has actual shoppers in it. The open-air coffee shop at the back is a fine place to sit and ponder Pudong.
7-Pudong Shangri-La.
A gem of a five-star that manages to be both a hotel and the talk of the town. Shangri-La is surrounded by blue fences and razed lots, all slated to become, well, more Pudong. With a whopping 981 rooms in two towers and great views, the Shangri-La is a hot property.
8-Jin Mao Tower.
It is tall — you have to give it that. And it has the Grand Hyatt, with its remarkable Cloud 9 bar. The dark anonymity of Cloud 9 perfectly accents the awesome views of Shanghai.
9-St Regis Shanghai.
Exactly the kind of hotel that Pudong needs more of: a beautiful property at the eastern end of the Century Boulevard strip.
10-Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
A huge hi-tech extravaganza featuring robot shows, simulated volcanic eruptions and hundreds of other exhibits. The museum can be rented out for dinners and private functions.
11-Oriental Art Center.
Pudong's prettiest building, featuring three state-of-the-art classical music theatres. It opened in July 2005.
12-Century Park.
Shanghai's biggest park where visitors can rent fishing poles and paddle boats on the lake.
WHERE TO STAY
Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Jin Mao Tower, 88 Century Boulevard, tel +86 21 5049 1234, shanghai.grand.hyatt.com. The Grand Hyatt is everything you'd expect, and very, very tall, peering over its competitors and even Plaza 66, the giant of Puxi.
Intercontinental Pudong
777 Zhangyang Rd, tel +86 21 5835 6666, shanghai.intercontinental.com. A classy, established property, the 400-room Intercon really delivers the goods, especially its newly opened I-Spa. It's also close to the Dongfang Metro.
Pudong Shangri-La
33 Fu Cheng Road, tel +86 21 6882 8888, shangri-la.com. Another top hotel in the heart of town, directly facing the Bund.
Its F&B outlets, notably Jade, are state-of-the-art.
Renaissance Shanghai Pudong
100 Changliu Road, tel +86 21 3871 4888, marriott.com. The east-meets-west Renaissance, on the edge of the Pudong CBD, delivers the expected amenities at wallet-friendly prices. It is one of six Marriott properties in Shanghai.
St Regis Hotel Shanghai
889 Dong Fang Road, tel +86 21 5050 4567, starwoodhotels.com. The five-year-old St Regis is a polished gem, with fine service, bright modern interiors and 24-hour butlers. The 318-room hotel is at the east end of the Century Boulevard strip.
Sofitel Jinjiang Oriental Pudong
889 Yang Gao Nan Road, tel +86 21 5050 4888, sofitel.com Functional rather than elegant, the Sofitel serves up all the business traveller goods, plus exceptional meeting facilities, at reasonable prices.
