Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA)

The UPBA will offer cities and public governments from around the world a global stage to propose solutions to urban issues based on their own experience and history. Cities will be able to showcase their unique initiatives on various urban questions related to the quality of life, sustainable development, protection of historical heritage, and technological innovation in cities.

The selected projects are either those already implemented in the proposing cities or those with great potential for application. A highlight of the Expo, the UPBA will also be a platform for cities to exchange ideas and practices. At UBPA, the spotlight will be on the cities, as opposed to the countries, traditionally the official participants at an Expo.

Located in Zone E within an area of 37.35 acres, the selected practices will be presented at the World Expo 2010 within the dedicated 15-hectare-area on the Puxi-side of the Expo site. The Urban Practices Area will include real scenes of cities in all areas of city management (landscaping, energy, education, resource management, architecture, housing, etc). classified by the International Selection Committee into 3 main categories “Livable City”, “Sustainable Urbanization” and “Protection & Utilization of the Historical Heritages”. ‘Better City, Better Life’, as the main theme, will mainly focus on the challenges of huge mega-cities and and how to cope with the unstoppable urban growth.

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Around 60 cities and public governments will be represented :
Rhône Alpes, Madrid, Paris/Ile de France, Alsace, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Basel & Geneva & Zurich, Rotterdam, Vancouver, Taipei, London, Bilbao, Bologna, Brisbane/Queensland, Oulu, Osaka, Ahmedabad, Barcelona, Alexandria, Tianjin, Saint Petersburg, Prague, Philadelphia, Porto Alegre, Dusseldorf, Montreal, Hangzhou, Izmir, Amaroussion, Bremen, Chicago, Bonn/Bukhara, Freiburg, Hamburg, Guangzhou, Malmo, Milan, Zaragoza, Moscow, Cairo, Suzhou, Liverpool, Venice, Pondicherry, Santiago.

The Harmony Tower – the chimney of the refurbished Nanshi Power Plant – will be one of the landmarks of the Expo that can be seen from miles around. Located at the southern end of the UBPA, the tower is 201 m high and will be equipped with a cable car that can take up to 300 people up to the observation platform – the highest point of the Expo grounds.

Other City Pavilions

As part of the Shanghai 2010 Universal Exhibition, lille3000 and Lille Metropole (France) will be opening a representative showcase right in the heart of the city, from May to July, in conjunction with the Hong Miao Gallery, located in a former Taoist temple (nanjing road). The Pavilion will highlight the culture, gastronomy, artists and innovation of Northern European companies.