Jinmao Dasha tower by SOM--one of the tallest buildings in the world at 1379 feet

Shanghai Financial Center by KPF--another of the tallest buildings in the world at 1509 feet.

Some of the many "minor" towers at 40-50 stories

Dense towers of multifamily housing

Lower density housing from early stages of Pudong development

Large parks and grad boulevards are interspersed with the towers.

There are also impressive cultural facilities in Pudong like this performing arts center by Paul Andreu.

Before 1990 Pudong was one of the poorest districts in Shanghai, full of squalid slums and industrial plants belching polluted air.  Just 20 years ago it was declared a Special Economic Zone and became one of the largest building sites in the world–at one point reputed to have been home to one-third of the world’s largest cranes.  Now it is a forrest of skyscrapers with freeways, boulevards and parks at ground level.

Shanghai has over 4000 high rise buildings exceeding 20 stories making it one of the densest cities in the world.  It has a remarkable subway and fast train system that has come all-at-once along with the building boom.  The results in terms of urban are both frightening and fascinating.

Location: Shanghai
Thinking about Cultural Identity, Urbanism
Posted July 16, 2010