“Asian Review 002” Shanghai part2
Master Plan of “Lujiazui financial and commercial zone The master plan of “Lujiazui Financial and Commercial Zone” had been authorized in 1992 through an international competition foreseeing dynamic economic development in Shanghai. In the initial competition, Sir Richard Rogers (UK) made a proposal where six groups of buildings were laid out in a circle. This was selected as the first prize, but afterwards, an episode had been reported that he wrote a declining letter to the Mayor explaining that “This is merely a conceptual idea and the feasibility is poor”
It was an US design firm that made the master plan, however, lacking the assumption of the rapid motorization, the road network only had one tunnel (Yan’An tunnel) which connected to the Pu Xi side. In the late 1990’s, traffic jams became so heavy that the government had to restrict private cars passing through this tunnel during certain times of the day. Since then, the number of tunnels and bridges across the river have been gradually increasing to alleviate congestion. However this master plan is notorious among experts of urban planning as a failure.
In the year 2000, the subway line No.2 started operation, and the Lujiazui station was built close to the Jin-Mao Tower which had been completed in 1998. However, without a master plan for the utilization of the underground space, the building could not be connected to the subway station. The “Shanghai World Financial Center” which was completed in 2008 has the “IFC Mall” in its podium which directly connects to the subway. “Shanghai Tower” was also connected with the subway via a mall. Improvement of the pedestrian network on the ground level has finally started with the effort of Mori Building Co. Ltd. Gradually, a ring-shaped pedestrian deck connecting each plot is being created.
