Shanghai expands Hongqiao blueprint to showcase openness and future growth

by LIU Sunan

Shanghai is positioning its western Hongqiao district as a hub for innovation, transport and sustainable living in the Yangtze River Delta, aiming both to showcase China's openness and to provide a model for future urban growth, according to city planners.

Officials said the Special Plan for the Hongqiao International Central Business District and Surrounding areas, approved in July and released in August, is about integration rather than boundary changes. It covers 535 square kilometers, centered on the Hongqiao CBD, extending into six districts and anchored by Shanghai's main transport hub with extensive air and rail links.

An official from the Hongqiao CBD Administration said the CBD is being planned as an integrated whole for the first time, with the aim of driving growth within the district and beyond.

Hongqiao serves as Shanghai's western gateway, balancing Pudong's financial hub in the east. As the permanent venue of the China International Import Expo, it connects the Yangtze River Delta - the country's most dynamic economic region covering Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui—to global markets.

Industrial development tops the blueprint. HUANG Qianrong, deputy director at a branch of the Shanghai Urban Planning & Design Research Institute, said the plan will deepen Hongqiao's ties to several technology and manufacturing clusters along major highways across the Yangtze River Delta, positioning it as a hub for innovation in the region.

Transport is another priority. Metro coverage will be expanded, with 35% of the area within 600 meters of a station. Huang said the goal is a seamless network of rail, road and water transport, making Hongqiao a more efficient hub for Shanghai and the wider region.

Housing plans focus on expanding rental options for young professionals, corporate staff and expatriates, particularly around transit hubs and business centers. Huang said the aim is to improve living quality as well as supply to meet diverse needs.

Public services form the fourth pillar, with upgraded schools, hospitals, cultural venues and recreational facilities meant to serve Shanghai and the wider Delta.

The blueprint combines growth with ecology. Four zones around the CBD will focus on innovation, technology, aviation and digital industries, while green belts, parks and wetlands preserve the region's water-town heritage.

First designated as a development zone in the 1980s, Hongqiao became a transport and business hub in 2009 and was expanded to 151 square kilometers in 2019. In 2021, it was incorporated into the Hongqiao International Open Hub, a 7,000-square-kilometer zone created to strengthen Shanghai's ties with the Yangtze River Delta.

The new special plan marks the next phase. As Huang put it, the ambition is to make Hongqiao "a model of green growth, technological innovation, efficient transport and livability - a glimpse of the city of the future."