world expo 11.04.09

city form: planning

 
The 2010 World Expo will be held in Shanghai May 1 - Oct. 31 and is expected to draw 70 million visitors. Construction is prevalent throughout the city as it works to realize the expo theme: “Better City, Better Life.” The expo is being used as a vehicle to further develop the rapidly expanding Pudong district, add more public transportation, and ‘green’ the city—the expo buildings incorporate sustainable technologies and a wetlands will be included on the site. World expositions have historically contributed some of the world’s great architecture—Paris (the Eiffel Tower), Chicago (the White City), and Montréal (Habitat 67 and the Biosphere)—to name just a few.http://en.expo2010.cn/city_plate-paris.htmlcity_plate-chicago.htmlcity_plate-montreal.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0shapeimage_5_link_1shapeimage_5_link_2shapeimage_5_link_3
The expo’s mascot is a sort of pudgy Gumby midget in blue with a whimsical forelock named “Haibao”. He (she? it?) is all over the city — on posters and billboards, as statue and stuffed doll, and on LED screens — counting down as the city gears up to celebrate its status as one of most rapidly developing cities of the 21st century.http://mrpickle22.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/gumby.jpgshapeimage_6_link_0