Shanghai 2010 Evénements
24/10/10 - EXPO 2010 surpassed today its target number of 70 million visitors, one week before its closing day.
On October 16th, Expo Shanghai received a record number of one million visitors in a single day, breaking the record of the highest single-day visitor number as well as highest total number of visitors at an Expo up until now. Both records were previously set by Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan, which received a total of over 64 million visitors.
On October 16th, EXPO 2010 announced that it set new records in the history of World Expos, with over 1 million visitors received in one single day and the total number of visitors since the opening surpassing 64.59 million, breaking the record of Japan's Expo '70 in Osaka, which received on its peak day 835,832 visitors and a total of 64.22 million visitors during the whole Expo.
Organizers of EXPO 2010 reported generally smooth operations despite the crowds, due to extreme crowd contingency plans put in place.
Security check teams were increased and the float parade was cancelled all day. Twenty extra public vehicles were added to the bus fleet inside the Expo site, and bus management personnel was boosted from 200 to 300, while ferries and bus trips were both increased and their operation time extended. New queuing barriers were added at popular pavilions, as were temporary toilets. Other measures included increased supply of goods at the Expo stores on site, visitor guidance to less crowded dining areas, and more tables and take-outs at Expo restaurants.
When the number of visitors exceeded 700,000, Expo organizers advised visitors to choose another day to visit the Expo through its official website, hotline 962010, TV and radio stations, as well as mobile phone text messages.
As of October 20th, the total number of visitors at the Expo exceeded 67 million.
(Information gathered from EXPO 2010 official website - www.expo2010.cn)
Wang Weiguang, Executive Vice President of CASS, at the forum closing ceremony
Wang continued: today, as cities grow at a remarkable pace and fuel growth across the globe, we must also be vigilant against the negative impacts of urbanization, including a growing gap in living standards of rural and urban zones, increasing living costs that will particularly burden the younger generation, unfair treatment of migrant workers, degradation of interpersonal relations, increased crime rate, and serious pollution in cities. In this era of urbanization, countries and regions demonstrate their governance capacities through how they deal with these issues, he said.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Yang Xiong concluded that a harmonious city and sustainable urban development require good "hardware and software": a city must have as preconditions for growth an appropriate infrastructure and the right built environment as its "hardware" on one hand, and a rationalized economic structure, active citizen participation, and a sense of ethics to govern the behavior of its people as its "software." A good urban culture, an innovative spirit, good citizenship, and an active participation by multiple stakeholders all make for a better city, he said. He added that growth at the expense of the environment is unsustainable and that economic development alone is not a guarantee of a livable city.
Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong
To close the forum, the sixth and the final leg of a series of Expo Theme Forums held in six neighboring cities of Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta, Yang praised the success of these forums, which "not only reviewed tried-and-tested wisdom [with regards to urban planning] but also generated innovative ideas." The discussions and the conclusions generated by EXPO 2010, moreover, will provide a "reference for future urban growth," he said.
Three sub-themes were explored at today's session of the forum: urban governance and community participation, the built environment and livable life, and social policies and harmonious city.
The Summit Forum at the closing of the Expo, to deliver the Shanghai Declaration – which aspires to be a "roadmap" for the future of cities— will gather heads of states, minister-level and other government officials, mayors, Commissioners General at the Expo, as well as representatives of academia, business, and media. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend. The Summit Forum will be jointly organized by EXPO 2010, BIE, and UN-DESA.
(Photos courtesy of EXPO 2010 official website – www.expo2010.cn)
Thus is the theme of the sixth and last Expo Theme Forum, "Harmonious Cities and Livable Life," the forum opening today in the ancient Chinese city of Hangzhou, celebrated for its scenic beauty and investment-friendly environment.
Experts from around the world spoke of building "smarter, greener cities" that could balance development with social cohesion and environmental considerations. Chinese speakers stressed especially the need to pursue growth, with "Chinese characteristics" and in a way that is consistent with the Chinese philosophy of harmony.
In the words of Lu Yongxiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who delivered an opening remark, China is at a juncture in its development path and it must "customize [its] own way for growth," finding "synergy between materialism and spiritualism."
Moreover, China, as the most populous country in the world, faces numerous challenges borne of the new pressures urbanization exerts on our planet, according to Jiang Weixin, Chinese Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development; China would face these challenges through the pursuit of scientific innovation, he said.
Jiang Weixin, Chinese Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
According to Inga Bjork-Klevby, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat, other countries could also learn from the example of China, Hangzhou in particular being a good example of a livable city. She urged countries to be proactive in tackling challenges posed by urbanization.
Inga Bjork-Klevby, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat
For his part, the Secretary-General of the BIE, Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, articulated the role of Expos in helping to create harmonious cities: Expos help to form discerning and conscientious citizens through the public education they offer, and such citizens are the foundation of better cities. Expos remind us, furthermore, that "there are many paths for progress" and that, like music, "urban harmony combines different voices, identities, and paces."
Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, Secretary-General of the BIE
The notion of social harmony and the livability of a city – and what they mean in creating more competitive cities now and in the future— were further explored by a panel of speakers, offering a variety of perspectives from academics, businessmen, city planners, architects, government officials, and officials of international organizations.
Scene of the forum
Three parallel sessions and a roundtable were organized during the day, each dedicated to a sub-theme of today's forum: "Cooperation between Cities and Regions," "Infrastructures and Services in Harmonious Cities," "Harmonious Cities and Women Wisdom," and "Housing Policies and Livable Life."
The forum is jointly organized by the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Executive Committee of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, UN-Habitat, and Hangzhou Municipal Government.
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