Better city, better life'? : envisioning a sustainable Shanghai through the Expo

As Hilary He discussed in the previous chapter, the last thirty years have seen the 'opening up' of the Chinese economy, along with reforms that have triggered an 'urban transition', as China's rural hinterland moves to the city. This Chinese urban transition parallels the emergence of urban theories that recognise the functional importance of cities in the global economy. Global cities have emerged, in theory and practice, as dominant nodes in flows of trade goods, people and money in the new global economy. Over the last twenty years (in particular), the extraordinary urban development of Shanghai has positioned it within the ranks pf emerging global cities. And, in 2010, Shanghai Expo arrived at a time when Shanghai was looking to acquire its status as a truly global city.