Urban Traffic in UBPA Exhibition Pavilion at World Expo 2010

The Shanghai World Expo includes a new concept called the Urban Best Practices Area, UBPA, which underscores the event theme "Better City, Better Life."

As a highlight of the Expo, the UBPA brings together cities that use advanced technologies and innovative ideas to deal with urban problems, especially traffic congestion. The Shanghai World Expo features more than 60 UBPA cases from both Chinese and foreign cities. XYee has more:

The Expo's UBPA is located in Zone E of the Puxi Site and covers 15 hectares. It offers a great stage for cities to showcase their solutions to urban issues from different perspectives and through their best practices in different thematic fields.

Echoing the theme of Shanghai Expo, a corresponding theme—"From Knowledge to Innovation: Urban Mobility Solutions"— has been designated for the Bremen UBPA Exhibition in the German Pavilion.

Ulrike Hoffman, Curator of the Bremen exhibition, introduces a car rental system that has improved the German city's traffic conditions as an Urban Best Practices Area case.

"So far, there are nearly 200 sharing-cars instead of over 1,500 private cars that can relieve traffic congestion in the biggest car-sharing club. It is estimated that one sharing-car can replace six private cars."

The high number of cars in German cities is causing both pollution and traffic congestion. Space is at a premium, and replacing private cars will free up more of it, making major metropolitan areas more pleasant to live in.

This improved public transport scheme is an important solution to the problem. By establishing car-sharing schemes that are accessible, cost-effective and fully integrated with the local public transport network, this project offers city dwellers a real incentive to give up their cars.

In the Danish Pavilion designed by architects of Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG, visitors are able to borrow bicycles and cycle through the building just as Danes do in their cities. The concept of sustainability is reflected in free bicycle riding.

A presenter at the Danish Pavilion with the name of Christina, shows a map of Copenhagen to the audience.

"So, on the map you can see these roads are for cars and these only for pedestrians and bicycles. They are different kinds, but all of the red roads are special areas for bicycles."

Riding a bike through an area designed like Copenhagen streets not only evokes the real Danish lifestyle in the capital, but also promotes environmentally friendly concepts and allow visitors to experience some of Copenhagen's best attractions while riding bikes.

Christina says the pavilion aims to help promote bikes in Shanghai as symbols of a modern lifestyle and sustainable urban development.

"This is a way of choosing a healthy lifestyle and also thinking about the environment. All the kids in Denmark learn how to ride bicycles when they are very young, so it's a part of life. It's not something that you thinking about it, it's just something that you do."

Vancouver, Canada, also has an Urban Best Practices Area at the Expo that emphasizes the use of bicycles instead of private cars to reduce traffic congestion.

For CRI, I'm XYee.