The Eastern Extension Section of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Avenue starts from Henan Middle Road in the east, faces Nanjing Road Walkway across the road, and ends at the Bund (Zhongshan East 1st Road) in the west, with a total length of about 450 meters. In September 2020, the east extension section of Nanjing Road Walkway officially opened. The project deeply explores the location advantages and historical resources of Nanjing Road, optimizes the spatial function and quality of the pedestrian street, and makes this “the first commercial street in China” show the refined, elegant, and peaceful image of Shanghai style, and become a new window of Shanghai’s global urban charm.
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Urban Design and Renewal of East Nanjing Avenue
Urban Design (Built)
Firm
ECADI
Architect/Designer
Di Shen, Junjie Zhang, Jun Zha
Design Team
Liang Huang, Sufan Wang, Yang Liu, Xiwei Chen, Zhuo Chen, Shulin He, Yanan Li, Yumeng Wei, Ruoxi Meng
Location
Shanghai, China
Country
China
Photographer/Copyright
©Zhe Zhuang
“From street to block” is the core concept of Eastern Extension public space planning and design. Located in the historical and scenic area of the Bund, the research scope of the project has also expanded one block to the north and south respectively, taking into account the surrounding roads, neighborhoods and lanes, as well as the rich historical resources of the Bund.
By inheriting and carrying forward the most classic impression of old Shanghai, the design creates a layered street space and charming landscape nodes. The design continues the style and function of the “Golden Belt” of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street by using 30 cast iron lamp posts in the center of the pedestrian street, continuing the “Golden Belt” element so that the past and present are not separated; The landscape paving also continues the “street pocket” feature, forming three paving areas: a central stroll area, a leisure area on both sides, and a special rest area. A new “1882 Square” is added to the design so as to memorize Shanghai’s first arc lamp Lighting ceremony in 1882.
Based on full consideration of the spatial scale of the eastern extension section and the adjustment of existing and future business functions of surrounding buildings, the nearly 500-meter road in the east extension section is divided into three characteristic zones from west to east. The western section gathers high-end merchants, providing a venue for events of a certain scale to gather popularity and traffic; the middle section forms a slow-traveling block where the exterior facade and part of the internal space are renovated and further extended into the neighborhood; the eastern section provides a panoramic view of the Lujiazui landscape, forming a neighborhood dominated by Shanghai-style strolls.
The overall design not only reflects the grandeur and style of Shanghai’s international metropolis, but also memorizes and inherits the classic historical and cultural elements of the past to form a refined, elegant and peaceful Shanghai style. The city living room for international tourism and exchange is built through the ground pavement with rich Shanghai style charm, safe and comfortable walking environment, rich street space and charming landscape nodes.
The pedestrian street after the eastern expansion will move from street to block in the spatial pattern, from traditional to modern in the street style, and from single to complex in the business form and function.