Shanghai has a new plan to make Pudong living more convenient
Photograph: Steve Long via Unsplash
It's true that Pudong gets a bad rap from time to time. It may not be the cool place to be and it may not have gotten any coverage in the Mamahuhu Shanghai city guide, but things are definitely on the up east of the river. There's the freshly opened L+ Mall, there are plans for the world's largest indoor ski resort and world's largest planetarium and it already has the world's largest polar ocean park. World's largest things aside, soon it will also potentially become a much more convenient place to live, thanks to the '15-minute service circle.'
According to SHINE, the local government has announced that by the end of 2020, the '15-minute service circle' will see every east-side citizen within 15-minute walking distance of a hospital, school, park, supermarket, transit hub, sports venue and more.
This will heavily benefit areas such as Chuansha and Zhoupu, towns previously lacking several of these amenities despite having many residents. The government wants each neighbourhood to come up with their own set of specific requirements, such as Zhangjiang Science City, which intends to build more libraries and laboratories, for example.
While this news may not make you rush to relocate to Pudong, leaving behind Puxi's leafy streets and slew of restaurants and artisinal cafés that you love so much, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on the district's rapid development. It's way more than just all Disneyland, international schools and Lujiazui, ya know?