The Challenges And Choices Of Shanghai Development In 2050

The world is going through the historical transition. With the advancement of globalization, rapid development of the information technology, and free flow of capital on a worldwide basis, the regions and cities are playing a more significant role in global economic activities. However, in the coming half century, the deepening of technological revolution, the continuous growth of population and the seriousness of global environmental problems and other changes in the global economy, society and environment, will make the functions of cities complicated and diversified, and competitions among cities will be more intense. In short, urban development will face emerging new things and the coexistence of opportunities and challenges. On the basis of such background, a number of developed countries and cities focus on the year of 2030,2040 and 2050, and carry out more long-term development strategic researches, such as America 2050, Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area 2040 Regional Framework Plan. New York 2030, Sydney 2030 etc., in order to strengthen or improve the status of countries and major cities in the global urban system in future.Since the reform and opening up in 1979, Shanghai has made remarkable achievements in urban development, and will be likely to fulfill the goal of the realization of four centers and the establishment of a modern international metropolis in 2020. And Shanghai municipal government has also proposed the goal of global city in the new round of urban construction. Meanwhile, the implement of the national strategic planning of One Belt And One Road provides Shanghai with greater opportunities to develop in future. On the other hand, On the other hand, now Shanghai is in the key period of optimizing and upgrading its economy to become innovation-driven, when it encounters unprecedented challenges including population, space, society and environment. In consideration of this complex background at home and abroad, it is of certain practical significance to predict the challenges Shanghai may encounter in 2050 and to propose the corresponding policies.On the basis of relevant theories of global city, compact city, ecological city, sustainable city and smart city, this paper chooses some representative middle and long term development researches at home and abroad, including America 2050, Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area 2040 Regional Framework Plan. New York 2030. Sydney 2030, Beijing 2049 and Wuhan 2049 at home and abroad, are chosen in this paper, with focus on the challenges and corresponding policies of relevant cases. In addition, the domestic and international development trends of Shanghai in 2050 are predicted and the challenges Shanghai may be faced with during its development process in 2050 are analyzed. Finally, in the light of relevant theories and corresponding policies of pertinent cases, this paper put forward corresponding policies for Shanghai to tackle challenges in 2050.This paper has come to the following conclusions:firstly, the theory of global city has constantly been enriched and developed. It initially highlighted the production and service functions of global resources; then emphasized the technological, cultural and innovative function, and finally has been expanded to the global-city region, global urban vector, etc. in the regional dimension. Hence, the corresponding theories on urban development from other urban dimensions are also selected to combine with the theory of global city to analyze Shanghai’s development in 2050. Secondly, the development of Shanghai in 2050 must be based on both external and internal backgrounds. A dramatic impact will be exerted on all the aspects of Shanghai’s development in the future, not only because of the changes of globalization, localization, science and technology, global ecological environment and social development concepts in the external dimension, but also due to the changes of China’s economy and industry, regional development, urban agglomeration development, issues of resources and environment, social development in the internal dimension. Thirdly, this paper focused on the relevant policies responding to the challenges of Shanghai in 2050. In2050, Shanghai will face a series of challenges. including the economic level to be improved urgently, greater national strategic mission, and polycentric spatial layout to be strengthened urgently, constraints of resources and environment to be tighter and contradiction in pluralistic society to be increasingly serious. In the light of related theories and policies of relevant cases, the corresponding policies included following aspects:strengthen the leading role of service economy, and improve the science and technology innovation capability; promote regional co-opetition development, and construct the global-city region: accelerate the optimization of the spatial layout, and strengthen the polycentric urban system; strive to improve the ecological environment and strengthen ecological service function:Promote the modernization of social governance and improve the urban culture and quality.The paper was divided into six chapters. The first chapter was an introduction to the significance of the research, relevant concepts, contents and methods of the research and the main innovation of the paper. The second chapter analyzed the relevant theories and the research progress at home and abroad on global city, compact city, ecological city, sustainable city and smart city, sorted out and summarized the middle and long term development strategic researches at home and abroad. The third chapter analyzed, from both the international and domestic perspective, both internal and external environment trends of Shanghai in 2050. The fourth chapter analyzed the self-development challenges of Shanghai in 2050. from the perspective of economy, region, space, environment and society. The fifth chapter put forward the relevant policies in response to the challenges of Shanghai in 2050. The sixth chapter was the conclusion and further thoughts of the research.