Housed in a striking modern five-story building made of microlite glass, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center is one of the world's largest
showcases of urban development and is much more interesting than its dry name suggests. 

The center is the only one having a whole imposing building to herself in the world. It condenses the
yesterday, today and tomorrow of city planning and construction of Shanghai Metropolis based on
the exhibiting theme of City, Human Being, Environment and Development, as well the experiences
of other countries for reference. Stress is laid on the developmental planning for coming 20 years.
As for means of showing, traditional pattern is integrated with high technique on purpose to
comprehension, opening and participating.

This museum has five floors that detail the ambitious plans of Shanghai's urban planners. Visitors
are provided with a glimpse of how Shanghai will look like in a couple of decades.

Check out the map on the first half floor, where the districts scheduled to be cleared for new constructions and green areas are marked. In the
basement, old Shanghai is rebuilt with house entrances, cobble stone ways and operating shops and teahouses.

The highlight is on the third floor, an awesome vast scale model of urban Shanghai as it will look in 2020, a master plan full of endless
skyscrapers punctuated occasionally by patches of green. The clear plastic models indicate structures yet to be built, and there are many of them.

The fourth floor also offers displays on proposed forms of future transportation, including magnetic levitation
(maglev), subway, and light-rail trains that are going to change even the face of the Bund.

The top floor provided a glimpse into the mindset with which the government is pursuing the urban projects on
previous floors. It was disturbing to take in the propaganda after seeing such beautiful, glossy representations
of the Shanghai of the future.

The rest of the building includes a U-shaped mezzanine with photographic exhibits of colonial and
contemporary Shanghai, a temporary exhibit hall on the second floor, and a cafe and art gallery on the fifth.
There are restaurants and retail outlets crafted in the style of 1930s Shanghai on the underground level that
connects to the Metro.