For Owen Fishwick, Shanghai is a familiar city. He even remembers a lot of small bars hidden in the streets. But the purpose of this trip is to explore the secret behind the efficient operation of the city.

In July, the weight of recyclables hit 4,400 tons per day in Shanghai, five times higher than the end of last year. This is owed to garbage sorting, a new fashion for residents here. Due to this policy, at present, communities across the city are placed with new dustbins--the red bin for hazardous waste, blue for your recyclables, brown for household (kitchen waste) and black for anything that doesn't fit into those three categories.

Since more than 33 percent of Shanghai's registered residents are aged over 60, the government has also come up with unique solutions to make sure that its urban management satisfies the residents of different ages.

A community center in Jiaxing subdistrict which answered to the city call to build a “15-minute community life circle” sets a good example. The elderly or any resident can come here and take part in any activity they like. After they are tired of playing Pingpang or Mahjong, they can go to to the community canteen to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.

All in all, it is technologies like cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence that support the city’s management. Owen's last stop was a comprehensive city management platform in Pudong which monitors every aspect of urban life, from weather and fire control, to emergency management.

(Source: Chinadaily)