Wu Jin/Shanghai Daily news
Jiading District is planning to renovate a 120-square-kilometer area by
constructing new office buildings, commercial plazas and modern communities, the
district government announced recently.
The government said the project will
cost about 300 billion yuan (US$36.99 billion), but didn't say when it will be
complete.
When it is finished, the area will be home to 1 million
people.
The first phase of the renovation project is expected to cover a
section of 30-square-kilometers of land east of the city's Formula One race
track.
According to Huang Jianzhong, director of the planning office at
Shanghai Jiading New City Co Ltd, the first phase is composed of 10 programs
that will include office buildings, plazas, communities, hotels and public
facilities.
Investors will begin to bid on three out of the 10 programs - a
66.67-hectare research and development center, a 66.67-hectare community for
underprivileged families and an office building called New City Building - soon
and construction will start by the end of this year.
"There are many programs
that have been listed in our schedule, but we have to develop those most
practical plans first, which means the plans enable us to attract investors,"
said Li Yang, an official with the company's investment-attracting
office.
The district plans to make the automobile industry a pillar of its
economy. It set up a research and development center with the hope of luring
more automobile companies.
Each company in the center, according to Li, can
own a building partly designed by themselves. So far, the Shanghai Jiading New
City Co Ltd has been in talks with a big domestic auto supplier, but officials
declined to reveal its name.
"Everything is still in discussion, it is not a
proper time to say more," said Li.
Besides auto companies, Li said her office
is also contacting some Taiwan-based information technology companies that are
looking for offices in the city.
The investment-attracting office is also
aiming at the companies from other parts of Southeast Asia.
In addition to
the R&D center, the district is planning an automobile industry training
center for auto maintaining workers and engineers operated by the Shanghai Labor
and Security Bureau.
"The center will enable domestic automobile workers and
engineers to catch up with the world's top notch technologies," said
Huang.
Besides automobiles and other high-tech industries, real estate
developers are lining up to bid for a chance to develop the district's low-end
community prepared for people with a monthly salary of less than 800
yuan.
Developers are also welcome to bid on the chance to invest in the New
City Building.
The skyscraper will hold office space and is expected to be by
200 meters tall, according to Huang.