ABSTRACT
The site of Expo 2010 Shanghai China is in the middle of its transition from a land of make-believe to a key new area. Three years after Expo 2010 Shanghai China, its buildings exist in a state of mid-occupancy urbanism. A number of factors - including geographic proximity, economic viability of Italy Pavilion, popular reception of Saudi Arabia Pavilion, and perceived design value of Ningbo Pavilion - affect which Expo buildings stay, which go, which are used, and which are dormant. Yet the most important factor is the Shanghai Expo Bureau. It predetermined the five Pudong buildings and the Urban Best Practice Area (UBPA) Puxi buildings that would remain permanently, the buildings that needed to be demolished for immediate redevelopment, and those that could stay in a state of limbo until development arrives. As fewer and fewer heritage buildings remain in Shanghai, those interested in saving what is left might start thinking less like preservationists and more like planners.
