Research On Development Of Communities Within The Old City Proper Of Shanghai

The paper explores the possibility of renewal of neighborhoods and communities within the old city proper located around the Inner Ring Road of Shanghai based on the studies on historical evolution, current characteristics and development trend of houses and communities in Shanghai.It is known to all that the targets of building up of a modernized international metropolis and four centers are clearly identified and stated in Shanghai's the 11th-Five-Year Plan. However, Shanghai has a relatively weak base in the aspect of its city development. About one-third of the city proper area is old neighborhoods and communities covered by multi-storyed residences of old type, which are difficult to be demolished for new construction. They are in sharp contrast to the communities with new type commercial houses and apartments and do not fit in the ever-increasing living needs of people. How to let these neighborhoods and communities in the old city proper keep up with the overall development of Shanghai is a difficult problem needing prompt solution in the urban development of Shanghai.The Sixth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has adopted the "resolutions of the CPC Central Committee on major issues regarding the building of a harmonious socialist society", which is required definitely that the Service-oriented government should be established, community construction should be pushed forward and social organizations should be healthily developed. Construction of social cause should be strengthened through adhering to coordinated development and the countryside construction should be earnestly pushed forward. Interests of various sides should be coordinated in an overall manner and the overall management of public order should be improved. So building a harmonious community is the main objective of our community development, and the research of community development is significant in existing situation to the harmonious community construction.The paper illustrates the development of Shanghai old city proper in the view of some related theories on community development and also by analyzing some historical roots from both domestic and foreign countries and the typical case of a Shanghai old city proper namely Fenglin Neighborhood. The paper divides the development of city community in three pattern and four processes. Aimed at some universal questions existing in the Shanghai old city proper, the paper brings up the idea that the direction of the development of Shanghai old city proper is towards the autonomous development process leading by the government and the inhabitant self-governing is also the direction; but at the present stage, the government has to invest in each aspect. In this typical case study on the development of Fenglin Neighborhood, the paper also provides some suggestions and basis for the development of Shanghai old city proper.