What once went up, now goes underground

SHANGHAI plans to bury 100 kilometers of overhead cables and open 12 kilometers of public space along both sides of Suzhou Creek this year, Huang Yongping, director of the housing and urban-rural development commission, said yesterday.

Last year, 116 kilometers of cables were removed. In January, cables around the Wukang Building, formerly the Normandie Apartments, were removed, restoring the look of the signature masterpiece designed by Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec.

Apart from the wires, about 20 million square meters of illegal construction and some 500 hazardous outdoor advertising boards will be demolished.

Lane-style houses without private toilets and kitchens in downtown areas will undergo renovations this year, Huang said. More than 25,000 households covering half a million square meters will benefit from the project.

Public spaces will be another focus of the commission this year, Huang added.

Last year, the city issued a three-year master plan to establish a world-class waterfront view alongside the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek.

While the 45-kilometer waterfront along both sides of the Huangpu River opened up last year, the city plans to turn the creek waterfront into a multifunctional, dynamic zone that will give residents a new place to hang out and where entrepreneurs can set up shops.

This year, the first 12 kilometers of waterfront along the creek will open to the public. By 2020, a total of 42 kilometers of waterfront on both sides of the creek will open, Huang said.