World Exposition Shanghai China 2010

Special Regulation No. 1
Concerning the Definition of the Theme of the Exposition and the Guidelines for the Development of the Theme by the Organizer and the Participants

September 2005
Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

 
Article 1  Purpose
The purpose of this Special Regulation is, in accordance with Articles 1 and 34 of the General Regulations of the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010 (hereinafter referred to as "the Exposition"), and with the resolutions concerning the importance of the theme of International Expositions adopted by the 115th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (hereinafter referred to as "the BIE") on June 8th, 1994 and by the 118th General Assembly on December 13th, 1995, to define the theme of the Exposition and to set forth the measures for the development of the theme to be taken by the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination (hereinafter referred to as "the Organizer") and the participants.
Article 2  General Principles
With regard to the theme of the Exposition, the Organizer and all participants shall comply with the General Regulations and the Special Regulations of the Exposition. The Commissioner General of the Exposition guarantees that the Organizer shall follow the theme in the presentations for which it is responsible. The Organizer shall assist participants and also provide coordination mechanisms in order to ensure that all participants follow the theme in their presentations. The Commissioner General of the Exposition shall have the final authority over all matters related to the theme of the Exposition.
Article 3  Definition of the Theme
The theme of the Exposition 2010 Shanghai is "Better City, Better Life". The topic has its origin in the thousands of years of human civilization. In the meantime, the selection of the theme is the continuity of the 154-year tradition of the World Expo, whose theme always reflects a common concern or interest of man kind at a particular historical stage.
City is the crystallization of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher Lewis Mumford put it, "the city is a special structure which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization." Many western languages derived their versions of "Civilization" from the same Latin word "Civitas"(meaning "City"), and it is by no means a coincidence. By virtue of its embracive and regenerating nature, the city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in the human society, the fusion and evolvement of cultures and the accumulation of wealth. Created by the human, the city has rewarded the human with a rich, exquisite and wonderful life.
There is no denying , however, that the city today, due to its high-density living pattern, is faced with a series of challenges, such as spatial conflicts, cultural collisions, resources shortage and environmental degeneration.
With the fast urbanization of human society going on, how to improve the functioning of cities as the major carrier and mechanism of modern human life, and how to build a harmonious relationship between cities and their rural hinterland - these are increasingly becoming global agendas. As a super-large city in the Asia-Pacific region, Shanghai, China was honored, at the turn of the century, with the opportunity of playing host to the expsition, the very first Expo in history with a theme on cities.
The display of urban development and ideal urban life, as well as the understanding of the theme and exchanges regarding the theme, are conducive to the evolution of new models of urbanization, economic globalization and rural-urban integration and to the building of an environment-friendly city and a harmonious life. They may also help attract the attention of people from all walks of life in various countries to the settlement of problems facing the city and provide their rich imagination and all-round consideration about the future of humankind and the future of the city.
Article 4  Development of the Theme
The Exposition will illustrate the concept of "City of Harmony" from five perspectives, namely, culture, economy, science and technology, communities, and rural-urban linkages. It is obvious that the five perspectives, or sub-themes, are independent from each other, but closely interconnected at the same time. In the process of developing of the sub-themes both the historical and contemporary perspectives have been adopted. The connections between the sub-themes are also duly covered.
1. Blending of diverse cultures in the city
Ever since its birth, the city has been accommodating the co-existence of different groups of people and different cultures, so the blend of diverse cultures is a special scene in the city. In the process of urban development, military conflicts, trade and migration have led to and even driven the collision and blending of multiple cultures, finally forming the unique style of each city. The style stems on the one hand from the cultural heritage and creative industries of the city, and on the other reflects the life style and value orientation of city inhabitants of all social sectors.
Today, all countries in the world are paying more attention than ever to cultural freedom and cultural identity. In the climate of globalization, urban culture is subject to multiple impacts. For one thing, the prevalence of global or regional brands has led to the standardization of urban cultures, and the contact and collision between the relatively strong and weak cultures, between the foreign and the native cultures, and between the immigrant and the mainstream cultures, have never been more intense due to the free flow of information and people.
Cultural diversity also means a harmony between the past and the future. The city is a key locus for heritage conservation, but the desire for economic development and modernization tends to pose a threat to the survival of tradition and heritage in cities. In the meantime, thanks to the rapid speed of information transmission and digital technology today, more and more people are brought to the awareness of the protection of material and non-material heritages under threat.
For that matter, more and more city administrators have recognized that a cultural strategy connecting the past with the future, facilitating the harmonious co-existence of diverse cultures, and stressing cultural identification, will make an integral part of the master strategy of the city for sustainable development.
2. Economic prosperity in the city
The earliest cities had risen on the basis of bazaars and agglomeration effect has played a critical role in the economic development in the city as a driving power. The urban economic prosperity may rely on its advantageous location, or its natural resources, or its human resources. In the age of knowledge economy, however, innovation and entrepreneurship have become the core driving force for sustainable economic development in the city. The innovation potential of the city depends on its research capacities, and more importantly on the creative interactions between people. Although closely connected with wealth of the city, entrepreneurship has for the most part derived from a cultural tradition that encourages risk-taking and business ventures. As innovation and entrepreneurship have to be carried out by people, the economic fate of the city depends on whether there are good work and living conditions to attract first-rate talents. In addition, good infrastructure facilities and consummate services will be a necessary support for economic prosperity in the city.
Admittedly conflicts exist between economic development and environmental conservation. In order to achieve the goal of sustainable development, many cities in the world today have adopted Recycle Economy as an important economic strategy. Recycle Economy advocates Reduction of resource consumption in production, Reuse of products, and Recycling of wastes (3Rs), aiming to achieve in the end a harmony between economic development and environmental well-being.
In a word, economy in the future city will be more vigorous, and such vigor will come mainly from two sources: innovation and creativity of urban dwellers, and harmonious coexistence with nature.
3. Innovation of science and technology in the city
A huge platform for technological advancement, the city brings together various elements of innovation. The intensive communication among creative minds within the city produces sparks of innovation, and the research and production facilities in the city have at the same time helped to turn these sparks into technologies, and further into products and services that benefit humankind.
Ever since the 20th century, rapid technological development has, on the other hand, made extensive urbanization possible. Meanwhile, the enrichment and improvement of material life are most clear and obvious in the city. While the dream of flight has been a factual reality for just a hundred years, the flight vehicle invented by humankind has landed on Mars. People have benefited greatly from science and technology in their day-to-day life, in their ways of communication, in healthcare and in wealth accumulation. In the meantime, the revolution of material life has left clear watermark on people's cultural life and spiritual pursuit.
Today, when people observe the space through Hubble Space Telescope or reform life through genetic engineering, they are more clearly aware than ever of their own limitations. Science and technology are not omnipotent after all, and will not serve as a tool or weapon for humankind to conquer nature; instead, they should serve as a catalyst for symbiosis between human beings and nature.
In the future city, science and technology will play a more constructive role in the conservation of nonrenewable resources, in the efficient use of energies, in the protection of bio-diversity, and in the building of a sustainable habitat models. In a word, science and technology will take mankind back to the embrace of Mother Nature.
4. Remodeling of communities in the city
Communities are cells of the city, and the most common form of space for life. Only healthy "cells" can make a healthy and harmonious city. The goals of cultural blending and economic prosperity are all attained in communities as most basic living quarters.
Construction and remodeling of communities in the city have always been the most urgent tasks of city administrators. It is the most lasting puzzle in the history of urban development as to how poverty-ridden areas can be eliminated from the social map of the city. Today, the structural change of urban population in developed countries and the rapid increase of urban population in developing countries have made the puzzle even more disturbing. In the Millennium Declaration, the United Nations proposes the goal of Cities without Slums, aiming to achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.
Directed by the goal of sustainable development, community remodeling in the city of the 21st century will entail the creation of balanced communities, and the reduction or even elimination of gray or dark corners in the city. A balanced community shall, by our definition, feature a reasonable structure of residents, reasonable housing ownership structure, sound infrastructure, congenial environment and sufficient employment and business opportunities.
Communities in the future city will be featured by strong social cohesion, and a harmonious interaction with the city and other cells of the city. Man will always be at the center of the creation of better life in better communities.
5.Rural-Urban Interaction
Ever since the city was born, urban and rural areas have been mutually interdependent in terms of economy, social activities and environment. Country people have made their living by selling their farm produce to the city, while the prosperity of the city has depended on the resources and demand from its hinterland.
The expansion of the city has placed a considerable burden on the rural area, consuming or even depleting land and other resources in the countryside. New thinking in urban planning and new architectural and energy technologies will help to relieve the burden to the greatest extent. At the same time, the massive influx of immigration from the rural area will also pose a tough threat to city administrators. For one thing, the construction and renovation of communities in the city will create a better living environment for the urbanized population, and for another, the construction of small cities and towns will help to ease off the pressure of population growth and unemployment on big cities. Under the influence of globalization, agriculture in some countries has lost its competitive advantage. Sufficient interactions between the city and the countryside have become a necessity to help farmers diversify livelihood, or to remodel the production structure so as to regain competitiveness. A proper management of the flows of people, capital, commodities and information between urban and rural areas is the key to a harmonious and synchronized development of both the city and the countryside.
At the moment, about a half of the global population is rural, and in Asia and Africa in particular, a large population is still living in the rural areas. In light of the huge divide between the city and the countryside in developing countries, international organizations are urging people to harness the linkages between urban and rural areas to reduce urban poverty and to improve rural living conditions.
With the urbanization, the boundary between the city and the countryside has kept fading away, and the rural-urban relationship is getting closer. In some sense, harmony in the future city will depend to a great extent on an equally habitable and harmonious hinterland in the countryside.
Article 5  Support by the Organizer
The Organizer shall offer the following support with regard to the theme development to those foreign governments and international organizations which accept the official invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China to participate in the Exposition (hereinafter referred to as the "Official Participants"), from the time of their acceptance of the official invitations until the approvals of their Theme Statements as described in Article 6 below.
1. Documentation containing guidelines and examples for treating the theme in different aspects.
2. An advisory service shall be available to Official Participants at the different key stages in the development of their presentations. The details of this service shall be communicated to all Official Participants.
Article 6  Coordination Mechanisms for Compliance with the Theme
1. The Participants must submit to the Organizer a "Theme Statement" which defines the overall theme and the general contents of their presentation, both of which must follow the theme of the Exposition as described in Articles 3 and 4 of this regulation, as an integral part of the application for the allocation of exhibition space in accordance with Special Regulation No.2 concerning conditions of participation in the Exposition. The Theme Statement shall include reference materials on the theme and sub-themes as they shall be developed in specific presentations.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Special Regulation No.2 concerning conditions of participation in the Exposition, the allocation of all sites for exhibition shall not be considered final until the Theme Statement is approved by the Organizer.
In order to accomplish the purpose of the Exposition, as described in Article 1 of the General Regulations, the Organizer shall make the advisory service mentioned in Article 5 (2) of this regulation available to the Participants.
The Organizer shall forward to the BIE copies of the Theme Statements when they are received from the participants through the Commissioner General of the Exposition.
2. As an integral part of the "Application for Preliminary Approval" detailed in Special Regulation No.4 concerning construction or improvements, and fire prevention, the Participants shall submit a document entitled "Exhibition Project" which shall include a detailed description of their presentation. The Exposition Project document provides a detailed plan of the presentation following the general outline submitted in the Theme Statement. The Organizer shall verify that the contents of the presentation are in accordance with the approved Theme Statement and that the Exhibition Project meets the thematic criteria described in Articles 3 and 4 of this regulation.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Special Regulation No.4 concerning construction or improvements, and fire prevention, preliminary approval of a project for construction or installation works cannot be granted without approval of the Exhibition Project documentation by the Organizer.
In case the Exhibition Project document is not approved by the Organizer, the Organizer shall provide official participants with a detailed explanation of the reasons and make suggestions to remedy the situation. The Organizer shall revert its disapproval decision to the Participants within a reasonable period of time so that the Participants may have enough time to reconsider their project. The Organizer shall also continue to provide on-going assistance to the Participants through the advisory service as defined by Article 5 (2) above.
The Participants shall modify the content of the presentation in order to comply with the theme observance criteria. In case of disagreement over the level of compliance of a presentation with the theme, both the Organizer and the Participants shall make every effort to reach a consensus, and if necessary, seek the assistance from the BIE.
3. Notwithstanding Article 10 of the General Regulations, if a consensus on the matter of the theme, as described in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this article, cannot be reached between the Organizer and the participants, the matter shall be referred to the discretion of the Commissioner General of the Exposition for resolution after consultation with the BIE.
4. The Participants shall make available to the Organizer final information on the content of their presentation at least 120 days before the opening of the Exposition. This information shall be used for the Official Exposition Catalogue in compliance with Article 29 of the General Regulations. The content of said information shall be in accordance with the documentation, submitted pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of this article, concerning the conformity of the presentations to the theme.
The Official Exposition Catalogue shall be available in print and electronic form.
Article 7  Measures Taken by the Organizer
1. The Organizer and the Government of People's Republic of China are planning to present Theme Pavilions. The presentations to be shown in these pavilions shall be structured around the theme and sub-themes of the Exposition as described in Articles 3 and 4 of this regulation. Details regarding the planning and organization of the Theme Pavilions shall be distributed to Official Participants separately in a reasonable period of time.
2. The Organizer plans to host conferences, seminars and symposia related to the theme of the Exposition and shall keep Official Participants informed of all such events. Furthermore, Official Participants are invited to take up the theme of the Exposition in similar events of their own.
3. Official Participants should submit the final programs of their events to the Organizer at least six (6) months before the event. The Organizer may coordinate programs and provide Official Participants with logistics assistance, if necessary.