scene of the ground-breaking ceremony

Yang Xiong, vice mayor of Shanghai

Construction started this morning in the Urban Best Practices Area, one of the anticipated highlights of World Expo Shanghai 2010, in the Puxi part of the Expo site.

The area will showcase successful examples and experiences of selected cities on the themes of livable cities, sustainable urban development, protection of historic relics and technological innovations in the environmental field.

A total of 108 proposals from 80 cities worldwide are competing to enter the final list of 30 to 50 exhibits. The International Selection Committee of the UBPA is meeting in Shanghai to decide the final winners.

International organizations such as UNESCO and the World Bank have also recommended 118 cases to the committee.

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee

Vicente Loscertales, secretary general of the International Expositions Bureau

The nine-month international search for the proposals ended on January 31 and the results are expected to be unveiled soon.

UBPA, covering 15.08 hectares, is the brainchild of the Shanghai Expo organizers. The innovative project will offer a stage for cities around the world to showcase their best practices and experiences in solving issues during urbanization.

A pavilion renovated from the century-old Nanshi Power Plant will hold exhibitions displaying the theme "Exploration of Future Cities" and a theme square incorporating urban innovation.

A 165-meter chimney, built in 1985, at the Nanshi Power Plant, will be transformed into a 201-meter-tall Expo Harmony Tower.

Real scenes displaying residential communities via modules will be unfolded at the northern part of the area to showcase innovative achievements in urban construction.

The UBPA will be both an exhibition area and an exhibit itself, said Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, earlier.

Yang Xiong, vice mayor of Shanghai, Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, and Vicente Loscertales, secretary general of the International Expositions Bureau, attended a ground-breaking ceremony this morning to mark the occasion.