Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

Shanghai Expo organizers announced today that they have received 108 proposals from 80 international cities to compete for the Urban Best Practices Area exhibition in the Expo as the world search of good practices ended on Thursday.

Shanghai has submitted a case to demonstrate the idea of fighting the greenhouse effect, said Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, today at the press conference.

The plan will feature real realties and landscapes in the area called Simulated City Block, which is planned to be three to five hectares, consisting about 30 percent of the whole area.

Urban Best Practices Area, with a space of 15 hectares, is a stage for cities to propose successful experiences in solving problems during urbanization. It is one of the highlights in the Expo event in 2010.

Besides the practices submitted by cities themselves, international organizations, such as UNESCO and World Bank, have also recommended 118 cases to the International Selection Committee, which headed by top officials in BIE and UN-HABITAT to in charge of the selection.

Thirty to 50 cases will be selected by the organizers, said Zhou. Shanghai will have the equal chance to be selected.

Bai Wenhua, chairman of Shanghai World Expo Land Holding Co Ltd

Bai Wenhua, chairman of Shanghai World Expo Land Holding Co Ltd, said 35 percent of the submitted cases are from cities in developing countries.

The organizers postponed the deadline for the worldwide search from August 30 to January 31 to cope with an overwhelming number of requests from international cities that want to join the exhibition.

The organizers started to ask cities to submit their proposals for selection last May. The final result will be published on the third meeting of the International Selection Committee on March 20 or 21.