The Shanghai Urban Planning Center Joins Us in the Future

After spending the last two years doing renovations, the Shanghai Urban Planning Center is back open to the public, for all your tiny, architectural model needs. Always known as one of the better museums in town — like, it’s actually worth visiting — our parents even thought so — the main exhibition before was a giant scale model of the entire city of Shanghai that you could walk around and try to find your apartment building in. With the renovations, that’s not a part of it anymore, which is a bummer. Bits and pieces of the larger model are still there, but for the Urban Planning Center 2.0, they’ve gone hard in the direction of new technologies. Now, the exhibits incorporate virtual reality, interactive elements, digital maps, and screens, screens, screens everywhere. 

The Shanghai Urban Planning Center is still worth a visit, though, if you’re interested in the past, present, and future of Shanghai city planning and development. The models are really neat. It’s good for an afternoon for families, especially if you’ve got some budding architects in the fold. The current exhibition showcases the city’s 2035 masterplan, with lots of material dedicated to Shanghai’s great hopes for the future in terms of urban development and our ever-changing cityscape.  

To get in, you’ve got to reserve a space in advance online — they’re observing pandemic restrictions on capacity — and show up with a 72-hour green code. Open their official WeChat account, click on the Services tab and then 预定 (Reserve). Agree to the terms, then follow the steps. It might be better to wait a few weeks. It just opened up again and it's a popular tourism destination. Right now there don't seem to be any tickets available for the next 8 days.

Here's a peak inside...