Several speakers shared their visions on city development at the inaugural World Design Cities Conference (WDCC) in Shanghai, including smartphones with foldable screens, electric cars running on roads in Europe, fast and comfortable high-speed rail services, and super-tall skyscrapers that fit into city skylines. The Conference reaffirmed Shanghai's design achievements while promoting the construction of a “City of design.” French Designer Philippe Patrick Starck, Wu Guanghui, the Chief Designer of China’s home-made C919 aircraft; and Richard Yu, Huawei’s Director of Consumer Business, gave keynote speeches during the WDCC’s opening ceremony.
Huawei's key research work on wireless technology, smartphones and automobiles is conducted in its Shanghai laboratory, including the latest foldable phone models and smart electric car systems. The city has become a powerful engine for the firm’s global research network and is helping Huawei build its own industrial design DNA gradually, according to Yu. Wu noted that the majority of the key design tasks of the C919 have been done in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Shao Jingfeng, Global Design Director at SAIC Motor, China's largest automaker, pointed out that car designing has become a “cross-border” work covering the automotive, artificial intelligence and electronics sectors, and SAIC has set up research facilities globally to meet customized and changing demands. In September, more than 10,000 SAIC electric cars were shipped from Shanghai to the European market.
Tao Guidong, Engineer with CRRC Corp, introduced the latest design innovations of China’s high-speed railway, including the CR450 project, which aims to raise train speeds to about 400 kilometers per hour, which will shorten the trip between Shanghai and Beijing to about three hours. Marshall Strabala, Chief Architect of Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest skyscraper; and other high-rises worldwide, also attended the opening session. He talked about how to make super-tall skyscrapers (400 meters or taller) fit into a city’s skyline. He also emphasized designs for building durability and low carbon.
City Mayor Gong Zheng was present at the opening ceremony. More than 50 forums and activities were held during the WDCC, covering innovations in industry, architecture, fashion, digital and service design. In 2021, Shanghai’s creative and design industry output reached CNY1.6 trillion, a figure that is expected to reach more than CNY20 trillion by 2025. The average annual gross domestic product growth of Shanghai’s design industry has been more than 10% since 2012, higher than the city’s total GDP growth. The WDCC exhibition has 110 brand exhibitors and more than 300 product lines, 20% of them overseas brands, the Shanghai Daily reports.
