How a noisy, polluted city of 30 million cleaned up its act

The beautifully designed park with its winding paths, established trees, pretty lake and historic buildings is the perfect place to get a sense of the rhythm of the city. From my bench I see people strolling, sitting by the lake to drink tea, or detouring through its shady paths to the metro station on the park’s edge. With trains every two or three minutes, there’s no need to run. A few metres from the city’s main shopping strip, I can’t hear any traffic. A large section of the road is pedestrian only and in any case, the citywide switch to electric vehicles has replaced traffic clamour with the soft swish of tyres on tarmac.

Low pollution, moderate traffic, good public transport and clean, quiet walkable city streets: I’m in the heart of Shanghai and there’s none of the noise, pollution and general intensity I assumed would be standard in a city of more than 30 million people.

Megacities have a population of 10 million or more and conservative estimates suggest there are between 33 and 44 of them in the world today and another 14 to 23 are likely to be added by 2050. With the exception of cities like Tokyo and Osaka, megacities generally get a bad rap when it comes to liveability: many of the world’s biggest cities are also some of the most polluted. Shanghai used to be one of them.

In December 2013, this masthead reported Shanghai’s children and elderly were warned to stay indoors for several days a week as the air quality index recorded dangerous levels of pollution, the worst since records began. It was a globally reported incident that confirmed China’s reputation for environmental degradation and pollution. The smog was attributed to coal power plants, cement factories and vehicles releasing tiny, extremely dangerous particles into the air. It wasn’t a one-off. Only two months earlier, northern Chinese cities experienced what became known as the airpocalypse, in which some cities reached all-time pollution highs.

If you haven’t tuned into what’s been happening since then, it might be easy to assume that nothing much has changed, but since 2013, Shanghai has made major changes to reduce pollution, closing or moving power plants and factories, switching to electric vehicles and almost doubling the city’s metro network, now used by close to 14 million people daily.

Electric vehicles have played a major role in the city’s transformation. According to MIT’s Technology Review, in 2009, when China began subsidising EVs to replace buses, taxis and personal cars, it sold fewer than 500 EVs domestically. In 2022, it sold 6 million. Cycling, once an image of China’s lack of development, is popular again and green spaces are being protected and expanded. The improvement to air quality and liveability is undeniable.

Like most visitors to the city, I spend my week in Shanghai in the most historic and popular areas where there’s been significant investment in clean and green urban spaces. I can’t speak for the rest of the city, but pollution doesn’t respect suburb borders. As I write this, global air pollution agency IQAir ranks the day’s air quality across the city as a mix of good and moderate quality.

Government policies that dictate how cities work aren’t usually top of mind for visitors. But what’s good for residents is inevitably good for tourists, too. A decade ago, Shanghai was a traffic-jammed, polluted, noisy, pressured megalopolis. Now, in the parts of the city I visit, it’s none of those things. Infrastructure may not be a sexy travel topic, but the changes in Shanghai have transformed it into a city that’s a pleasure to visit.

Lack of pollution (and investment in cleaning and restoration) has revived and enhanced some of the city’s most beautiful historic areas. Days exploring Shanghai on foot are more pleasant when the traffic isn’t overwhelming. A great metro system makes exploring further afield easy and affordable. Tree-lined streets and a multitude of parks cool the city and provide convenient places to watch the world go by.

Sitting in the popular People’s Park in the Huangpu area observing the city’s residents at play, one small detail stands out. Once the strongest defence against pollution, today no one is wearing a mask.

THE DETAILS

VISIT
Australian passport holders can enter China without a visa for 30 days for business, tourism or visiting family and friends. See smartraveller.com.au

METRO
International passengers can use MasterCard and the Shanghai Metro app for transport in Shanghai. Alipay or WeChat Pay accounts can also be used. See english.shanghai.gov.cn/en

STAY
The historic Peace Hotel has double rooms from around $385 a night.
See fairmont.com

The writer travelled at her own expense.