Though many decisions are to be made, Shanghai brought some additional focus the day before Wednesday to its planning blueprint for World Expo 2010.

The maglev train line will be extended from Pudong International Airport to the Expo site.  International architects will be brought in to design clusters of signature buildings. And large greenbelts and canals will grace a World Fair that's expected to draw 70 million to 80 million visitors during its 184-day-run.

"We have basically adopted a plan to build a new maglev line extending to the future World Expo site," Wu Zhiqiang, a professor of urban planning at Tongji Universty and chief planner for Expo 2010 Shanghai, said Wednesday.

"Hopefully, the line will be extended to reach Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, greatly facilitating transportation within the Yangtze Delta Region," he said.

Shanghai's demonstration magnetic-levitation line, which runs between the Longyang Road Station and the Pudong International Airport, was put into use in January 2003.

Wu's comments followed a major work session by the Expo organizing committee, during which a logo design was selected and latest urban planning document was reviewed.

The Expo plan comprises elements from three designs submitted by architects from Britain, the United States and Tongji University. It envisions a 5.28-square-kilometer site on both sides of the Huangpu River, roughly between the Lupu and Nanpu bridges.

Wu revealed that there will be " a cluster of signature buildings " such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The structures will be located on the riverbanks and perhaps even in the river.

"Next year, we will invite bids from around the world for the design of these buildings," he said.

He also said that large greenbelts will be laid out along the riverbanks, some as wide as 300 meters.

"These coastal green lands will be built with artistically designed slopes, giving visitors a spectacular view," he said.

An earlier plan for a pedestrian bridge across the river has been ruled out as impractical.

Wu said the Expo blueprint will be updated on a regular basis over the next six years, as details are worked out.

(Shanghai Daily December 2, 2004)