Located in the southwestern part of Shanghai's central urban area, the Xujiahui functional zone covers a total planned area of 11.17 square kilometers, including the famous historical plane tree district and the southern urban area developed after the 1990s. Its core is the Xujiahui commercial district, located at the intersection of major roads in Xujiahui, which is the focus of our study.

Once a popular destination for fashion shopping in Shanghai, the Xujiahui commercial district now faces numerous challenges. Its commercial functions are singular and enclosed in form; the buildings are small and scattered, making it difficult to form a high-energy, aggregated commercial hub. Moreover, it lacks a distinctive urban identity and a strong overall presence. The commercial spaces are outdated and enclosed, with monotonous formats, lacking openness and interaction—failing to meet the modern consumers' demand for experiential shopping.

In addition, aging infrastructure, limited logistics and delivery efficiency, a shortage of parking resources, overly wide motor vehicle lanes, and inconvenient pedestrian connections all pose serious obstacles to the development of the Xujiahui commercial district.

To address these challenges, our revitalization strategy focuses on several key solutions:

Strategic Enhancement: Increasing the floor area ratio to achieve the commercial scale and energy level required for a modern commercial hub.

Urban Identity: Creating a highly recognizable urban image with distinctive landmark building clusters that establish a strong visual identity.

Connectivity: Integrating surrounding historical buildings, parks, and plazas to create a cohesive urban fabric that honors the area's rich heritage while embracing modern development.

Experiential Retail: Combining multiple consumption scenarios to create an experience-rich, unique urban shopping destination that meets the evolving demands of modern consumers.

The vision is to transform Xujiahui into a "Trendy Landmark and Famous Commercial District of Shanghai's International Consumption City," creating a vibrant, sustainable, and culturally rich commercial environment that balances preservation with innovation.

Designer： 9Grid & 2Portzamparc