"I call Shanghai home," said O'Jack, chief representative of the University of Virginia's Pacific Asia office and a recipient of the Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award. He recalled proposing better maintenance of public facilities for people with visual impairments at a public consultation held by the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress. Several of his suggestions made it into the accessibility regulations. For O'Jack, it was an example showing that residents' suggestions were heeded.
Earlier that day, guests visited the Shanghai People's City Practice Exhibition Hall in Yangpu district. Andries Diener, president of the Swiss-Chinese Association and a former Shanghai resident, said he was impressed by how Shanghai was "putting people at the center" of urban planning. He cited Shanghai's 15-minute community life circles as an example of putting that idea into practice, bringing everyday services within a short walk of residents' homes.
A display showing how per capita living space had risen from about 4 square meters to more than 30 square meters in a short time also caught Diener's attention. For him, the figures showed what the city's progress meant in everyday terms for the people who live there.
Guests also toured the Dapuqiao subdistrict Party and community service center in Huangpu district, where they saw how that idea works at the neighborhood level. As a venue for neighborhood activities, the center houses a public library and study areas, hosts free community film screenings, and has a cafe.
