SymbioCity at Expo2010

Jan 15 2010

The World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which will run between May 1 and October 31, 2010, is expected to be the biggest Expo ever. A total of 228 countries and international organisations have so far announced their participation. The arrangers estimate that 70 million people will visit Expo 2010 during its six month duration, with 95 per cent of the visitors being Chinese.

The theme for Expo 2010 is Better City, Better Life – a broad focus on the aspiration to create better living conditions in cities. The theme has been chosen to reflect the explosive population growth that has taken place in the cities of the world. In the year 1800, 2 per cent of the world’s population lived in cities; in 1950 the number had grown to 29 per cent, and in 2000 almost half of the people in the world lived in cities. UN estimates indicate that steadily increasing urban populations will mean as many as 55 per cent of the world community live in cities by 2010.

Sweden’s theme for Expo 2010 is Sweden – Spirit of Innovation and builds on three key words: Innovation, Sustainability, and Communication. The Swedish participation offers a diverse array of program activities. A wide range of meetings will be held to deepen and expand Swedish-Chinese relations. These will include research exchanges, business facilitation meetings, and workshops on a variety of social issues. The program will also highlight innovative culture.