China Horizons

Welcome to our regular feature "On the Road." Today as we continue our talk at the World Expo in Shanghai, we take a look at the Urban Best Practices Areas. The Bilbao Case Pavilion is making use of models and multimedia presentations to describe how the city was transformed from an industrial hub to a modern, cultural one.

Reporter:

When Bilbao is mentioned, football fans may think of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, while art fans may think of the glittering Guggenheim Museum. It is hard to imagine that Bilbao with such an artistic and cultural embodiment used to be a dilapidated industrial city. Heavy industries defined it in the early 20th century. In the 1980s, Bilbao underwent massive reconstruction following a period of natural disasters and economic doldrums. But the city's transformation has propelled it into the international spotlight as one of the Urban Best Practices Areas at the Shanghai World Expo.

Located in northern Spain, Bilbao has a history of almost 800 years. Mountains and a sea embrace it as a river traverses the center. Designers have recreated a model of the city inside the Bilbao Case Pavilion. He Chen (何晨), head of the pavilion, says this is a masterpiece by Spanish artist Ester Pizarro..

"It was built with the idea of showing a microscopic view of the city. Inside, the glass is organic, and the lighting is from LED bulbs. The colors of the model changes as the video projects different images."

Having more to say than what the pavilion can hold with its limited space, metaphors are employed to introduce Bilbao's geographical and historical significance.
For instance, a small screen is installed on each side of the model. One screen is transparent, while the other is not. The supports of the model are made of thick metal rods.

"The transparent screen represents the sea, while the others represent the mountains. Since the city's economy was centered on iron and steel, using metal rods is a good concept. They show Bilbao's industrial past and that metals were once its economic support upon which wealth was built."

Bilbao meant to be an industrial city. The city's mountains were a rich source of iron ore that gave rise to its steel and shipbuilding industries. But as fate would have it, a huge flood in 1983 destroyed the city. It brought huge economic losses as the heavy industries collapsed.

"The city was a traditional industrial city. It faced big economic problems in the 1980s when the factories either moved away or were shut down."

When it comes to talking about the disaster of the '80s, the pavilion illustrates how the flood wrecked havoc. Blue light is projected over the model of the city to show how the flood engulfed it. Red lights appear when the narrative discusses how factories were shut down and strikes became widespread. Yet, every cloud has a silver lining.

"Because of what happened, the city got rid of its secondary industries. With the old space available, it had room to reinvent itself into a beautiful city with good urban planning."

The people of Bilbao decided to give up their old lifestyles and turn it into a service-oriented city with a cultural focus. They renovated historically-significant buildings, built a modern transportation system, and added more culture-related facilities. In 1998, a glamorous building rose from the ground –the Guggenheim Museum. It has since become the landmark of Bilbao.

When talking about the tremendous changes Bilbao has undergone, He Chen (何晨) described the transformation as a "revolution."

"We call the transformation the city's revolution. The revolution is rooted in the protection of cultural heritage. The city has turned itself to face the future, taking sustainable development into account when planning what direction it is going. We can say its revolution is a symphony of a harmonious city combining the past, the present and the future."

Numerous organizations, including the municipal government and state and private enterprises, had to work together to produce such a beautiful symphony. Each project had its own corresponding company responsible for the work.

"Heads of the government and transportation-related companies all participated in the reconstruction work. So when it came to executing our projects, all these bodies teamed up and got things done."

After more than 20 years of effort, Bilbao is now known as a city of culture throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Tens of thousands of tourists visit the city every day. The Guggenheim Museum has become an irresistible tourist spot. Tourists are fascinated by Bilbao's industrial past and charmed by its present cultural vibrancy.

This May, Bilbao was awarded the First Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Cites that receive the award are ones that have made use of extreme creativity and foresight in urban planning and managing people and projects.

The highlight of the Bilbao Case Pavilion illustrates how the city was transformed from an industry-based one into a culture-oriented modern metropolis.
Inaki Azkuna Urreta, the mayor of Bilbao, has said that the aim of the pavilion is to share ideas in urban planning with the Chinese by using Bilbao as an example.
As the visitors walk out of the pavilion dazzled and amazed, they are made to reflect on their own lifestyles and ponder the cities they live in. He Chen (何晨) again.

"We take pride in China's great development. Our pride makes it all more important to think of ways to better the future of our city. We need to think about our people and the generations after us. The exhibition given by the pavilion has pushed us to think exactly that by showcasing the urban innovation they have had in the last 25 years."

Today in China, many traditional secondary industries are facing the dilemma of modernization. The problem of how the old industries are to be merged with new production and services models remains unsolved.