An interesting lilong/longtang complex off Huaihai Lu with gardens in a raised planter down the middle

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

At the local wet market for vegetables and meat

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

View along Longcao Lu off one side of balcony of my apartment

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

Crowds on their way to Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou - a traditional New Year's visit to Hangzhou's most famous temple

Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou - a traditional New Year's visit to Hangzhou's most famous temple

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

New Year's Golden Week crowds in Qinghefang Old Street, Hangzhou

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

Popping popcorn, popped everything, you get to choose! At the end, there's a big BANG!!!! Coal fired and the spinning thing adds air to the fire.

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

Old men playing mahjong and cards at the side of the street - apparently they’re always here, even on (Chinese) New Year’s Day!!!

Location in google maps

Browse all of PaD Shanghai here at bricoleurbanism.org

…or here on the PaD Shanghai Flickr Set

Shanghai South Station platform for Hangzhou D-class bullet train - trip time 1h18m for 173km

Location in google maps

Having relocated to Shanghai, I hope to be getting together some interesting stuff over the next while – at the very least, I’ll attempt to post a picture a day or so, and I’ve organized it so that you can see all the photos right here on this site, or by viewing my PaD Shanghai set on Flickr.

Edit: the Chinese government just announced that construction would begin on a long-planned high speed railway corridor between Shanghai and Hangzhou, reducing the trip time to 38 minutes over a 160km route with train speeds up to 350km/hr!!! I believe the current D-class bullet trains are capable of this speed already, so it’s just a matter of building high-speed track between the two cities.

West Lake in Hangzhou, China from one of the gardens along its edge.

August 2008 - Band shelter and (temporary?) public space

An interesting evolutionary space has been created in the Junction on a vacant lot where some retail buildings were demolished in 2007. The empty site (which was originally being advertised as a “New Retail Development Build-to-Suit Opportunity”) was rehabilitated as an outdoor stage venue (the “Junction Train Platform”) as part of the centennial celebrations commemorating 100 years since the former City of West Toronto was incorporated. The (I think temporary) space has been outfitted with some seating and temporary plant material and seems to be a pretty popular place for people to relax and have a conversation. Behind the potted evergreens at the back I think are some parking spots. It’s a great use of what was essentially a barren, desolate gap in the urban fabric! More on the City of West Toronto Centennial celebrations, West Toronto Junction Historical Society and The Junction BIA.

August 2007 - "New Retail Development Build-to-Suit Opportunity"

March 2007 - Buildings in process of being demolished