Two innovative projects from Shanghai have been highlighted as global best practices in urban sustainability at the World Cities Day SDG Cities Global Conference in Shanghai on Oct 26.

The projects were featured in the 2025 edition of The Shanghai Manual, which was launched at the conference. First published in 2011, the manual serves as an international guide for sustainable urban development. The new edition highlights 21 exemplary cases from 19 cities across 11 countries.

The first case, located in Pudong New Area's Dongming Road subdistrict, utilizes metaverse technology to address a common urban challenge: engaging younger residents in community governance.

The metaverse community acts as a digital twin of the physical neighborhood, allowing residents, particularly young people, to navigate a 3D virtual replica of their community, access merchant discounts, and learn about local events.

The second case features the Shanghai Metro's maintenance project, which demonstrates how digital innovation can enhance the reliability of vital urban infrastructure.

Covering 896 kilometers of track across 21 lines and serving more than 10 million passengers daily, Shanghai Metro has leveraged digital technology to increase inspection frequency by 300 times and improve troubleshooting efficiency by at least 25 times.

Source: thepaper.cn