The Swedish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. Illustrations: August Wiklund/Sweco

In the heart of Shanghai, on both banks of the Haungpu River, an astonishing city-within-a-city has been constructed. In an area covering more than five square kilometers, some of the most extraordinary contemporary architecture in the world has appeared. And on May 1, it opens to the public — for just six months. 

Urban life
Welcome to Expo: 2010, a world’s fair with ambitions that match its grand scale. Built around the theme “Better City, Better Life,” the goal of the Expo is to represent “the common wish of the whole of humankind for a better living in future urban environments.”

On their website, the organizers point out that back in 1800, only 2 percent of the world’s population lived in cities. By 2010, that figure is estimated to have risen to 55 percent. More than half the people on the planet now lead urban lives rather than rural ones.

As the Expo explores the best ways to manage this development, Sweden will be there to learn — and teach.

More than half of the world's population now leads an urban life. Photo: Jenny Gaulitz

CSR pioneer
Sustainable development has long been a key directive in Sweden’s urban planning. Linking economic growth with improved ways to live is already a well-established practice. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is widely implemented and Sweden was the first country to require state-owned companies to file sustainability reports. It also leads the world when it comes to environmentally certified companies.

According to global non-profit organization AccountAbility’s most recent RCI report, Sweden is “the world's most responsible competitive nation”. For the year 2007, AccountAbility produced the Responsible Competitiveness Index (RCI), a list of countries ranked by their commitment to initiatives such as corporate responsibility, social progress and environmental awareness. Out of 108 countries, Sweden came first.

“We know that these questions (about corporate responsibility), together with how to strengthen innovation and how to create good healthcare and welfare systems, are relevant to many Chinese decision makers,” says Annika Rembe, commissioner general for Sweden’s involvement in the Expo. “They are also relevant for many in the young urban society.”

Worldwide attention
Almost 200 countries are taking part in the Expo, which is expected to attract more than 70 million visitors, around 95 percent of them Chinese, during the six months that it is open to the public. In comparison, Sweden has just over 9 million inhabitants, but hopes that the Expo will show that is has ideas big enough to help the rest of the world.

“We hope to strengthen the visibility, knowledge and understanding of Sweden,” says Rembe. “We want to give an understanding for what Spirit of Innovation is, and show that an open, transparent and inclusive culture provides strong foundations for innovation.”

Annika Rembe, Sweden's commissioner general at the Expo. Photo: Samir Soudah

The Swedish government has committed 70 million Swedish crowns to the Expo, an amount that is being matched by contributions from industry. The Swedish pavilion is designed by SWECO, a company committed to sustainable engineering, and it symbolically fuses the city and nature. The exterior resembles the grid of a city while the interior is full of light and greenery. In addition to learning more about Swedish initiatives relating to the Expo’s theme, guests will even have the chance to sample Swedish food and, of course, Swedish coffee.

Spirit of Innovation
Because there are so many facets to its involvement, Sweden has chosen to simplify things by focusing on three keywords — Innovation, Sustainability, and Communication. There is also a single unifying theme to draw these threads together: “Sweden – Spirit of Innovation.”

All the events taking place at the pavilion have taken this theme into account, starting with the groundbreaking ceremony of the pavilion a year ago, which was certainly innovative as it included a coreographed “dance” by Volvo diggers to music written for the occasion by Swedish composer Anders Rimpi.

Pippi and Alfred
The pavilion will also introduce the Chinese to some Swedes who are noted for doing things differently, including Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite who founded the Nobel Prizes, and the most famous character from Swedish children’s literature, Pippi Longstocking. After all, says Rembe, “This is an amusement park where we add intellectual content. From the reactions we have received so far, the way we do it in the exhibition is well-received.”

Boosting Sweden
With China being such an important trading partner for Sweden, businesses are keen to use the Expo to build connections and relationships. Other goals are to boost Sweden’s image on the world stage, encourage tourism, foster good relations between the two countries. Many Swedish companies are helping at the pavilion, including H&M which is supplying the clothes that the guides will wear.

“We want all our partners — companies, regions, organizations, government agencies — to be satisfied with the Swedish pavilion as a platform,” says Rembe. “The goal is to have all visitors leaving with a smile and a feeling that Sweden is a country that they want to stay in touch with: as students or tourists, for business or scientific exchange, for culture or society.”

Stephen Whitlock

Stephen Whitlock is a British journalist who moved to Stockholm from New York City in 2002. He has written articles for Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure, and The New York Times.

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.