Houtan Park

This guide to Houtan Park in Shanghai traces how a stretch of Pudong riverfront went from an abandoned steel factory and shipyard, hemmed in by a blunt flood wall, to a park built for the 2010 World Expo. It follows landscape architect Kongjian Yu's decision to route dirty water from the Huangpu River through the site on purpose, rather than piping in clean water for show. The demolished factory's steel found a second life too, cut into paving, pavilions and view frames along the boardwalk. Walk the terraces on the eastern side for the clearest view of the ponds at work.