Can water accumulate wealth?, Survey | Shanghai Waterfront Mall

As night falls, a gentle breeze blows, and the fish lamps on both sides of the coiled dragon fade away. A rowing boat slowly passes through the blue stone arch bridge, and a woman wearing Hanfu on board plays the pipa. The fishing fire at the bow of the boat adds a hazy atmosphere. On the side of the water bridge, tourists light up candlesticks, and the white lotus river lamp ripples out along the shimmering water surface, like a speck of starlight. Later, on the misty rain covered bridge, the light and shadow show "Moon Meets a Panlong" will be held on time.

In Panlong Tiandi, every weekend night in summer, tourists can experience such activities. They either walk in the trendy brand counters in the ancient blue brick alleys, take a boat to swim between small bridges and flowing water, or set up a riverside table outside a Western restaurant, drinking red wine and admiring the night view of Jiangnan. For tourist attractions, such activities are not uncommon, but from the perspective of commercial complexes, Panlong Tiandi undoubtedly provides tourists with a unique wandering experience, which is largely inseparable from the commercial utilization of water features.

Coincidentally. This summer, Shanghai Magnolia Plaza, along with the North Bund National Guest Center, North Bund Navigation Park, and others, launched a deep check-in route for the North Bund Riverside City Walk, greatly enhancing the driving force for riverside tourism and commercial passenger flow. The mall's passenger flow increased by 20-30% compared to 2021. Starting from September 1st, Ocean Classic · Tian'an Qianshu launched a unique "bar space", collaborating with multiple world-renowned bar brands in the outdoor space and indoor atrium area adjacent to Suzhou River, integrating band performances and various experiences to create a nightlife for young people. With the opening and connectivity of one river in Shanghai, creating a world-class waterfront area, waterfront economy and cultural tourism activities are flourishing, and waterfront businesses along the coast have also ushered in new development opportunities.

Picture of the corridor bridge lighting show in Panlong Tiandi

Overall observation, uneven passenger flow, hot and cold

Over the weekend, a large number of tourists have emerged at the exit of Panlong Road Station on Metro Line 17. Within the Panlong Heaven and Earth, visitors are crowded, the public rest area is fully booked, and there is a long queue at the cruise ship dock; At meal point, almost all restaurants have to wait for seats; In the evening, there is a continuous stream of tourists watching the scenery on the bridge and by the river, including those driving from Yangpu, Jinshan, Pudong and other places. Since its opening at the end of April 2023, Panlong Tiandi has been very popular, and the modern commercial space in the form of a water town has made citizens eager to check in.

At noon on weekdays, many restaurants in Shanghai's Magnolia Plaza also have to wait for seats, and popular restaurants such as Dian Du De, Mufmuf Fishery Cuisine, and TASTY West Embankment Restaurant are even more difficult to find. It is understood that currently, catering accounts for 40% of the shopping mall industry, with Michelin, Black Pearl, time-honored brands, internet famous catering, international fusion restaurants, high-end Japanese and Western cuisine, American style pubs and other high-end catering brands forming a matrix, becoming the most culturally rich shopping mall in the North Bund. Many nearby white-collar workers take a stroll along the riverbank after finishing their meals. On weekends, some citizens who check in at the North Bund riverside will also come to the mall for a meal after strolling around.

According to Assistant Professor Rao Fujie from the Department of Architecture at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in high-density cities, people are increasingly pursuing nature and open recreational spaces. The openness and public nature of waterfront commercial spaces bring citizens a more comfortable psychological experience. This also gives waterfront commercial entities an inherent advantage in passenger flow, "Generally speaking, waterfront spaces do not lack traffic."

However, not all of the passenger flow in Binjiang can be converted into the passenger flow in waterfront shopping malls. For example, the waterfront commercial center located at the Sixteen Pavilions on the Bund receives a huge flow of tourists from Pujiang sightseeing boats, but its commercial operation is not ideal. The reporter learned that the business center of the 16 Pu had stopped operation at the end of July this year, and the overall business type was mostly low-end catering, which has been basically empty, leaving only Starbucks and new convenience stores operating normally.

At noon on weekdays, the Sunshine Riverside Tiandi Shangwan Village, separated only by Longteng Avenue from Xuhui Binjiang, is quiet and desolate. This is a sunken commercial square, positioned as another fashionable art block on the west bank of Shanghai's art corridor. The occupancy rate of shops on the main square and underground commercial space is not high, and most shops are either not yet occupied or closed. Except for a few customers in a climbing gym, there are very few tourists in the entire commercial area.

There are many tourists strolling along the Yangpu riverbank on weekends, which is very lively. However, within the "Oriental Fisherman's Wharf" adjacent to the riverside trail, it is very deserted. The occupancy rate of street facing shops in Zone B of the commercial district is relatively high, but a large number of shops inside are closed and demolished. Only a few brands have settled on the negative first, first, and fourth floors of Zone C, while the second and third floors are all idle. The person in charge of a Southeast Asian restaurant in "Fisherman's Wharf" revealed that the mall's business has been sluggish. On Monday noon, the restaurant only made two transactions within three hours of noon, and during the best weekend business, it could only fill a dozen or so tables.

The recent crayon new flash mob held at Shanghai Magnolia Plaza has attracted many tourists, photographed by Zhou Nan

Shen Siyi's boat performance in the evening of Panlong Tiandi/Photo taken

The evening cruise performance of Panlong Tiandi attracted many tourists, Shen Siyi/Photo

The commercial center of the 16 Pu on the Bund has been closed in July this year. Shen Siyi/Photo

Suhewan Wanxiang Tiandi, Iconic Elephant Sculpture IP Shen Siyi/Photo

Sunshine Riverside Tiandi Shangwan Village near Xuhui Riverside/Photo by Shen Siyi

Shen Siyi/Photo by Dongfang Fisherman's Wharf near Yangpu Binjiang

Make good use of "waterfront hardware" to highlight landscape characteristics

So, what is the unique "gameplay" of waterfront shopping malls?

Journalists have observed that restaurants and recreational areas with waterfront views are easily popular check-in points. Some waterfront shopping malls are beginning to strengthen their viewing advantages, starting with hardware and creating experiential check-in points.

The unique mountain shaped appearance of Tian'an Qianshu made it a scenic spot by the Suzhou River from the beginning of its construction. The first phase of the riverside trail combines the advantages of the Suzhou River area from the beginning of its design, and has put a lot of effort into landscape design. In addition to planting different types of tree species in the lower areas to enrich the hierarchy of the landscape, it also emphasizes the combination of the four seasons scenery. For example, in spring, there are cherry blossom trees, and in autumn, there is the fragrance of osmanthus, creating a four season charming landscape.

Inside Tian'an Qianshu, several restaurants have waterfront terraces where consumers can enjoy the river view while eating. Previously, Tianan Qianshu had teamed up with the Suzhou River waterway to launch a leisurely Suzhou River · Tianan Qianshu Spring Day Cruise Afternoon Tea. Consumers can purchase a "boat ticket+afternoon tea" package and enjoy afternoon tea at Tianan Qianshu's selected restaurant.

Panlong Tiandi already has the foundation of an ancient water town in Jiangnan. The nearly 1-kilometer Panlong River runs through the entire commercial complex, preserving the "Jiangnan texture" of water as the core and river street combination. Most shops are lined up along the river, and 10 small bridges have been repaired and built to connect the two sides, creating a creative lighting show of misty rain covered bridges. The waterfront area is more equipped with elegant Western restaurants and mid to high end restaurants, with fast food, trendy toys, and clothing on the back floor, and a focus on supermarkets and parent-child sports near residential areas. The ornamental value of waterfront spaces is also maximally transferred to the catering industry, which is more likely to transform landscape advantages into customer gathering advantages.

This summer, Panlong World has organized multiple themed water activities, such as kayaking and paddleboarding, which have attracted many outdoor sports enthusiasts. The outdoor sports brand is one of the main business characteristics of Panlong World. In line with the historical context of the "Ten Scenic Spots of Panlong", starting from August, a Jiangnan cruise ship performance will be launched, bringing Chinese folk music and Jiangnan Pingtan onto the cruise ship; At the same time, projects such as releasing prayer river lanterns were also launched.

In Shanghai, along the banks of the Huangpu River and Suzhou River, such a commercial layout is not uncommon. For example, many Chinese and Western restaurants on the east bank of Pudong, along the riverside, have created a spacious viewing platform with steps and scenery. The riverside scenery not only provides customers with excellent views, but also becomes the selling point of the restaurant, increasing added value.

Tian'an Qianshu Data Image

Inside Tian'an Qianshu, multiple restaurants have waterfront terraces where consumers can enjoy the river view of Zhou Nan/take photos

There are many waterfront restaurants in Panlong Tiandi, where tourists can better enjoy the lake view. Shen Siyi/Photo

Picture of tourists releasing river lanterns in Panlong Tiandi

Strengthening one's own connotation and shaping a unique IP

In Shanghai, there is hardly any natural water system that can flow through a commercial entity, and even along the banks of one river, it is difficult to break the limitation of being "not close to water". But on the waterfront trail, there are many residents who engage in outdoor sports and parent-child tours, and these two themes have become unique IPs for many waterfront shopping malls.

Walking around Changfeng Joy City, you will find that the parent-child characteristics are very obvious. During the summer vacation, there is a flamingo floating swimming pool in the courtyard of the shopping mall, and children happily play in it. This is the Long Wind Summer Water Playing Festival activity; The first floor introduces the Nolan Mobile Technology Museum; The second floor LEGO Exploration Center is holding a LEGO ninja training camp. The children's sports training in the mall also has a complete range of categories, including rock climbing, football, basketball, skiing, etc. The parent-child bathroom is divided into four types that are considerate: mother and baby room, female parent-child room, male parent-child room, and children's room, meeting various parent-child needs.

It is reported that Changfeng Joy City is positioned around high-quality family life and the growth of all age children. With the opening of Suzhou River cruise ships and the operation of Shanghai Children's Library, the proportion of family customers in the customer base of Changfeng Joy City continues to increase.

Xuhui Binjiang is a well-known "pet friendly" space in Shanghai, adjacent to Sunshine Binjiang Tiandi Shangwan, where three mid to high end pet related stores have opened. A salesperson told reporters that tourists often bring pets from Binjiang to the store on weekends for consumption, and the business is considered "the tallest among the dwarfs" among many shops.

The atmosphere brought by water is also worth creating. For example, Suhewan Wanxiang Tiandi has introduced camping, dining, and pet community activities on the green space adjacent to the waterfront trail, organically integrating the waterfront atmosphere with the pocket park, bringing customers a more natural and comfortable experience.

In July, Shanghai Zhengda Plaza created the "Zhengda Bingou Bingo Market" on the riverside of Lujiazui, with a 230 meter limited time pedestrian street adding "night economy" momentum to waterfront commerce. In August, the "Oriental Fisherman's Wharf" also held the "Shrimp and Crab Lane" night market by the Yangpu Riverside. Many merchants expressed that the night market did attract a lot of customers to the shopping mall.

Suhewan Wanxiang Tiandi introduces camping, dining, and pet community activities on the green space adjacent to the waterfront trail. Shen Siyi/Photo

Children's Elements in Changfeng Joy City by Zhou Nan/Photo

The night market created by Dongfang Fisherman's Wharf attracts Shen Siyi/Photo

Flamingo Floating Swimming Pool in Changfeng Joy City/Photo by Zhou Nan

Shen Siyi's Pet Shop in Sunshine Riverside World/Photo

Returning to the origin of business, it is still about business formats and operations

However, these waterfront businesses that are backed by "one river, one river" and should be able to carry their own flow are rarely among the "top flow" business districts, and there may be multiple reasons for this.

During the visit, the reporter noticed that many waterfront businesses are designed with sunken squares, such as the 16 Pu Business Center, Sunshine Riverside World Shangwanli and Suhewan MIXC World. The sunken design allows commercial buildings to avoid obstructing the view of adjacent and rear residential and office buildings along the riverbank, but also deprives them of the advantage of being waterfront.

For example, although Sunshine Riverside World is only one road away from Xuhui Riverside, most shops have seats on the outside, but the view in front of them is a wall, as if sitting in a courtyard, with no visible scenery. The sinking architectural design of the commercial center of the 16 Pu also makes most of the shops still inward in nature.

This dilemma stems from the spatial scale of the water system itself. For example, when the water surface is too wide, commercial development and utilization of water systems and landscape construction methods are limited, and the difficulty of being hydrophilic also increases accordingly; On the other hand, in early urban planning and construction, the "safety" of waterfront spaces is much higher than the landscape effect, and the shaping of hard shorelines will also reduce hydrophilicity.

"Different water bodies correspond to different commercial formats. For example, many ancient towns in Jiangnan have relatively small water systems, and commercial entities can diversify their development, such as yachts, river lanterns, water activities, etc. The water system is more approachable. However, for the same activity, it is not very realistic to place it on the Huangpu River or Suzhou River, which is more suitable for enhancing the advantages of waterfront through landscape design and other methods." said Wang Mingfeng, a professor at the China Modern Urban Research Center and the School of Urban and Regional Sciences at China Normal University.

At the same time, the conflict between the natural public nature of waterfront spaces and the commercial nature of commercial real estate also needs to be considered. Rao Fujie told reporters that during the construction of many overseas waterfront businesses, developers usually swallow up the public space within the entire shoreline and turn it into a commercial space with entry barriers, which actually poses a challenge to the public nature of waterfront spaces.

The coast of Clark Wharf in Singapore consists of four corridors: a commercial corridor, a pedestrian corridor, a dining corridor, and a water corridor. These four corridors form a "retreat platform" style waterfront space interface, divided into functional blocks according to the distance to the river. The first level is for catering, the second level is for pedestrian walkways, and the third level is mainly for the composite functions of commerce, entertainment, and office. Riverside catering not only enhances the landscape quality of the river, but also promotes the development of tourism and increases economic benefits.

In Rao Fujie's view, the development of waterfront commerce also tests to some extent the cooperation between commercial developers and the government, that is, how to place a market profit oriented business model into public spaces that should serve the public and find a balance in it.

In addition, the consideration of the surrounding consumer group is also very important. Journalists have observed that some popular waterfront shopping malls still rely heavily on nearby residents and white-collar workers in business buildings, while lacking surrounding consumer groups. Waterfront shopping malls that rely solely on tourists undoubtedly have higher operational difficulties.

According to insiders, when Sunshine Binjiang Tiandi Shangwan Li opened for investment, it focused on high-end routes. Later, due to lack of popularity, many shops withdrew and their investment standards were adjusted and lowered, but the effect was not significant. Nowadays, there are restaurants, maternity and baby care, pets, beauty salons, murder mystery shops, and rock climbing halls in the shopping mall, but overall they are relatively scattered and have not been able to present a mature and systematic business scale. "The nearby Green Land Colorful City has a larger commercial volume and covers a wide range of price levels, offering a wider range of business options. Many riverside tourists and surrounding white-collar workers will go to Colorful City even closer," said a shop owner in Shangwan, a sunny riverside paradise.

A mature commercial supporting system and a comprehensive one-stop shopping experience are important criteria for customers when choosing a commercial district. Ms. Li, who often comes to Yangpu for a walk along the riverbank, said that there used to be some fashion and shopping formats in the Oriental Fisherman's Wharf, but now all of them are restaurants, with a small quantity and mixed quality, making it difficult for people to have the desire to go shopping.

The waterfront internet celebrity check-in location is Tian'an Qianshu Phase I, and the busiest place is various restaurants. Ms. Yang, who lives nearby, said that there are not enough options for restaurants in the mall, clothing brands are relatively niche, and there is no cinema. However, this situation may be changed. It is understood that the Tian'an Qianshu Phase II, which is currently under construction, has twice the size of Phase I and features hotels, offices, commercial and historical protected buildings, forming a diverse combination of business formats.

"Regardless of the type of business model, the diversity and comprehensiveness of business formats, as well as good operation, are fundamental to ensuring the resilience of commercial entities," said Rao Fujie.

From this perspective, the advantage of waterfront is more of an "icing on the cake", and in order for businesses to find a foothold, retain and transform the natural passenger flow brought by waterfront, they ultimately need to return to the underlying logic of commercial layout and operation mode.

On weekdays at noon, there is a lot of passenger flow in Greenland Colorful City. Shen Siyi/Photo