At the World Expo in Shanghai, landscape architect Niek Roozen led Princess Maxima and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander on a tour of the Expo Park. The royal couple was impressed by the park and the principles of its design, the Green City philosophy and many other green projects that have been realised in China.
The royal visit was to commemorate the first prize won in 2006 by Niek Roozen and the NITA Design Group Shanghai (framework of cooperation between Chinese and Dutch designers) for their design of the Central Green Park at the Expo 2010.
Applied Plant Research (PPO) played an important role in the design process. Assortment expert Marco Hoffman made a list of suitable plants for the design with the specific objectives and growing conditions in mind.
The Central Green Park was built on the Pudong side of the Huangpu river. This park is located in one of the most densely populated cities in the world and is used intensively for recreation. In addition, it also functions as a 'green lung' that improves the urban air quality. The park is 29 ha in size, and with its many trees it creates an attractive, shadowy oasis for the thousands of daily visitors to the World Expo in Shanghai.