LINGANG Songjiang Tech City, now under construction in the southern part of the district, will be an innovative center of technology and commerce, generating an estimated 100 billion yuan (US$14.92 billion) in revenue when completed, according to the latest blueprint issued by authorities earlier this month.

No completion date has been announced yet. Groundbreaking on the project was late last year. Work on 10 key projects, including traffic arterials, medical services, schools and office buildings, will comprise the first three-year phase of construction.

Tech City is being developed by the Songjiang District and the Lingang Group from the Pudong New Area under Shanghai’s “district-to-district” cooperation policy.

The blueprint calls for at least 110 companies — leaders in their fields — to eventually set up operations in the industrial park.

The accent is on innovation and advanced technology. Tech City aims to specialize in industries as 3D printing, intellectual manufacturing, digital information, leisure and health products and finance. There will also be facilities to “incubate” emerging start-up companies.

In addition to modern commercial and industrial facilities, Tech City will also offer an ideal residential environment for those who live there or come to visit.

A bilingual kindergarten, primary school and middle school are planned. Construction on a five-star hotel will begin next year. The greenbelt between the G60 highway and a public rental housing project will be overhauled and turned into a park for culture and the arts.

“Industry is the soil, technology is the blue sky, innovation is the water and investment is the sunshine,” said Zhan Yunzhou, deputy chief engineer on the project and former designer of the Caohejing and Songjiang Industrial Park. “However, the most important element is people — people who take full advantage of the above.”

He said Shanghai has long been a magnet for technology professionals, but industrial parks often have trouble retaining them.

“The work environment, the potential for personal growth and the availability of social networks are the three keys to attracting and keeping talent,” he said. “We need to give them a strong sense of belonging and a close affinity with the place.”

In order to attract professionals to come and work and live in Tech City, preferential polices for young entrepreneurs and start-up companies will be offered.

These include low rent, subsidies, green channels through Songjiang bureaucracy and easy admission to the best district schools.

“There will be a seamless connection between work and home,” said Ding Guikang, director the Tech City committee. “It will be like a cozy, livable satellite city rather than just a cold manufacturing base.”