Over 300 historical buildings in downtown Huangpu District have been awarded protected status as part of the district's blueprint to become the "heart" and "window" of Shanghai.

Four historical conservation zones have been delineated in the city's downtown areas, including Hengshan-Fuxing Roads, the Bund, People's Square and the old town.

Within the zones, 84 historical neighborhoods, nine national cultural heritage sites, 53 city-level protected sites and 289 heritage buildings will be protected, according to the district's newly released master plan.

Historical parks, including the People's Park, People's Square, Gucheng, Huaihai, Fuxing and Penglai parks will also be protected along with their heritage structures.

Huangpu District aims to become a "core leading district of the socialist international metropolis with global influence." It will become Shanghai's "heart, window and name card" to the world, according to the draft blueprint on which it is soliciting public opinion.

The district in the core area of the city's downtown covers about 20.5 square kilometers and has a permanent population of 660,000.

To cap the development ambitions, the district has planned three belts along Yan'an Elevated Road, Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, specifically named Yan'an Road High-end Service Industry Development Belt, Huangpu River Financial and Cultural Development Belt and Suzhou Creek Innovative Service and Culture Belt.

Also planned are two axes along Xizang and Fuxing roads, and four clusters around landmark sites such as Xintiandi and Yuyuan Garden.

A gathering place for the financial sector is being developed on the Bund, while a cultural and exposition business zone is rising on the former World Expo 2010 site.

There will be an innovation and cultural focus on the opened-up Suzhou Creek waterfront to drive urban renewal of the riverside region, according to the blueprint.

The 3-kilometer stretch of creekside in Huangpu between Chengdu Road and Waibaidu bridges features relics of Shanghai Rowing Club dating back to 1904, and Jiuzi Park, where the city's unique lane games are played.

The Nanjing Road-People's Square cluster will further be developed into a prosperous world-class commercial district and performance zone.

The Huaihai Road-Xintiandi cluster will become an "elegant and fashionable" world-class commercial area and top-class central activity zone.

The Yuyuan Garden-Old Town region will become a cultural and recreational zone featuring authentic Shanghai folk cultures, while the Dapuqiao-Puxi Expo site region will target global companies in innovation sectors.

The downtown public space and ecological environment will also be further improved. Public greenery areas will cover 1.75 square kilometers and the key green walking paths will stretch 11.2 kilometers.

Most of the ecological paths will be developed along the abundant waterways and key roads. Many artistic gardens and small plazas will be introduced among the parks, according to the plan.