Shanghai's connection to the World Expo doesn't end just because the event is over. The city is already putting some of the leading theories displayed by other countries at the Expo into practice.

An external shading system displayed by Madrid, Spain, and widely used in public housing projects there, was displayed at the Expo's Urban Best Practices Area. The idea has now been implemented in several dozen neighborhoods across Shanghai on a trial basis, the Shanghai Construction and Transportation Commission said yesterday.

Wang Rong, an official with the commission, said the system Shanghai is using has been modified from that in Madrid due to social and environmental differences.

"We are learning the ideas behind these theories, not just replicating them," said Wang, who believes the adaptation of the external shading system will help lower indoor temperatures in summer, thus reducing the use of electricity for air-conditioning.

The system is also expected to keep it warmer indoors when the weather gets cold.

A walkway with a rugged surface specially designed for the visually impaired was used at the Expo. It featured rubber from used vehicles instead of the usual cement.

The commission, which received positive feedback from visitors about it, is now promoting the idea in Fengxian District, Wang said.

The city is also planning to use ground source heat pumps, which were used for the Expo Boulevard and in the UBPA, as a clean source of heating and cooling in some residential buildings.

Wang said Shanghai is also studying a display from the Denmark Pavilion about a slow traffic system.

Shanghai has signed at least five cooperative agreements since May 1 with cities participating Expo, said Sun Liansheng, director of UBPA.

Next year, Shanghai will cooperate with Madrid on a public housing project while the Rhone-Alpes Region is going to build an eco-friendly neighborhood in Shanghai. Also, a carpool project is planned based on a model from Bremen, Germany.