Abstract: “the people’s city” refers to a city that belongs to the people, a city that develops for the people, and a city that relies on the people in urban governance. There has been experience that benefits in the reconstruction of urban waterfront public space, an important carrier of citizens’ public activities and a better life at home and abroad. Its construction, therefore, should follow the concept of “the people’s city”, enhance people’s sense of identity for urban space, meet the diverse space needs of citizens, and strengthen the humanistic concern, public services and space quality of the city. As important urban public spaces in Shanghai, Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek bear people’s yearning for a better city life. The rebuilding the waterfront public space of “One River and One Creek” embodies the distinct concept of “the people’s city”. Shanghai’ experience is instructive for exploring the feasible strategy of integrating the concept into urban waterfront public space reconstruction: stress should be laid on the sharing of space, realizing the diversity of public services, promoting the sustainability of space development and expanding the participation of space governance. The reconstruction of urban waterfront public space provides theoretical inspiration and practical guidance for the reconstruction of urban public space. To be more specific, in order to truly realize people-centered urban development and governance and create a better urban life for the people, we should strive to practice the concept of “the people’s city” in terms of value orientation, policy design and action strategies: in terms of value orientation, we should adhere to the core value, fully mobilize the people’s subjectivity, enthusiasm and creativity, and give full play to the people’s subjective role; in terms of policy design, we should take the people as the center, i.e. to ask their needs, to consult their plans, and draw their wits; in terms of action strategies, priority should be given to enhance people’s participation, interaction and satisfaction.

Key words: the people’s city theory, urban waterfront public space, space reconstruction, construction of “One River and One Creek”