The Sorry Urban Interface of the Metropolo Hotel in Shanghai

In my recent visit to Shanghai I stayed at the Metropolo Hotel near Tongji University (map), China's leading architecture and planning school, courtesy of the university. The hotel inside was cromulent, but the interface with the street is cringe-worthy. You are only expected to approach via automobile (presumably taxi). You are not to come on foot. The hotel is nicely situated on a corner, you would think there would be a welcoming entrance for pedestrians approaching from that corner, since that is where you would come if you were arriving by Shanghai's excellent metro system (shown by the M on the map) which connects intercity trains and airports, with a station only a few hundred meters away. Instead, you are forced to squeeze past an automobile gate 25 m beyond the corner on the north-south or east-west street, at the edge of the site, and then backtrack to the doors of the actual hotel building. While doing so you walk in a driveway that is functionally a shared space, but clearly designed for cars given its asphalt overlay.

Map of Jinjiang Metropolo Hotel Shanghai, near Tongji University

Corner of Metropolo Hotel at night. Instead of a sign and a barrier, there should be a pedestrian entrance.

A closeup of the corner barrier, in daytime. Those steps don't lead to an openly accessible corner, but to the driveway.

The driveway, may be appealing to automobiles, not much to walk through.

The auto gate is in the distance.