The theme of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, "Better City, Better Life," is one that, in some ways, is reminiscent of the hopeful tone of the Beijing Olympics' "One World, One Dream." However, the Expo theme is more than just a hopeful vision; it is a mission statement that carries with it the interesting implication that our cities themselves play a vital role in crafting the nature of our society, that our communities are so intertwined with our very lives that the improvement of the latter must, by necessity, fall hand in hand with the development of the former.

In this development, many fear that the increasing global homogenization of society might be too strongly reflected in urban development worldwide. They sigh with regret each time they see the shadows of new skyscrapers looming toward the Bund in the morning sun and wonder why East London keeps getting regenerated. They have a point; these days, it seems like every new building in the world is made of glass and concrete, and that every city has a white, gray, or glass cube with a stylized Apple logo on it somewhere in the main shopping district.

At the same time, however, cities have retained their unique characters. Kyoto, Japan still goes flush with the color of blooming cherry blossoms every spring; the Coast Mountains still soar high above the skyline of Vancouver, Canada; and the skyscrapers across from the Bund, led by the Oriental Pearl, tell Shanghai's unique story of a city once economically dominated by Western influence that grew into one of the crown jewels of the world's fastest-growing major economy.

In a way, then, the notion of "Better City, Better Life" contradicts the Olympic motto that the whole world shares one dream. Cities do represent their societies, both the positive and negative, in ways that cannot easily be controlled, disguised, or even fully understood, and indeed, they do represent competing views on the meaning of a better life.

As these views are established, cities begin to attract new residents who embody those views, further strengthening them; for example, the concrete jungle of Manhattan represents a society built around the notion of financial success as the apex of achievement, a notion that has grown only stronger over time as more and more people around the world decide, as Frank Sinatra did, that if they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere. As the gateway to America for over a century, New York has shared this vision with immigrants from around the world, many of whom have stayed and helped to propagate the New York mentality.

Today, every city on the planet has the opportunity to do the exact same thing. Some cities choose to showcase natural beauty, while others choose to showcase economic growth and development. Some cities evolve into cultural hubs, while others become industrial powerhouses. There is no one clear path to becoming a better city, just as there is no one clear path to leading a better life. Some elements are universal, such as safety, clean air and water, education, and jobs, but points of differentiation abound as well.

These competing visions can be seen within China's own borders. Unlike Beijing, whose development reflects that of an ancient capital surrounded by rampant growth and change and sometimes teeters on the brink of chaos, Shanghai has chosen to preserve and showcase the whole history of its own economic development. Where Beijing declares its hopes and ambitions loudly from its ever-higher rooftops, Shanghai is content to maintain an air of quiet confidence while still taking the world by storm. Shanghai seems to have something for everyone: history and new technology, ancient homes and ultramodern skyscrapers, European influence, and the Shanghainese and even the Chinese people's unique enterprising spirit.

With Expo 2010, Shanghai has been afforded a unique and extremely exciting opportunity not only to showcase itself and its multifaceted vision of a better city, but also to share in the visions of other cities and nations across the globe. Expo visitors will be able to see how other countries and cities envision a better life, and perhaps bring some of those visions back to their own communities.

Concrete, glass, and stylized fruit might form the building blocks of tomorrow's cities, but it is up to the communities themselves to decide how those blocks are assembled.

The success of Expo 2010 and its theme will be measured not by its ability to encourage convergent beliefs on one vision of a better city, but rather by its opportunity to afford an open and honest conversation about how every city's unique vision will contribute to a safer, greener, and more prosperous society for everyone.

The author is a Canadian-born Chinese who is an MBA candidate at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford