Results tagged “urbanization”

In case you didn't think our cities were crowded enough, an official has predicted that some 300 million Chinese currently living in rural areas will move into urban centers during the next 15 to 20 years. 300 MILLION, aka the population of the United States aka half the population not living in cities right now. The official was pretty upbeat about it, arguing that the fast pace of urbanization will create at least 1 trillion yuan in annual investment opportunities - building water supplies, waste treatments, heating and other public utilities. We're not anti-city by any means, but this sounds like a disaster. Not only do we already have some of the world's densest cities, but weren't we all about encouraging farmers to stay on the land last year? What's with the sudden about face? Source: China Daily

One of the most worrisome aspects of the last couple years in China has been its overly rapid development of urban areas - the nonstop construction of skyscrapers, high-rises, highways - and the sometimes careless disregard for its environmental and social impact. At least now it seems like someone in the government is recognizing the problem, to the point of calling the current economic downturn a great opportunity to refocus on other priorities.