China is home to two hundred cities with populations equalling or exceeding one million people. In comparison, the United States have nine cities with at least one million people, whilst Europe has less than forty such cities. The Chinese challenge for sustainable urban growth is significant; it is forecast that 200 million more people will move into cities over the next twenty years.
The Chinese government has recently announced plans for five eco-cities, the scale of which is quite different to anything seen in Europe. One of the planned eco-cities will house up to 500,000 people on the currently uninhabited island of Chongming, across the delta from Shanghai. Situated in the Yangtze Delta, Chongming is the largest alluvial island in the world.
Chongming wetlands and tidal flats, known as Dongtan (East Beach), have considerable ecological importance. The wetlands create a buffer for tidal surges and provide a wildlife sanctuary; they also act as a staging post for migratory birds. In recent years the increasing change in land use, land reclamation on Chongming and the growth of Shanghai has led to some conflicts with environmentalists. As a result, the delicate nature of the Dongtan wetlands and the neighbouring Ramsar site has been one of the driving factors of the city's design.
According to Qiu Baoxing, China’s Vice-Minister of Construction, this may be China’s last chance to get urbanisation right: “if China chooses the wrong [urbanisation] model it will [impact on] the entire world” (Normile, 2008).
Topics associated with this project
Climate change, Eco-town, Energy, Environmental, Housing, International, Planning, Transport