Question;
Which city in China, could be described as the worlds largest municipality by population (over 32 million) and area (over 31,000,0 sq mi) as well as the worlds fastest growing city?
Which city in China, could be described as the worlds largest municipality by population (over 32 million) and area (over 31,000,0 sq mi) as well as the worlds fastest growing city?
Shanghai, Beijing?
The answer Chongqing, a city which more than any other represents the efforts of China to try and open up its once rural centre.
There are two main reasons why the last 10 years have resulted in the creation of the worlds newest and least well known super-city.
The first is the cities location on the Yangtze River, one of the worlds greatest and one that has seen major changes with the creation of the 3 gorges dam. The dam is another Chinese super project and is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world.
The 3 gorges dam as well as providing the city with the power it needs has also opened up the Yangtze to larger ships, making Chongqing much more more accessible to Shanghai and the rich east coast. Huge swathes of land were flooded as a result of the construction of its construction, including the 3 gorges themselves and a number of settlements resulting in the forced re-housing of around 60 million people; Chongqing has played a major role in this re-accommodation process.
The 3 gorges dam as well as providing the city with the power it needs has also opened up the Yangtze to larger ships, making Chongqing much more more accessible to Shanghai and the rich east coast. Huge swathes of land were flooded as a result of the construction of its construction, including the 3 gorges themselves and a number of settlements resulting in the forced re-housing of around 60 million people; Chongqing has played a major role in this re-accommodation process.
The second reason for the cities staggering growth, happened in 1997 when the Chinese government handed the city direct control over the surrounding area, and making the area one of only 4 municipalities in the country, the other 3 are Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.
The big question of course is one of sustainability, Chongqing already has massive air pollution problems, a massive amount of new rail lines have being completed but in a nation where car ownership is growing like no other, huge questions remain as to the negative environmental effects that such growth in a previously remote area can have.
Despite this a sense of perspective is also called for, China it could be argued is experiencing its industrial revolution and the first stages of urbanisation, much like the UK and United States did in the victorian era; a time which saw the formation of our own metropolitan regions. What we are seeing isn't pretty, but perhaps a new super city is better than unplanned expansion of the existing already crowded urban areas, such as is happening in many developing nations.
I suggest going on google earth and using the time slider bar to see for yourself the creation of the worlds largest and newest super-city, below is a taster of some before and after shots of the same area within a short period of time, while this article is also quite interesting http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/mar/15/china.china
2002 >2009: A Rural landscape to an Urban one (Google earth)
2002 > 2009: Traditional low rise housing to commercial centre (Google earth)
2005 >2009: Construction Site to Le-Corbusier's Dream (Google earth)
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