Faster? China has relocated a population the size of the entire US in a very short amount of time. They're not done. Again, pay attention.
it's estimated China will urbanize 300 million people currently living in rural areas, resulting in 70% of the total population living in cities by 2025.
I wonder how much is really voluntary and why the big push for it. Where I live is way too crowded for my tastes but it's nothing compared to these places and moving to them would not be something I would just do if asked nicely
From what's been read, a fair amount of it is forced, and the rest is sort of force by no other choice due to circumstance. The bones of China's communities are government controlled, so when the government offices, banks, schools, and hospitals are all moved away the only thing left remaining are residents. Business are more likely to accept the government incentives to move shop because a large portion of their clientele has been moved, the remaining follow because there's nothing left, no infrastructure, no employment, no community. Some evections are completely forced to clear out locations where new development is occurring. As for the why of the matter, or even how it will pan out, it's hard to say. What China has done, and is doing, is completely unprecedented. Would have to assume economics is the driving factor. Urbanization is drawing a lot of foreign investment, while generating a large viable working middle class out of past peasant farming communities. From the figures read, it appears China intends to reserve 30% of the population as rural, which is probably all they need to sustain farming, and less farming competition will also mean better incomes for the average farmer. In addition to urban development, China also has an initiative to improve living conditions in the rural areas which will remain, by building new housing, installing sewer treatment facilities, clean running water and electricity, in many poor communities which previously had none. Again, why. It could all be about making money. It could be about minimizing poverty. It could be to maintain their status within the UN by complying with UN enforcement of global human rights. It could be the vision of a great mind, who hasn't bothered to tell the rest of the world why. Maybe it's a big power trip, or a combination of those things. Maybe they're just gearing up to lead the world.