Ghost Cities of China

[Jack]

For all anyone knows, the half dozen empty ones that make the news are left empty and open to the public eye on purpose so the world will report them and consider it wasteful and fruitless what China is doing.

It could also be that the ghost city hype sells better in the news. While some stories were very true ten years ago, maybe not so much anymore.

"But 60 Minutes simplified the situation by simply calling the entirety of Zhengdong barren and deserted — they went for hype and got it, but rendered their report a work of fiction in the process. They went into skyscrapers full of businesses and then called them abandoned; they showed occupied high-rises and claimed nobody lives in them; they filmed in an abandoned mall but ignored the thriving one nearby; they filmed areas that are not even built yet and used it as an example of how people are not moving into the district. 60 Minutes did not find a ghost city in Zhengzhou, they created one.

Within the lifetime of a university sophomore, Shanghai built one the most vibrant economic zones in the world from scratch. Though the entire process was mocked each step of the way by foreign analysts, economists, and journalists, who snickered at the city as though it were a kid wearing a suite two sizes too large. Pudong’s annual GDP tops $400 billion and it’s financial district’s occupancy rate is higher than that of mid-town Manhattan. Nobody is calling Pudong a ghost town anymore.

We are amused by empty streets, vacant shopping malls, and barren financial districts in China, not budding new cities steadily coming to life. Ex-ghost cities are rarely news."

http://www.vagabondjourney.com/5-chinese-ghost-cities-came-alive/

[Jack]

Am posting this one again because want to see it on this page. This is by far the best image seen in a while. It's stirring, empty or not, and amazimg how something so modern and new can be so unsettlingly creepy and disturbing.

[Jack]

Focus today is on the Kangbashi District of Ordos, mentioned on the previous page. The Kangbashi District began construction in 2003, planned as a development to accommodate one million people, with a current capacity for 300 thousand. While ignoring countless success stories, this particular district is held up by the media as the shining example of what's wrong with China's urban development, due to still being unfinished and highly under-populated. In 2015 it had an estimated 100 thousand people, compared to 30 thousand in 2012. The population Ordos is still growing and will no doubt have it's day, but does appear to be taking longer to fill than others. When large cities evolve of their own volition, the result is a mixture of individual architectural visions. Ordos has a mixture of clusters of individual visions, which in itself is very interesting to observe.

[Jack]

One of the reasons for the perceived failure of the Kangbashi District of Ordos, and the scaling back of planning from one million to 300 thousand, may be that the government lost interest. Ordos is one of the richest areas in China due to containing one sixth of the country's national coal reserves, and the city largely subsides on coal mining incomes. In the beginning of urban planning, it would make sense to expand upon this area, but rapid expansion across the country has caused power shortages and problems with smog from burning coal. In the past China's main source of power has been fossil fuels, but now turning to nuclear power. 70% of China's nuclear power plans have been built in the last ten years, they have 36 reactors in production, are reported to have another 20 under construction, and more planned to start construction with a goal of doubling current capacity by 2020.

In October, China began operating three new nuclear plants near the Vietnam boarder.

[odeon]

Wow. Just... wow.

You want to go too...just admit it. 

Of course. It might be the best vacation ever.

[odeon]

And I just love this one.

[Icequeen]

I wanna pet the camels. 

[Jack]

China is also building ghost cities in Luanda, Angola, South Africa.

"Nova Cidade de Kilamba (Kilamba New City) is a large housing development 30 km (18 miles) from Luanda, the capital city of Angola.  It is being built by the China International Trust and Investment Corporation. Kilamba covers an area of 8.8 square kilometers and will eventually offer 25,000 homes for more than 200,000 inhabitants. The cost is reported as US$3.5 billion, financed by a Chinese credit line and repaid by the Angolan government with oil.

Although Kilamba contributes to meeting the election pledge made by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in 2008 to build a million new homes in four years, Angola does not have a large middle class able to buy such homes. However, despite the slow start, new legislation signed into law by dos Santos resulted in a massive boom in demand. Prices of the smallest units were reduced from US $125,000 to $70,000. The population increased to 40,000 residents in September 2013, and 80,000 in July 2015." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilamba





Kilamba Kiaxi is one of the six urban districts that make up the municipality of Luanda, in the province of Luanda, Angola's capital.
Kilamba Kiaxi has 64.1 square kilometers and about 234,000 inhabitants. A large Chinese firm has been given a contract to construct the majority of replacement housing in Luanda The Angolan minister of health recently stated poverty in Angola will be overcome by an increase in jobs and the housing of every citizen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luanda

["couldbecousin"]

  I don't get it.  There are a billion Chinese.  Why aren't people flocking to these vacant places? 

[Jack]

  I don't get it.  There are a billion Chinese.  Why aren't people flocking to these vacant places? 

They are flocking, to the tune of 400 million over the last five years. Pay attention.

By the end of 2015, 56% of China's total population were living in urban areas, compared to 26% in 1990.

["couldbecousin"]

  I don't get it.  There are a billion Chinese.  Why aren't people flocking to these vacant places? 

They are flocking, to the tune of 400 million over the last five years. Pay attention.

By the end of 2015, 56% of China's total population were living in urban areas, compared to 26% in 1990.

  They need to flock faster then.  Look at all the empty buildings! 

[Jack]

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.

["couldbecousin"]

Faster? China has relocated a population the size of the entire US in a 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.

  To quote Jeff Goldblum, in both Jurassic Park and Independence Day,


   "Must go faster, must go faster!"   

[Parts]

The last couple look like those paint chip samples at the hardware store

[Jack]

The last couple look like those paint chip samples at the hardware store

The developments in Africa appear to only be housing along with adjacent schools and daycare, rather than full cityscapes. Not sure what up with the color schemes. The first development in that post is color coded by block, with entire blocks of blue buildings, green in the next block, yellow next to that, and so on. The paintchip looking buildings look young and cheerful, so maybe intended for a young generation of tenants.