Urban development in China

The structure of cities in the LDCs Urban development in China China s inland cities have served and controlled particular (rural areas over thousands of years. North: walled cities had social districts South: with commercial centres, lots of small streets and craftsmen s houses - 19th century: European intrusion created CBDs of shanghai and Guangzhou > serve commercial interest, financed railways: ind. Cities could develop on the coalfields and iron ore deposits Today: (urban-industrial growth is carefully planned population increase threatened to swamp crowded cities - > migration into cities restricted and young people from urban families - > employment outside the city today still employment and housing controlled one-child family to control population positive urban planning aims to prevent overcrowding - Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin are part of a planned municipality (- urban area with local self-government) - include much open countryside with rural areas supply with vegetables new towns there: make people move there from the city reservoirs there control water supplies - recently created SEZ (Special Economic Zone), based on urban centres with private industrial investment and joint ventures with foreign firms - Shenzen: developed modern city with high-tech industry 1997 linked with industrial towns and Hong Kong s CDB - China s booming economy: in the east and inland areas create wealth and spread it into low developed areas - Village suburbs: industry alternates farming, but much of the old character remains there - also, cities vary according to history and function the structure of cities is not uniform and conditions vary from district to district - but poverty zones are not predictable, but they appear in so many cities - controls are strict and authorities are anxious to avoid the urban problems ...