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Ghost Cities: The Role of the Government and Citizens
- 1. China’s ‘Ghost Cities’ the roles of the government and citizens Max D. Woodworth Department of Geography Presentation for MIT, May 4, 2016
- 2. 2 Department of Geography “Spacious avenues that begin in nothing, and lead nowhere; streets, mile long, that only want houses, roads, and inhabitants; public buildings that need but a public to be complete; and ornaments of great thoroughfares, which only lack great thoroughfares to ornament – are its leading features.” - Charles Dickens, describing Washington, DC in American Notes for General Circulation, 1842
- 3. 3 Kangbashi New District, Ordos Department of Geography Dongsheng District, Ordos
- 4. 4 Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, Tianjin Department of Geography Tianjin
- 5. 5 Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou Department of Geography Zhengzhou
- 6. 6 Chenggong New District, Kunming Department of Geography Kunming
- 7. 7 • Urbanization rate 18% in 1978, now ~53% (~600mn people added) • 1980-2010, urban built up area grew from 8,800km2 to 41,768km2 • 2000-2010, urban growth consumed 23,600km2 of land • China accounts for 2/3 of East Asia urban physical expansion since 2000 (World Bank, 2015) Department of Geography
- 8. 8 Department of Geography • Rural-urban transition: Lewis model of migration and urban growth • Capitalist transition: mobilization of capital, creation of labor force, pro- growth regimes, production of cities (Walker & Buck 2008)
- 9. 9 Department of Geography • State-led urbanization – Wu 2004, 2015; Ma 2005 • Urbanization of the local state – Hsing 2010
- 10. 10 Ghost cities(? ) Generic picture of ghostly landscape
- 11. 11 Epidemic of over-supply In 2014, 50 mn empty homes National average of 22.4% vacancy 18.4% in tier-1 cities 27.5% & 27.6% in tier-2 and tier-3 cities Department of Geography Nanjing Hexi New District
- 12. 12 Department of Geography Chi et al. “Ghost Cities analysis based on positioning data in China,” 2015
- 13. 13 Department of Geography A. Rushan B. Dongsheng Tiexi C. Kangbashi D. Binhai E. Rugao F. Dongying G. Xinghua H. Yijinhuoluo I. Dongling Chi et al. “Ghost Cities analysis based on positioning data in China,” 2015
- 14. 14 Urban mega-projects New districts (xinqu 新区) est. 100+; 17 nat’l level Eco-cities (shengtai cheng 生态城市) est. 200+ Department of Geography Select examples • Chongqing Liangjiang New District: 1200km2 (50km2) • Lanzhou New District: 800km2 (65km2) • Gui’an New District: 1795km2 (95km2) • Kangbashi New District: 150km2 (35km2) • Wanfang Eco-Smart City: 30km2 • Wuxi Eco-City: 150km2 • Suzhou Western Ecological City: 300km2
- 15. 15 Hey, what’s the big idea? • Peri-urban property development schemes of gigantic scale that proclaim to resolve practical problems of urban functionality • Advanced through land-centered urban entrepreneurialism and private speculative investments in built environment Department of Geography Datong Yudong New District; museum under construction
- 16. 16 Mega projects and urban frontiers Mega-projects • “Projects which transform landscapes rapidly, intentionally, and profoundly in very visible ways, and require coordinated applications of corporate and state power.” – Gellert & Lynch, 2002 • Size, cost, speed, and the deliberately disruptive transformations Department of Geography Yan’an New District
- 17. 17 Mega projects and urban frontiers Urban frontiers • New districts and eco-cities built in peri-urban areas • Not just making spaces, but proposing total transformation • “Projects in making geographical and temporal experiences,” A. Tsing, 2003 Department of Geography Kangbashi development plan
- 18. 18 Unpacking peri-urban mega-projects Land-centered urban entrepreneurialism • Mandarins • Modules • Monuments Spectacular accumulation • Money • Mansions Department of Geography
- 19. 19 Land-centered urban entrepreneurialism • Mandarins – or, state-led urbanism Department of Geography
- 20. 20 Land-centered urban entrepreneurialism • Mandarins • Modules – policy and formal isomorphism Department of Geography 3 Planning schemes, rugao, dongying, chenggong Zhengdong New District
- 21. 21 Land-centered urban entrepreneurialism • Mandarins • Modules • Monuments – urban gigantism Department of Geography Tianjin Binhai train station Tiexi New District Stadium Ordos Museum
- 22. 22 Spectacular accumulation • Money – property as financial asset Department of Geography
- 23. 23 Spectacular accumulation • Money • Mansions – high-end urbanism Department of Geography
- 24. 24 Ghost cities Department of Geography
- 26. 26 Department of Geography Thank you!
Editor's Notes
- Spacious avenues that begin in nothing, and lead nowhere; streets, mile long, that only want houses, roads, and inhabitants; public buildings that need but a public to be complete; and ornaments of great thoroughfares, which only lack great thoroughfares to ornament – are its leading features.” Charles Dickens, 1842, Notes on America
- Window-dressing for local-states’ commercial land-driven expansions Projects are rooted in the land-centered politics and economics of contemporary urban China Concentrated and amplified expressions of urban economies