Instant Cities

When I looked at the map book to confirm the location of my hotel in Dezhou, it seemed to be located in the countryside. On the internet, the map indicated a grid of streets. In between the publication of the map book (a year or two ago) and now, a new city has risen in Dezhou’s economic development zone.

In Changzhou, it was the same thing. My hotel seemed to be located very far away from the center of the city. As a biked through this new area, most of the buildings were recently built or under construction. There were lots of empty lots, a few people walking around. In a year or so, it would be full of people. In fact, once reaching Changzhou, the urban area never really reverted back to countryside for the remainder of my trip. All the way to Shanghai, was constant urban sprawl. In cities, it was apartment buildings. In the areas between, there was a lot of industry and even rural apartment buildings as well. With all the construction going in, I am really wondering how all these new housing projects can expect to find owners? I don’t think that poor peasants can afford them, and there is only a finite number of people. Perhaps people are buying them to rent out? I’d really like to know. Based on first-hand experience seeing all these new buildings, I can’t help but think it is unsustainable.