China Plans Megacity of 42M People

Would be 53 times larger than New York City
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 26, 2011 2:40 PM CST
China Plans Megacity of 42M People
In this Dec. 7, 2010 photo, an aerial view of new residential area is seen in Shanghai, China. China is in the midst of a massive urbanization process.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

While the West struggles with its biggest economic downturn in 70 years, China continues to surge: Now comes plans to spend $303 billion to create a 42-million-person megacity in the southeast, reports the Telegraph. The new megacity would merge nine cities around the Pearl River Delta, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, giving it an area of 16,000 square miles, about 53 times bigger than New York City. It would comprise about 10% of the Chinese economy.

While the megacity has no name yet and would not be a city in the conventional sense, organizers say combining the region would help development. "The idea is that when the cities are integrated, the residents can travel around freely and use the health care and other facilities in the different areas," said a senior consultant on the project. Similar regional cities are being built all over China to deal with its surging urbanization.
(More China stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X