Hopes for change in urban development in China

The Beijing Olympics brought many of China's problems, such as traffic issues, food safety, air pollution, and ethnic minority issues, into the spotlight, but it seems that the country has somehow managed to overcome them with the power and momentum of the nation. Looking back at Japan before and after the Tokyo Olympics, the nation's income continued to increase due to the rapid economic growth after the war, and material and cultural aspects of life, such as cars and home appliances, began to become prosperous. However, on the other hand, pollution such as air, rivers, and ocean pollution caused by factory exhaust and wastewater was widespread, and even food safety was threatened by pesticides and food additives. We have been solving these problems for 40 years with social systems and technology to get to the present day. China is now sprinting along the path that Japan has walked. Furthermore, China, with a population of 1.3 billion and a vast land area 25 times that of Japan, holds the key to stopping the degradation of the global environment.

I visited Shanghai and Ningbo in late June. There was a lot of anxiety about the Chinese economy due to the turmoil in the world economy caused by the US subprime mortgage problem and the Sichuan earthquake, but the city was still full of energy, with many buildings under construction. In Shanghai, the 492m-tall Shanghai World Financial Center (Shanghai Hills), developed by Mori Building, is nearing completion in a few months, and it appears to be replacing the 467.9m-tall Oriental Pearl TV Tower (television tower) as the symbol of the Pudong New Area landscape. Over the past decade, Shanghai has undergone rapid urban development, and it is said that far more skyscrapers have been built in the city than in Japan. However, this development was fleeting, with the bubble economy as the backdrop, and buildings were dominated by exterior designs that were designed to stand out, creating a cluttered and restless cityscape. I also heard that the majority of the historical buildings have been lost. Reflecting on this, recent developments have focused on creating landscapes that make use of greenery and water, as well as making use of historical buildings. This change was apparent during my visit.