Singaporean scholar: China's urbanization drive needs to shift gears

Night view of the Waibaidu Bridge, front, over the Suzhou Creek and the Bund in Puxi, Huangpu River and the Lujiazui Financial District with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Shanghai Tower under construction and other skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in Pudong, Shanghai, China, 4 October 2013. [Photo/dfic.cn]

To maintain economic growth and modernization, China still needs urbanization as its engine. However, new challenges are emerging as China enters a different development stage.

First, the previous method of allocating more resources to first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai should change and second-tier and even smaller cities should be supported more.

Second, it’s time to strengthen the infrastructure of cities, especially those that have seen a sudden surge of population. Heating system, drainage system and fire prevention system are just some of the areas that need further improvement. Apart from basic facilities, the services provided by the cities have also a long way to go. The lack of parking facilities has turned public spaces into parking lot, which is neither aesthetically pleasing nor safe. In addition, the lack of sports facilities will do no good to public wellbeing.

Third, there is a need to redefine the guideline of urbanization. The trend across the world is that the rich live in the suburbs while the middle- and low-income groups live within the city area. To make that happen, China needs to encourage its rich to build houses in the countryside under the premise that the government would allow farmers to trade their residential housing rights.

Overall, urbanization must take into account both political and social benefits, instead of only focusing on economic return. Pure economic-driven urbanization can lead to unsustainable development, and threaten social and political security.

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