Chongqing: Chinese Megacity, 1990s vs. 2000s

[Aleks]

I've always liked Chonqing's location. I feel like they should do a better job with the waterfront though. It's a bit messy and doesn't seem so people friendly. Maybe more shopping malls, more greenery, some overlooking platforms, etc, etc...

Then again, I've never seen the waterfront upclose in pictures or real life.

[JManc]

the transformation is fascinating but chongqing's development seems to be all about quantity over quality. i understand china is not in a position to take their time in dealing with a exploding urban population but i think a lot of traditional china will end up being lost.

unlike the US (which only had about a century before industrialization), china has thousands of years.

[ardecila]

But those thousands of years of history also provide an incredible volume of historic sites. It's not realistic to preserve them all, even though each one might have historic significance by itself. Obviously, China has some veneration for historic sites... I don't see them clamoring to tear down the Forbidden City.

The thing about China that really fascinates me is the ratio of density to open space. You'd think at some point that the open space on ground level would cease to provide enough room for the movement of people and goods, and the economy/society would break down. Transit can help here, but it doesn't really add circulation space, it just moves people faster. Is it realistic to expect a large system of skybridges and pedestrian concourses to form on multiple levels to add more real estate for circulation? It seems like China is moving that way, since I see multi-level shopping malls and rooftop terraces and such in many photos.

[giallo]

Great thread, staff.
Chongqing has always held my attention, and this thread has finally sealed the deal. I'm booking a flight to CC next week as I type this. Can't wait!


Some pics from flickr:



lalatinlala- http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovchina/526378074/






A-Wix- http://www.flickr.com/photos/wicks/2598408567/






harry kaufmann- http://www.flickr.com/photos/38431789@N00/338566498/

[ethereal_reality]

^^^Those three photos are great, especially the last one.

And 'staff', your comparison photos are some of the best that I've ever seen.

Thanks so much for posting them.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

What an amazing transformation. Since this is in the general area of the Three Gorges Dam, could some of this growth be directly related to the relocation of the cities that were in the flood zone? In other words, was Chongqing one of the primary destinations for those who had to move?

I believe it is one of the destinations, however that's just a drop in the bucket.

The growth of cities in China is directly the result of urbanization associated with economic development, not population growth per se. It's essentially the same force that led to the explosive population growth of Western cities at points during and after the Industrial Revolution. Some estimates put China's need for new skyscrapers to house this explosion of urban population to be as high as 50,000 new skyscrapers in 20 years - that's like 10 new New York Cities and Chicagos combined, and personally I think that number could end up being conservative, depending on where you set the bar for skyscrapers since urban Chinese already live in highrises at higher rates than even Chicago and New Yorkers do.

The urbanization rate in the U.S. is about 75% - that is 75% of people live in cities or suburbs and 25% live in rural areas. In China currently, those figures are nearly reversed - only about 45% live in urbanized areas. Current projections estimate that by 2035 70% of China will live in urban areas, which would amount to just over 1 billion people living in China's cities. Currently just over 1/2 billion people live in urban areas in China, so we're looking at the average of China's cities essentially doubling in size in just 25 years. Some cities there will grow faster than others, and I would expect Sichuan's cities (of which Chongqing is one) to grow faster than average since Sichuan's urbanization is currently only 36% according to the Sichuan government. Chongqing is already part of the densest part of Sichuan, one of the four biggest urban areas in China, and it will only continue to grow.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Aleks

I've always liked Chonqing's location. I feel like they should do a better job with the waterfront though. It's a bit messy and doesn't seem so people friendly. Maybe more shopping malls, more greenery, some overlooking platforms, etc, etc...

Then again, I've never seen the waterfront upclose in pictures or real life.

Part of the issues with improving their waterfront is that it is very much a working waterfront, coupled with the fact that river levels have historically varied greatly between seasons and year to year. I would guess the best that could be hoped for is something like St. Louis's riverfront, which isn't exactly a romantic tourist attraction.

[Strange Meat]

absolutely incredible contrast in those photos.

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by emathias

I believe it is one of the destinations, however that's just a drop in the bucket.

The growth of cities in China is directly the result of urbanization associated with economic development, not population growth per se. It's essentially the same force that led to the explosive population growth of Western cities at points during and after the Industrial Revolution. Some estimates put China's need for new skyscrapers to house this explosion of urban population to be as high as 50,000 new skyscrapers in 20 years - that's like 10 new New York Cities and Chicagos combined, and personally I think that number could end up being conservative, depending on where you set the bar for skyscrapers since urban Chinese already live in highrises at higher rates than even Chicago and New Yorkers do.

The urbanization rate in the U.S. is about 75% - that is 75% of people live in cities or suburbs and 25% live in rural areas. In China currently, those figures are nearly reversed - only about 45% live in urbanized areas. Current projections estimate that by 2035 70% of China will live in urban areas, which would amount to just over 1 billion people living in China's cities. Currently just over 1/2 billion people live in urban areas in China, so we're looking at the average of China's cities essentially doubling in size in just 25 years. Some cities there will grow faster than others, and I would expect Sichuan's cities (of which Chongqing is one) to grow faster than average since Sichuan's urbanization is currently only 36% according to the Sichuan government. Chongqing is already part of the densest part of Sichuan, one of the four biggest urban areas in China, and it will only continue to grow.

Great information there. Thank you!


About the riverfront not looking very good... It's not exactly the most level terrain fronting most of the river network in the area. Probably the best they could would be to keep roads and rail from lining the riverbank, and provide pedestrian pathways on landscaped terraces where reasonable.

Chongqing also seems like a natural for an extensive ferry service, both for people and cars. Any word on that?

[Urban Zombie]

Chongqing's definitely an interesting place. Fun fact: not a single bicylce in the entire city!

I posted this thread from my two days pillaging there last year, for those who've missed it: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=148960

[Shanghai_Fan]

Originally Posted by giallo

Great thread, staff.
Chongqing has always held my attention, and this thread has finally sealed the deal. I'm booking a flight to CC next week as I type this. Can't wait!


Some pics from flickr:



lalatinlala- http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovchina/526378074/

That one is very, very old too, around 2004. You can see WTCC still under construction, 283m.

The area after some of those towers were completed:


And what about the future? Just check this:


You can follow the projects here. The first post is very outdated though.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=381842

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by Urban Zombie®

Chongqing's definitely an interesting place. Fun fact: not a single bicylce in the entire city!

WTF?

Steely is NOT going to be a happy camper upon learning of this!

[Shanghai_Fan]

Originally Posted by Jasonhouse

WTF?

Steely is NOT going to be a happy camper upon learning of this!

People call Chongqing 'the Mountain City'. Steep slopes everywhere.

[peanut gallery]

Thanks for all the background, emathias. Despite the huge amount that has been built, it's amazing to think that there is still clearly a way to go.

[CGII]

Originally Posted by Urban Zombie®

Chongqing's definitely an interesting place. Fun fact: not a single bicylce in the entire city!

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/bicycle/chongqing/

[Jasonhouse]

^dead link.

[pablosan]

Wow! Incredible.

[Jasonhouse]

btw, is it just me, or is Chongqing's monorail brutally awesome looking? It looks like it would run someone over and just keeping going, indifferent to what had occurred, and proudly displaying the blood stains as a badge of honor, like some deranged tractor trailer from the movie Maximum Overdrive. Or maybe Blade Runner. I love it!

[Aleks]

The thing I don't like too much is that the bases on some of those skyscrapers are too tall and distracting. Plus the glass on many of these buildings is too reflective. Some buildings with more transparent glass would look great in this city, specially because of the location. Greenery should also be included in the main downtown area not just across the river. Or maybe some green space that's on on the roof top of a 10 story podium. Maybe it's the lack of plazas [from what I see in pictures] that makes everything look so dense and busy.

A "smoother" skyline would help. Are there height restrictions in areas?

Also, how many people use the monorail? Is it a tourist attraction or is it actually used for mass transit?

[Jasonhouse]

^No, it's a serious transit option. Line 2 (the first monorail segment) just began operation in June of 2005. I'm not sure of the time frame, but I know they had lines 3,4 and 5 in the planning phase.
http://www.monorails.org/tmspages/Chongqing.html

Lots of pics of the CQ monorail (being 4 years old though, they're outdated for CQ)
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=131473




Check out this awesome pic I found... Plaza, skyscraper art and monorail, all in one.

http://webpages.charter.net/g.vassilakos