The urbanization of China. The 20th century saw the transition from dominantly rural, to China becoming a mostly urban country. In 2010, the population crossed the 50% mark. The current estimate is that the urban population will expand from about 600 million in 2008, to 926 million in 2025, and to more than one billion in 2030. It is predicted that by 2030, China will have 221 cities of more than 1 million. Since 1978 500 million have moved to cities, the largest population shift in history. And it is forecast that within the next 20-25 years another 300 million will follow. China alone has over 20% of the world’s population and is urbanizing faster than any country in history.
This will imply that hundreds of millions of people will still come to the Chinese cities in a short time span of less than two decades. A mind-bogging perspective for many, but also a great opportunity to initiate the green and low-carbon transformation of Chinese cities.
