Planning and Connecting Cities: Lessons from China

The podcast will outline some of the key features and successes of China in its transformation from a rural and agriculture society to an urban and industrialized country, where the urban population rose from around 20 percent in 1980s to 50 percent in 2010. Some of the key challenges for China during the next 20 years will also be discussed, focusing on how planning policies should focus on better articulating density with transport systems within metropolitan regions. And how cities should avoid fragmented development and sprawl and improve connectivity between cities so that the agglomeration economies will benefit all types and sizes of cities. Medium and small cities can support and benefit from the economies and markets of nearby large cities.