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Shanghai, China
Shanghai is the most populous city in China and one of the
world's major ports. It was established more than 700 years ago
at the tip of the Changjiang River Delta on the East China Sea.
By 1816, more than half a million people lived in Shanghai, and
it became a thriving commercial centre.
The municipality of Shanghai is under the direct jurisdiction
of the Central Government of the People's Republic of China.
Population density in the central city is very high at 8,265
people per square kilometer.
The main causes of Shanghai's rapid population growth in the
1950's was due to natural increase and unregulated in-migration
from the outskirts of the city. Factors responsible for the
stabilization of population after that period include the success
of the Government family planning programme, and a successful
decentralization programme that developed satellite towns which
absorbed much of the growing urban population.
Shanghai has a significant heavy industry sector, primarily,
machinery manufacturing, textiles and steel. The city produces
a large percentage of the power generation equipment and ships in
China. Proximity to the cotton-growing regions of China and
access to the coast for easy international transportation have
contributed to the strategic importance of the city.
After the 1949 revolution, city planning in China emphasized
integrated industrial centres consisting of complementary
industries clustered together, with workers' housing nearby, so
that employees were within walking distance of their workplace.
The same design principles have been applied in Shanghai to
more than 150 integrated developments built since 1949.
Almost all households have access to piped water, electricity
and garbage collection. The solid waste in Shanghai, which has
a high organic content, is carried to the surrounding rural areas
and provinces and used as fertilizer. Non-organic waste is
reused in pit filling or brick making, or it is sold to the
recycling stations.
Infrastructure and environmental problems of the city are in
the form of housing shortages and air and water pollution. Heavy
dependence on coal as a source of fuel for both industrial energy
and residential heating in Shanghai has resulted in significant
air pollution. Shanghai has the highest cancer mortality rate
in China. Also, a daily flow of approximately 4 million
cubic meters of untreated human waste enters the Huangpu River
creating a serious water pollution and supply problem.
Contrary to the master plan of 1953 which sought to increase
the population of Shanghai, current policy seeks the continued
success of decentralization from Shanghai to the seven satellite
towns built around the city.
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