A Truly Model City?

A huge model of Shanghai in the city's "urban planning hall" reproduces the massive building boom on a micro scale.

1 minute read

April 6, 2005, 12:00 PM PDT

By David Gest


The "Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, [reportedly] features the largest urban-planning model in the world...As suggested by the dozens of as-yet-unbuilt towers in the model, China's construction industry is still going full-blast. In fact, when you gaze out at the city skyline, you can't help but observe that today's most iconic Shanghai feature is the roof-mounted crane...the Chinese saying is that you see big changes every three years and small changes every three days...At some point, however...the real-estate market will crash, and the dozens of unfinished towers will stay unfinished for a decade or more."

Thanks to David Gest

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 in Slate

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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