Tom Miller, author of "Urban Billion," discusses the pitfalls and shortcomings of a too-quickly urbanizing Beijing in this interview with David Pierson.
In response to the question: "Are planners following the correct model to build their cities? Are they in danger of making the same mistakes as the West?" Miller responds:
"China has nearly one-fifth of the world's population and only 7% of the world's arable land. It makes no sense for China to follow a U.S. model. It has to go with concentrated living because it doesn't have the available land for people to have their own house and their own yard.
A lot of my American friends come to Beijing and say it looks like a city in the Midwest because everything is so spread out and big. Cities are sprawling in China, particularly Beijing, which has been built around a car economy. Beijing is an example of how not to do things."
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