Shifts in urban-rural demography and the structure of urban economies are leading to pressing demands on the edges of major Chinese cities. Edge cities in China are growing at an unprecedented pace, and are considerably different from theory and practice in the West. They are emerging as a result of the shift to high-value industry and a service-oriented economy, as well as rapid urbanization and changing consumer patterns. Due to the pace and scale of change, the largest planning challenge for edge cities in China is that the project area has very little, if any, previous development - edge city mega-projects are literally built from the ground up. Hence, the financial costs for the project are enormous and strong pilot projects are critical. Furthermore, these mega-projects are transforming traditional Chinese urban patterns of land use, demographic mix, and transportation strategies outside of the city center. Lastly, the essay details the importance of the edge city mega-project for its regional and city competitiveness. References to case experiences from two large Chinese cities, Nanjing and Ningbo, are used throughout the essay.
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