Urbanization in China: learning from Europe? A European perspective

The enormous economic development of China has accelerated the process of urbanization in the country. The unprecedented growth of the large cities in China is attracting the interest of architects and planners, politicians and policy advisors of businesses and investors, as well as journalists and even artists. The field has become a much-favoured arena for Western politics, trade and businesses and scholarly research. The Chinese government, in turn, is desperately seeking ways and means as to how to cope with the social implications of the ongoing urbanization process, with widening disparities between the large urban agglomerations and rural regions. Now, Europe comes to the focus. The countries of the 'old' continent are considered a rich source of experience for addressing the manifold economic, physical, cultural, social and environmental challenge of polarizing urbanization. The paper explores whether the urbanization process in China can learn from European experience in urban and regional planning.