By Simon Lowen & William Jones Challenges facing Urban Areas: How sustainable is the development in Chongming By Simon Lowen & William Jones

Chongming: Situation Chongming Shanghai

Chongming: Background Chongming has been targeted by the Shanghai municipal government as their new area of development. The aims of the government are to demonstrate how economic growth can be sustainable. Chongming is 1200 km squared which makes it the largest alluvial island in the world. The population of Chongming was 694,600 as of 2001.

Chongming development

Chongming development

Chongming development Chongming Island will focus its future development on tourism, resorts and exhibition centres, with no large-scale industrialization plans. Chongming will increase its current forest coverage from 16 per cent to 55 per cent by 2020 and building itself into an "eco-friendly island,'' or a "sea garden.'' the eco-city development promises housing for 500,000 residents so population growth in this area is bound to increase. Under the plan, the island's gross domestic product per capita is also expected to reach around US $20,000 by 2020 The expressway includes a 8.95-kilometre tunnel connecting Shanghai's Pudong district with Changxing Island and 10.29-kilometre cable-stayed bridge will also be built between Changxing and Chongming islands.

Is the development sustainable? Sustainability = the ability to maintain balance of a certain process or state in any system. The development plan is said to cover no more than 15% of the island. All energy is from renewable sources. Building of roads and stadium will interfere with bird habitat making it less sustainable. Increase in population may cause overcrowding noise/general pollution will increase. Increase in forest coverage is sustainable however some agricultural land will be covered to reach the governments targets.