Shanghai New Towns - Searching for community and identity in a sprawling metropolis

China is booming: literally. The Chinese are planning one new town after another. Urbanisation is seen as the driver of economic development. In Shanghai several dozen of new towns have been planned that will accommodate an average of 800.000 inhabitants by 2020. In these new towns, numerous buildings, roads and services therefore need to be developed. Dutch urban planner Harry den Hartog visits China on a regular basis to study the country’s enthusiasm for construction. His book ‘Shanghai New Towns’ has just been released, in which he investigates the new towns around Shanghai. These new towns are often based on Western models. Could we learn something about what is happening in Shanghai’s new towns in Europe as well?