China's urban revolution: understanding Chinese eco-cities

By 2025, China will have built 15 new 'supercities' each with 25 million inhabitants.

It will have created 250 'Eco-cities' as well: clean, green, car-free, people-friendly, high-tech urban centres.

From the edge of an impending eco-catastrophe, we are arguably witnessing history's greatest environmental turnaround - an urban experiment that may provide valuable lessons for cities worldwide.

Whether or not we choose to believe the hype - there is little doubt that this is an experiment that needs unpicking, understanding, and learning from.

Austin Williams explores the progress and perils of China's vast eco-city program, describing the complexities which emerge in the race to balance the environment with industrialisation, quality with quantity, and the liberty of the individual with the authority of the Chinese state.