Shanghai’s Journey in Urbanizing Suburbia

Abstract

Shanghai, one of the world’s largest cities, is known for its astounding economic growth and rapid urbanization. Since the Pudong New District was established, Shanghai has experienced record-breaking population growth, and most likely, the fastest urban development in human history. Within a span of 25 years, it has built the most miles of Metro track, creating a system that competes among the leading public transportation networks in the world. The majority of the city’s new developments are transit oriented. As the outskirts of Shanghai have continued to grow, the municipality has prioritized building public transportation first, followed by incubating new town developments around transit stations. Xinchang and Zhoupu are two suburban towns that have recently benefited from the new Metro Line 16, which opened in late 2015. Both were considered suburbs in the past, but now they are linked to the downtown area of Lujiazui, which is Shanghai’s financial district. As a result, land values around the new Metro stations have increased sharply.