China becomes an urban nation at breakneck speed
Due: Friday, October 7, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
This article focuses on China becoming an urban nation this year and compares it to other surrounding countries already having gone through a transforming experience. The term "Urbanization" can be defined as the rapid and massive growth of, and migration to, large cities. Positive and negative consequences can result. In US urbanization, some of these issues are: employment, sanitation, housing, sewage, water, fire, social welfare, role of government, and political machines (controlling organizations).
You will need to:
Reflect back to when you did the Creating a New Civilization activity in class, which focused on the 8 basic features of a civilization: Cities, Public Works, Writing, Complex Religions, Art & Architecture, Organized Governments, Job Specializations, and Social Classes. As you read the article, try to identify some of these features being discussed, to support your argument for or against urban renewal of a country's rural areas. Discuss at length, in detail, how you agree or disagree with the urbanization of rural countries like China. Within your response, provide strong reasons to support if there should be limits placed on keeping natural environments untouched or continue allowing technological advancement to proceed?
Include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
Include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
Paragraph #1:
-Reflection or Creating a New Civilization activity/Identify basic features of a civilization in China article
Paragraph #2:
-Opinion of article as it relates to urbanization/ for or against urbanization of countries like China
-Reflection or Creating a New Civilization activity/Identify basic features of a civilization in China article
Paragraph #2:
-Opinion of article as it relates to urbanization/ for or against urbanization of countries like China
-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article
Read some of the quotes from article describing some feelings toward the urbanization of China:
Professor Paul James of the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne. "It represents the most managed process of urbanisation in human history. The state is involved in every way. It manages the building of new cities. It regulates the housing of internally displaced people. It responds actively and sometimes oppressively to new waves of squatters."
"It's noisier now. When we were little, we didn't have to close our door at night to sleep. There are different kinds of people around all the time these days." Yet he welcomes the transition. "The housing has changed, the roads have changed, we can eat well," Li Chengqiang says. Despite his emotional attachment to the land, his main income now comes from selling cement.
Beijing may drive urbanisation, but it does not control it. The results are often messy, chaotic and unanticipated.
"A lot of things are being built because they are flavour of the month. It's good for the party secretary or mayor to be able to say: 'I built this ring road and in the process GDP went up,' because it cost a lot," says Edward Leman.
"It's the nature of urban management in China that you go into a city and there are eight-lane roads that end in a field."
Abu S
ReplyDelete1st Period
10/3/2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
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The rapid urbanization of China could either help China's global standpoint, or wreck havoc on the structural and economic systems within the country. In order to maintain a good balance of economy and politics in China while urbanization occurs, China would have to seriously commit. There would be a higher demand for public works and job specializations. More roads and schools would have to be built for the new communities that are going to arise. Along with people must come jobs, thus many more jobs must be assigned in order for these people to make a living. Also people coming in might hinder government efforts for maintaining a low pollution rate, and will force the government to work harder to keep a livable environment. I can infer that taxes would go up because of the expense associated with maintaining new communities.
I personally think that these places in China should remain untouched. This is because new development cost money, and that may cause problems for the government and the residents of China. Also, at a cultural standpoint, these places should be minimally tampered with to preserve the cultural significance of the area. I think that development on these places would be bad for the community and terrible for the economy.
Kristin Thompson
ReplyDeleteOctober 3rd 2011
1st period
China is becoming a very urban nation very fast. There are many reasons why this is happening. Manufacturing is around 50% of new urban areas become industrial parks, while only 20% or 30% are residential. Normally in other countries residential has much higher percent. There are many people living in the cities in China at this time now about 49.7% of people and in 2025 studies say about 350 million more people will have moved to cities.
While reading this article I came to a conclusion that urbanization can be good in some situations. Urbanization can bring more jobs, less auto dependence, more pedestrian friendly to countries which can be a good thing. In my opinion if you are focusing on China a very big place, it could also bring bad things as well. Loss of Arable Land, Degradation of Air Quality, and Increase in waste, Changes in Diet, Pollution of Water and Land are all problems urbanization can bring. I think urbanization can be helpful sometimes but I do not support it very much.
Parker Larson
ReplyDeletePeriod Five
China’s Urbanization
China is expanding rapidly, and some think it is too much to handle. With China’s population going up 750,000,000 in the past fifty years alone, the question is not if they need expansion, but how much and how fast. With 50% living in urban areas, that requires a whole lot of city. You need that much more manpower and materials. This could raise building materials and Co2 emissions as well. That entire infrastructure must go somewhere, and it taking the quiet lives of country dwellers away.
I think that although the urbanization can be good in the short run, we need to think to the future. You cannot expand forever; there must be a cap on your cities. And once the city land has consumed all of china’s territory, what do they do? You have miles upon miles of crowded city skies, little room for agriculture and smog, noise and light pollution. I’m no liberal tree hugger, I promote industrialization and more technology, production, and advances: But do we need to get rid of the farmland to do it?
Huibo Qi
ReplyDelete2nd Period
10/3/11
Based on the story, it seems that China’s main goal is to be urbanized. It appears that the government is too controlling and progressing too rapidly for the citizens to adapt. Agriculture has been rooted in China for many years and the development of cities have been taking away farmland, leaving hard working farmers in troubling situations. Urbanization is good in many ways, but not like this. Workers can be sloppy in their work in an effort to meet the government’s high demands, which can result in destruction and havoc.
Personally, I think urbanization is a great idea, but it’s a big decision and time needs to be taken into consideration. In this situation, nearly everything is on the negative side. I think the government should pace themselves because urbanization will leave a large impact on many people’s lives. Evolving at this rate puts China at risk of wiping out older cultures and history. Building cities will also increase the pollution levels. The economy is unstable as it is, and rushing towards a new way of life will not make it better.
Current Event: China’s Rapid Urbanization
ReplyDeleteBy: David Batson P: 2
The basic features of a civilization are present in the article about China. Cities such as the ones now being built on formerly rural land, public works are things such as the new highways and developments that, as I mentioned before, are being built on land that was rural. Writing is a part of the government in general and the Chinese media. Complex Religion is not brought up in the article but I imagine that there are some religions present in China that all this urbanization breaks at least on of their principles. Art and Architecture is brought up when projects such as new developments and new building and housing complexes. Organized Government is definetely mentioned in that the government is a part of most if not all of the current urbanization going on in China at present. Job Specialization is brought up because there are farmers, government officials, public workers and construction workers. Social Classes are brought up as well implying that government officals are higher on their hierarchy than farmers but farmers are higher than construction workers.
I believe that some urbanization in rural countries like China is good but not at the present rate urbanization is going on in China. At its present rate China is setting itself up to collapse economically because all these projects are costing a lot of money and people are dying in safety related accidents because of the urbanization rush. China is also not placing any limits on the new construction and seizing land from individuals so they can build a development on what used to be forestland. There should be limits on where construction can occur to keep countries undergoing urbanization to eliminate the vast majority of their forests and farmland so they don’t end up not being able to produce enough food for themselves. China now is one of the main users of rice in their everyday diet. If they couldn’t produce enough rice to meet the demand they would have to import more rice which would heavily tax rice-producing countries. In conclusion I believe that there should be limits placed on China’s rapid urbanization to keep them from destroying themselves, their forests and possibly causing more harm to the ozone layer from all the new pollution if more trees were eliminated and more factories were made.
Raziyah Farrington
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
China becoming an urban nation is very important. it was very well explained that this is the year that china is becoming an urban nation. The population rates go up day by day. It would be diffilcult for the government to stay an organized government with the population moving so fast. Manufacturing is about 50% of urban areas. Which is more then the residental areas. Which is the opposite of most cities and states. It is going to be much harder trying to find a good job because when more people start to come in there going to be looking for one also. It is going to be a big mix up.
It could turn out to be a good or bad situation. the sewage, water, and sanitation could be a really big problem. Role of government, housing, and employment on the other hand could be a really good thing. the more people the more money rolling into the government to help fix things. To determine if urbanization is a good thing, it depends on where it is occurring. China is a really big place so it could go both ways such as good or bad.
Jeanie Stouffer
ReplyDelete5th period
In the last one hundred years, people in china have been moving from farms and cities. Now, about half of the population of china is in cities. People in china have been eating a lot better. The government has been getting a lot of money from land sales. China has been have too much manufacturing.
I think it’s a great idea to have cities, but the citizens use too much energy because of population. China is polluted everywhere. Unfortuanely, I think that have to use less energy because the people of china are breathing horrible gases. I think they need their farms also because they can not live without food. They still need people to work on the farms.
Sophie Kahn
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
10/3/11
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
To me, this article sounds like China’s making a huge goal for improvement, and it may not be within reach. In the article it talks about many new public works opportunities, and the new architecture that is urbanizing China. They are building more and more into the countryside and it’s happening really fast. Soon, most people will be living in cities, and rural living will be a minority. Farmers are already talking about new job specializations, because it’s easier for them to sell useful building materials than to work on a farm. Their farmland is already being taken over anyways so the construction can continue across China.
I feel that China should be more prepared before it makes this great leap into urbanization, because the consequences can be dreadful if they don’t plan out each move. The article states that the production is moving so fast that they aren’t spending time for safety measures, and people were killed in a subway built only a year ago. Another problem is global warming – with the increase in city life and industrialization, the toll on the environment is a big one. Lots of greenhouse gases will be emitted, which will ultimately be a cost to nature. The natural environment is also being used up as China moves through the countryside, and people lose their land to development, usually without a good compensation. With these few problems to think about, China should find more solutions before diving into urbanization. If they do so, they will be able to make their country stronger and more powerful than before without too much damage.
Mookho Paw
ReplyDelete2ed Period
China is going through a rapid change at a very extraordinary amount of time. This rapid urbanization is changing China’s landscapes, and old cultures. Their goal of developing new cities and buildings as a public work seems unmanageable. I think a goal such as this should take a very long time. Land sales became one of the main sources of income for the local governments which generates many of the revenues. There is overcapacity in manufacturing. The government seeks development in poorer central and western areas. Good and bad can come to urbanization. Many people are seeking jobs and the government needs many workers to work for them. But also, this means that rural areas are being urbanized which means that the natural environment will take a toll.
I think that Urbanization will be good for China. I think that it is good for any country. But, I don’t think that China should be in such a rush to get the country urbanized. Rushing can take lives of workers. It is very dangerous to work as a construction worker. Health hazards and regulations will also take a toll on this. If they take their time building, developing, and focus on the hazards for the workers, then i think that more good will come out of it. The buildings and roads will last longer and will not have to close up due to small damages. There will be less injuries and deaths. And also, since urbanization is energy intensive and polluting, than I also think that they should focus on going more green that way it can help out the environment a lot. Urbanization will cost a lot of money and it will cause the economy to crash at some point. I think that what they are doing is a little too much. And since China is such a great place, I don’t think that they should urbanize so much, and leave the natural sites untouched.
Elijah Moore
ReplyDelete2nd period
China use to be a country that use to deal with many problems: Civil war, rebellions, opium, and corrupt government. With al of these problems the nation was never able to focus on how far behind they were becoming in the modern world. After dealing with many issues (a lot of issues, “Mao Ze Dong”) China was able to focus more on catching up. China has had one of the most amazing modernizing ages of all time. From higher manufacturing levels, to inventing amazing technology, and to improving their education for their children China has a pretty good run with its urbanization.
I am impressed with the rate that China has urbanized. I believe that after they dealt with most of their government and warfare problems that education and their technical manufacturing levels where the main reasons why they were so successful. In the past many countries traveled to the United States to get a better education then went back to their home country to teach others what they learned. China is so much more successful because of how secure they are of their society. The nation won’t allow others to take the educational techniques from them like we have. With the advance education they have advance faster than almost every other country. I believe that urbanization is a good thing but we must share everything with the world in order for everyone to live together as a whole instead of being divided like we are now.
Lianna Malawski
ReplyDelete1st period
October 5, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
China is growing very rapidly. I think that they should slow down the process and let the citizens get used to all of the change happening. Some people say they don’t even recognize it as their hometown anymore. The construction is taking up the hillsides and the rice terraces, and maize fields. The roads are also changing very fast, some of the roads are very narrow from the construction and some are even on dirt roads. 49.7% is now living in cities. China is now an urban nation.
I don’t think that it is good for the people that live near the construction, and its changing way to fast. People in China are bewildered at how much has changed in so little time. I think its bad for the communities because of this rapid change a lot of people aren’t used to their new home. It must be very difficult for the families that live in China right now. I can somewhat relate to this because people are building new roads, some we really don’t even need and they’re taking out people’s backyards. It must be hard for them too, because now they will hear all of the traffic going through their backyard. Hopefully China will slow down their building process and let them get used to their new surroundings.
Caroline Liu
ReplyDelete5th period
In the article, the author talked about the rapid pace of urbanization in China. In the article, he mentioned many things about China that were developing that are also part of the 8 main characteristics of a civilization. The main characteristic the article talks about is roads and bridges and large building projects which are all public works.
I think that the rate at which China is growing is a little bit too extreme. It may be good for the short term but it is better to think about the long term effects. If China continues to grow this rapidly, it will completely and utterly destroy the environment. Also, as China turns into a developed country, it’s at risk of destroying all the old cultures and customs along with the environment.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLouisa Fine
ReplyDelete1st Period
I think that the rapid urbanization in China will significantly change the way citizens are living in cities. Architecture is a major component in the urbanization of China, because I think it will change to accommodate more people instead of continuing to build the cultural architecture already in place. Cities are also becoming heavily populated possibly leading to problems like traffic and food supply shortages. China has always been a fairly agricultural nation this is a big change that should happen gradually and be thoroughly thought out. The natural resources in China may become limited if land keeps being taken to build on. Where will the people get food from if the nation is dependent upon its agriculture and farmers are becoming less common? The government does not seem to have a good grip on the situation, they have not planned ahead. As a result of this problem in the “organized” government, public works systems are being built inefficiently and money is being wasted. Some mayors of party secretaries are the head of these projects so they can take credit for building yet another new and “useful” thing to help their area. I think some people are using this messy form of urbanization to better their own situation instead of others.
I believe that urbanization can be good for any country, but not when it is being shoved down the citizens’ throat by the government. The Chinese government is too deeply involved in the situation, they could have some say without lording over the whole thing. The article states that things are being changed so quickly that no one is looking to the future. What is being built or expanded right now may not be needed in twenty years. The Chinese government can and have given a little shove at the beginning to get the urbanization started, but I don’t think they should keep pushing it. They should let it run its own course through the average citizens of China. If urbanization is pushed to much it could be viewed as a negative thing, resulting in no further urbanization.
I think the article made it sound like China was trying to make good and big improvements but I think everything was just happening too fast. At least some of the eight basic features of civilization were displayed in this article. Cities were obviously talked about in the article because that is what urbanization is. Public works were talked about such as the eight lane roads that are built there and subway lines. Writing is a part of this civilization in newspapers and magazines and other forms of media. Religion wasn’t specifically mentioned in the article but I’m sure many more churches and temples are being built in cities to keep up with the growing population in the urban communities. Architecture is a big part of this article as more and more cities are being built and expanding into the country. The article said that by 2025 China would have as many skyscrapers as ten New York Cities. The government is who is doing all of this urbanization. All the urbanization is creating more jobs for people who are construction workers, architects, real estate agents, etc. As more people live in one place, there begins to be more levels of social classes which is what is happening in China right now.
ReplyDeleteI think, like the article says, it is good for China to urbanize but I think everything is happening to fast. Some of the statistics are ridiculous like the one that says by 2025 more people will have moved into cities than the population of people in the USA. The article says that there will be 221 cities with a population over one million. As of now, all of Europe only has 35 cities with over one million people. The speed of the urbanization is also dangerous. The construction isn’t stable enough as one highway even had to close for reconstruction after just eight months of use. China just needs to slow down and be careful because what they due effects everyone worldwide.
Julia Haines
ReplyDelete1st pd.
October 5th 2010
I really liked the “Creating a New Civilization” class project because it gave us a chance to use our imaginations and mentally create a civilization that we think would be ideal. I think that the article about China expanding their urban cities mentioned a lot that had to do with the 8 basic features of civilization. It related to “cities” because it basically talked about how China is trying to become a more urban nation, and how they are making new cities. The building of those new cities could be called “public works” because they will benefit the public. The article also relates to “art and architecture” because those new cities will have to have buildings, stores, factories, etc, all which contribute to the art/architecture of a culture. China’s government is already very organized, but I think that they are trying to prove that they can be more than farmers and factory workers, which also relates to job specialization.
I am very against this new urbanization in China. The population of our world is growing, and we need more fresh produce and free-range meat to sustain ourselves. In the past, China has served as a very important nation in supplying food not only for their huge population, but for other countries as well, including the USA. According to http://articles.cnn.com/2007-07-26/living/china.products_1_china-pet-food-center-for-food-safety/2?_s=PM:LIVING, 50% of our apple juice is imported from China. America can survive without China’s exports, but the problem is that if China cannot supply itself with enough food, what country will instead? Also, I think that China is not expanding cities with much care or consideration. There are tons of areas in China that are already like under-world countries, where people are starving and neglected. Would you rather have a few really nice, big, clean cities, or tons and tons of small, awful, dirty ones? In the article it mentioned that accidents resulting from poor building and carelessness have already occurred, I guess I just don’t understand the point of why everyone thinks cities are so great, they use up our natural resources, hurt our environment, and sometimes create unstable places to live.
Heather Fowler
ReplyDelete2nd period
China is changing drastically in a very short amount of time. The population is growing enormously, forcing the government to expand central cities to accommodate even more people. The city is “eating away” at the rural and natural environments of China. With expansion, China must issue many public work projects such as new roads, schools, and housing districts. As the population increases, there would be a higher demand for job specialization. More jobs would have to be assigned by the government. China must maintain a strong organized government in order to deal with all the problems they will face in the future.
I think urbanization could be good or bad. If you took small steps towards development and allowed citizens to adapt to changes, it would be more successful. China is becoming an urban nation at an alarming pace, and I don’t think it’s the most effective way to do things. Rushing into urbanization could cause problems down the road. The cost of all these public work projects is going to be huge. People are also concerned about global warming and how the industrial increase will affect it. I’m not saying China’s plan to urbanize can’t be successful, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they ran into a few speed bumps along the way.
Sam Herbert
ReplyDeletehttp://china.lbl.gov/publications/how-can-china-lighten-up
China has been at a rate that is almost unbelieveable. It seems that though China has good intentions and some good ideas ,but it looks as though china has overlooked some crucial elements.some of which are that once out of the city nice roads abruptly end. And with so many people moving to such highly populated cities he cities cannot provide enough water for the population. they use so many resources to build new cities that there will be no resources left in china by the time they are done.
I think that the article I read was in interesting but also informative about what some people are expecting. it seems that china should put some limits on urbanization who, when, where. some of the people should stay in the rural areas so that china will still have the ability to be self sufficient. With China's population almost 50% urban living it does not seem that china is doing this. I think that if it were done right I could be okay but it would not suprise me if something happens that will mess it all up.
Noah Layden
ReplyDelete2nd Period
Based on the article China is getting more and more urbanized and at a very rapid speed. The country has 1,331,460,000 people living there and is still counting. In the last 50 years it has increased 750,000,000 people. That’s a lot of people but the manufacturing is 50% of the urban areas. And it seems like the rest is probably used by the residence.
I think that the urbanization is a good thing and a bad thing. Because it could be a good thing because it probably means that there are more jobs there. The bad thing is that they could be over populated and that could cause major problems like sewage problems and public health problems too.
Daniel Fernandez
ReplyDelete1st period.
When I was creating my civilizatiiion I did the laws, religion, farmers, temples, workers, and a river going trough the river. My civilitation was very simple and easy I did not make it harder than it is. But china they seem like they have made there system very complex they have over population and are very strict on how many kids per house hold they can have. What I think china should is try to create more space. I don’t know how they would do that but it would be hard. Either they create more space or something bad is going to happen.
I think that china is trying there best to solve there problems as a civilizations, but is not doing there best and I think they can and should do better not only for them but also to stop the overpopulation they are facing.
Grace Gollmar
ReplyDelete1st Period
10/6/2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
Recently, China has been undergoing a period of explosive development. This article discusses some of urbanization’s effects on China and on the world as a whole, as well as the pros and cons of development. Some of the features of civilization discussed within this article are government, public works, job specialization and social classes. The government of China has played a large role in how it is urbanized, with all new buildings and developments being monitored by authorities. Job specialization and social classes can also be seen in how migrant workers are being hired to build roads. Public works are a major part of development as well, with new buildings and roads being constructed in order to allow China to adapt to a growing population.
I think that urbanization will have some good effects on China in the short term but will ultimately lead to a bad situation for the country. On one hand, the urbanization of China will have a positive effect on the economy, with new jobs being created due to infrastructure and an increased market due to population growth. However, the pollution caused by a combination of overpopulation and the new infrastructure will probably have an adverse effect on China. According to the article, studies have shown that by 2025, 350 million more people will have moved to urban areas of China— a higher population than exists in the entire U.S. There will also be over six times as many cities in China as in Europe that have a population greater than 1 million. Because of this huge population growth, China is likely to experience pollution, and, as a result, environmental problems. Farms will experience the loss of their land due to expansion of urban areas—an estimated 2.5 to 3 million per year, according to analysts—which could lead to changes in the environment as well. The world will also be affected by China’s population growth, with the resources used by China becoming less available to other countries and consequently more expensive. Because of these potentially adverse effects on the economy and the environment, I think that China should be cautious in its urbanization to ensure that it doesn’t grow too big, too fast.
Sandeep Gill
ReplyDelete1st period
In the article the author says that china is urbanizing basically every second of every day. China is said to be growing at a much faster pace than any other neighboring country. It is expected to have two hundred twenty five more cities with over one million people living in these cities by 2025. That's like 225 New York Cities! Right now a little under 50% of China's population is urban according a census released in April. That number is obviously expected to grow.
I think that the Chinese government is doing a great for the country's overall appeal. At this rate though, China's economics might plummet and bring China to the ground. Also, this rapid urbanization might be too fast for some citizens. I think that their government should put everybodys thought under consideration. The farming industry might also be wiped out from this urbanization. Overall I think that urbanization is not healthy if China wants to maintain a good stable country.
William Bukowski
ReplyDelete5th period
1. The urbanization creates job specialization, and has public works in it. Those were two things we had to have in our civilizations. China is rushing to do these things though and might pay for it, because of the time put into projects.
2. The article was about China’s plan to urbanize some cities in 5 years, which is very,very fast. They should urbanize, but they should do it with the environment in , mind and what they do to harm it. China will become a more powerful country and should have more cities for more people.
Carolyn Deutsch
ReplyDelete2nd period
The article tells about how China is becoming an urban nation. Before, China was much less developed and more rural. Now China is rapidly becoming more urban, workers spread the city out farther and farther taking up the land where they grow rice and turning it into city. This quick change is shocking the people of China and they are not used to the city life and the ways of their new home.
I think that it is good in some ways that China is becoming more urban. It will probably be good for China in the future, but I think that for now it needs to slow down. In the article it talks about how the people of China are not used to the city and barley even recognize their home town. I think that China should keep progressing but that they should do it slower so that the people can keep up with the new life.
Alex Haggis
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
The shier size of China is what has always given it its power. The huge population leads to huge developments in infrastructure, which means urbanization. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that China has 221 cities with over a million people, or that the city population will top one billion by the year 2025. This does not mean that the basic features of a civilization will not apply, it will mean that they are on a gigantic scale. It mentions the huge amount of builders working on roads and skyscrapers. This advancement in job specialization has created millions of jobs for Chinese citizens. Public work projects are of greater scale as well. Just look at the Three Gorges Dam.
China’s urbanization is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could have large implications for the world economy. China is becoming very powerful-not that it is a bad thing-and the fact that a huge amount of American companies are outsourcing the majority of their workers to China is certainly a big part of it. I think it isn’t a bad thing that China is urbanizing, however I do believe that their labor laws-particularly their low minimum wage-has helped the development, and I think that is not good.
Blaire Sobolewski First period
ReplyDeleteThis article related to the eight basic features of a civilization. It talked about how migrant workers are building roads, which would be a public work. It talks about the cities and how people who have lived there for a while don't even recognize their hometown anymore. The mention of social classes is when the article stated the urbanizing China could help the weaker and poor parts of the country. This article also talks about the government often, and the government is in charge of the urbanization, and may go into debt because of it.
Since everything is changing so quickly it is causing China to become an urban nation. I disagree with urbanizing China, I think China should stay the way it was, and continue how it has been. I don't think urbanization will help China, because it will put their government into debt, which is never a good thing. I think that the people there don't want this to be happening either. Li Chengqiang says, "It's noisier now. When we were little, we didn't have to close our door at night to sleep. There are different kinds of people around all the time these days," and complains about how it is taking over his farmland. So personally I don't agree with the urbanization of countries like China, and I don't think the people there do either.
Elisa frazier
ReplyDelete10/6/11
5th pd
This article is focusing on the main 8 features of a civilization. And in this article specifically China. This year china finally became an Urban civilization. China is aiming to promote their living standards to the highest levels. They are doing this by building buildings with smarter technology and more stable buildings. And by doing this China's Urban populations have almost doubled. Now making China's Cities some of the best in urban living conditions. For China's government this is very good. This means more stimulation for the economy and with more people moving to the cities there are more areas of there previous housing to destroy and extend their cities.
Jack Jansen
ReplyDelete2nd Period
There are many of the eight features of civilization displayed in this article about the rapid urbanization of China. For one this article definitely talks about cities which is one key feature of civilization. In the article it states that many smaller and poorer cities in the country side are becoming larger and more developed. Another feature that this article talks about is Arts and Architecture. For one there has to be many architects employed in order to create buildings that are appearing so fast that some villagers don't even recognize their own town any more. Yet another key feature of civilization this article talks about is the government. It states in the article that a lot of this rapid urbanization has to deal with corrupt government. Government officials often take bribes from developers, so that they can kick farmers from their land and develop it.
I don't think that this rapid urbanization of China is a good thing. For one these buildings that are going up so fast may not be safe for people to use and could result in injuries or even deaths. Another factor from this urbanization is increased pollution. With all of these cities growing larger in size more and more people will begin living in the cities as opposed to in the country creating even more pollution
Current Event
ReplyDeleteNate Bolon
5th Period
Cities:”[The State] Manages the building of new cities”.
Public Works:”The government seeks to raise living standards and promote development in the poorer central and western regions.”
Writing:There must be lots of writing letters and such going on with all of the new buildings and structures being built to urbanize China.
Art & Architecture: With all the new buildings, many innovations in architecture are being created by the urbanization.
Organized Governments:”It represents the most managed process of urbanisation in human history. The state is involved in every way.”
Job Specializations: Many builders and architects as well as businessmen will be required for the design, approval, funding, and construction of the new buildings.
Social Classes: Land is being seized from lowly farmers by the government to build new developments. this is an example of the lower classes being exploited for the benefit of the higher classes.
I think that urbanization has great benefits for all countries in the world. It increases efficiency, makes new jobs, and leads to more great innovations. However, too much of a good thing can be bad. China’s urbanization will no doubt increase efficiency, but it will also destroy a lot of China’s natural forests, possibly harming the forests. More cities will also mean more cars, and more cars will mean more greenhouse emissions. So, until there are ways to make cities in general more eco-friendly, I think that China should slow down with the urbanization, if not stop entirely.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMatt Dayton
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
China's urbanization
China's urbanization is a good thing and a bad thing. China's economy needs to keep mass producing things and importing them to the United States and other developed nations. To do this China will have to keep urbanizing. They will need more factories, more land, and more workers. The workers will move from the rural parts of China into urban cities like Beijing. The other part about this is that with the increase of factories there will be much more carbon dioxide emitted into atmosphere effecting not only China, but the rest of the world.
I personally see this urbanization as a thing that was inevitable. China is a very fast growing nation with the highest population. Those two components give you more workers, bigger corporations, and more money, which is what every nation is after. China is trying to become the greatest country, and the most advanced country in the world. To do that in this world right now you need to modernize your technology. The only way you can do that is urbanizing. That is why urbanization in China was inevitable.
Peter Williams
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
10/6/11
Urbanization of China
China is beginning to have more and more larger cities. It used to be very rural with few big cities but recently it has gone through what is called urbanization. It is the rapid growth of cities and economy in a country. Many public works are going on in China right now such as buildings, parks, schools, and sewers. These are all making the cities bigger. A lot of religions are present in China because it is very diverse. The government is very organized so there is a lot of job specialization. There is a lot of old famous art and architecture there. Still not everyone can write there but a lot more can now then before. Especially in the lower classes there is legibility problems.
I think this urbanization is really good China because it is better to be and urban country then rural for the most part. I used to live in a city and now I live in a slightly more rural area but America is all urban so it doesn’t matter.
Kefu Zhu
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
Urbanization of China
The main point of the article is discussing the urbanization of China, a topic relating to cities, one of the eight basic traits of civilization. It also discusses public works projects, mainly roads, that China has been undertaking recently. It also occasionally mentions the Chinese government, an organized government, another trait of civilization that we discussed during the build a civilization project. However, it didn't blatantly mention some of the other ones, though a few facts could possibly be considered a part of the other topics.
I think urbanization should not be stopped, but I think it should at least be limited. I had that first hand. Just look at Wuhan, the city I grew up in. A place larger than the size of Chicago with four times the population. Urbanization improves living conditions, but it creates pollution, and creates much more cramped spaces. I also had that firsthand. Everyone in Wuhan had to live in apartments. They were relatively spacious apartments, but as there was not enough ground space for a full house, buildings had to go upward. Also, expanding cities destroys land, land that could easily be used for farming, or land that has religious, spiritual, or sentimental value to some people: that's destroying their culture. Urbanization can be a good thing or a bad thing, it all depends how you look at it.
Andrew Simms
ReplyDelete10/6/11
P.2
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
The cities in China are growing way to fast. It doesn't help that when they build these mega Cities that they are destroying farmland which supplies China with food for the cities. Even in the most unpopulated province of China cities are being built out of no were. China is urbanizing way to fast and forgetting it's old culture for a whole new one which does not help them. China is not spending time on arts and architecture which was what I use to actually like so much about China. Now they must randomly build roads which 2 months after opening close for repair, I mean Really!!! China is building to many public works buildings for the poor people. You don't just go and spend $250,000 just for one homeless man while theres almost 20 million in the country.
I support some urbanization such as urbanization for houses and things because people need somewhere to live. When a population though goes up 750,000,000 in fifty years then they have a problem. Lets see China's population is 1.32 billion people and almost 700 million of those people are living in cities. I mean that's a lot but you can fit almost 1,000 people in these small little hotels in Japan while china builds things that are unsubstantial buildings. The same sized buildings in China hold only 200 people. I am against urbanization in China because it is killing Chinas agriculture which is pretty much all there food and it pollutes the atmosphere with Carbon Dioxide.
Ria Das
ReplyDelete2nd period
October 6, 2011
The article basically talked about how China was rapidly growing, and how it had officially become an urban country. This year in April, China had 49.7% of its 1.34 billion populations living in cities, officially making it an urban country. Not only is the country growing a lot, but it is growing very fast. China has been only rapidly growing for three or four decades, whereas South Korea and Japan took five or six decades, and the west took a hundred years. Studies show that in 2025 350 million more people will be living in cities. Then five years later there will be one billion people living in urban areas in China.
I think that it’s good that China is becoming more urbanized and modern, but I think they are growing too fast. They are using up a lot of their natural resources, which are irreplaceable. They are taking up their green forests and fields, and turning them into big cities. Also with the urbanization, a lot of China’s ancient cultures will be lost, and that is something too great to ever lose.
Hugh Kelley, 5th period
ReplyDeleteReflection:
The urbanization on China is rapidly overcoming more than they can handle. It is ridiculous that 49% of Chinas population is located in urban areas. The cities are slowly taking over the countryside of China. One of the main points of the civilization project was public works which is involved in maintain the roads and buildings. Another point from the project was social classes. The social classes are involved in how wealthy. Depending on how healthy you are that decides where you live, in the city or country.
Opinion:
China should continue to urbanize China, just keep it limited. When it hits a certin point you stop. The reason China needs to continue to urbanize is because the population of China is so large they need a place to keep all those citizens. In the city you can pack loads and loads of people into a small area. That way you can control the population issue.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEmilee Taxman, 2nd period
ReplyDeleteObviously, cities are a huge part of this article. It’s all about whether China should create more cities or not. The article is the same way with public works. Should they continue their rapid growth of roads at the expense of their culture? Their writing, religion, art, and general history are being are being covered in a sea of glass and pavement. This project does show that the government is very organized in their projects, but this is at the expense of the common farmer. While this major project will create jobs for some, as builders, or factory workers, it takes away many peoples common lives.
I think that while this urbanization can be good, it is mostly bad. This wouldn’t be a bad thing for the country if not for the speed. This project is being done in many years less than any other country. Having quick work like what they have already made, means that they are working for quantity over quality. People will get hurt or even die from shoddy work like what has already been made. I think that they should continue with their urbanization, but slow down. The repairs on the quick work will probably take longer than if they had just took their time. The slower process would also allow citizens to get used to the huge change. China is definitely ready for change but easing into it would benefit many.
Vatsal Parikh
ReplyDelete2nd period
Across China the country is urbanizing and turning many of the natural landscapes into cities and factories. Many of China's citizens, say that they can no longer recognize their villages any more because of the urbanization. One farmer even says that he literally saw the city moving towards his farm and now the city seems to absorb his farm. Other people say that the landscape is much noisier than it used to be back when it was peaceful and quiet when they were younger. Despite these opinions, many of these people seem to welcome the urbanization. Prof Tao Ran says that urbanization is good for China but this type of urbanization is not good because farmers do not have the right to sell the land that they are leasing.
I don't think that so much urbanization is good for China because having a lot of cities right now is okay but in the future if this continues, then having such a large country that is basically just a large city may not be the best idea. If this continues, then China's landscape may be nothing more than a vast desert of steel and concrete. The pollution could also get out of hand if so many carbon emissions are constantly released into the ozone layer. Another problem could be if this persists, then eventually there would not be enough farm land, and China could lose its source of income from farming, and there could be long periods of famine and food shortages. Also if there is too much pollution then the rivers could get polluted and there would not be a clean source of drinking water, which would also lead to many droughts.
Everett Dang
ReplyDelete2nd period
Urbanization of China
This article tells of the constant industrial growth of China. New roads, buildings, cities, and more are being built every single day. It seems China is destroying much of it's natural resources like agriculture and changing it's ways to become a purely urban country. With this urbanization happening at such an extreme level, it is known as the most managed urbanization in history. Much of the environment in China is being destroyed as this urbanization occurs.
I think this urbanization was inevitable. As the world becomes more dependent on other countries for trading and producing goods, we see the effects of a country on China. So much of our stuff is made in China. This is a result of everything China does to stay on the top of the economic ladder. It is sad to see so many natural and beautiful ecosystems get destroyed, leaving behind pollution and scarred land. Many people who have grown up in little towns or villagers return to see their homes completely destroyed to a point where the land is not even recognizable. I've been to China recently to visit my grandparents in 2008. On the airplane it's hard to see anything through the dark polluted air. The city of Beijing is astonishing. There's traffic everywhere, huge apartment complexes everywhere to house everyone. It's ridiculous. In conclusion China is the first of many countries to become urbanized. I predict in maybe 200 years, most countries will be like China and we will be forced to flee Earth like in Wall-E. In all seriousness, urbanization was inevitable and China is doing all this to stay a strong financial country.
Ye Htet
ReplyDelete2nd period
10/6/11
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
Great changes are being developed in China that can change the eight keys for a civilization drastically these days. China is building cities and urban land in the rural areas of China at a very fast rate. Many people are against it but they don't have much of a choice.
I actually don't think China's extreme urbanization is a good thing. Many problems will occur in not just the country but the whole world. What China is trying to do right now is to house people but at the same time I think they're trying to attain better technology than other countries. I don't like it because problems like many casualties can occur, riots or rebellions can occur too. There will be a less variety of jobs and people can become jobless and also the people will probably question the government who knows maybe government officials are receiving bribes. The economy will decline because of environmental problems after the urbanization. I for one like the city but sometimes I feel like getting away from all the noise and go to a quiet place. I'm sure that is what the people will feel like in China in the future and now.
Bryan Zhang
ReplyDelete10/5/11
5th period
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
China is becoming and growing rapidly into an urban nation. Reasons why this is happening to China’s population is because it’s growing to 750 million people in the past 50 years, and that 50% of the population is living in a urban environment, which means that China needs to build a lot more cities, resulting in more material, more jobs, and more gas and energy use, as well as Co2 emissions. This would not be good because more problems would continue to build. China would need to think of a plan, that doesn’t cause disaster. They want to lower the pollution, making China a safe environment, while using many materials and energy to produce urban areas. This is a plan that would cause disaster, and also something that China would struggle with in the future.
I think that the urban places in China should not expand. This is because expansion would cost billions of dollars, and would not help the environment. Every time something like this happens, it would turn out negative. China needs to think about the future, and how there is limited space to expand. It would be horrible for the economy, getting rid of farmland for urbanization growth. Pollution would rise even more, but if you didn’t know, China is a polluted country to start with. Anyways, it would take so many years to expand, and people that live near the construction could harm them in many ways. China is making the wrong move in destroying the countryside, and making it into an urban environment.
Roy Huang - 2nd period
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
This article is about China adjusting to becoming an urban nation. The people living in cities are still having to adapt from living in a rural area to in a city-like environment. It is a complete change of culture for them. The transition is also harder because of how rapid it is, while if it were slower, they would be able to slowly get accustomed to it. Instead of growing their own food, they now buy it, which many say does not taste as good. Also, it is much harder to sleep at night because of how much more noise there is in a city. Many think that urbanization is good for China, but the rapid one that is occurring is not.
I also agree that urbanization is good for China, but they need to be able to adjust to it. I have visited China a few times, and I notice a big difference between the city and rural areas. It is much more peaceful in the rural areas, while in the city there are tractors that drive through that make a lot of noise, and it is always noisy. The last time I went, there was only one traffic light in the city and nobody followed it though. I think this is an effect of rapid urbanization. I think other countries in the world should try to urbanize slowly so the people would be able to adapt well.
Juliana Dunn 5th period 10/6/11
ReplyDeleteI am against rural urbanization in China. Like every other country, I believe China should keep a lot of land preserved for nature and so that the culture lifestyle that is lived out there can be continued. Civilization carries culture, and if this way of living by farming in nature is discontinued, then soon this culture will be extinct. If China continues to grow at this unhealthy rate, many species will be extinct. If too much land is used, then China will no longer be able to grow all the groups they need to support their huge nation. Although cities are one of the basic traits of a civilization, cities do not have to be ridiculously large. There is also the job specialization of farmers. Although most farmers have their land , there is no guarantee that the city will not need to be expanded after many people from the country move to the city. I believe that if the government is going to use a lot of money on China’s rural areas, they should do so by setting up better hospitals and schools. Public works are part of the backbone of civilization, and what the government is doing is not really a public work, they are only doing it for themselves. Building huge apartment buildings is not necessary and if the city continues to grow, so will China’s already large pollution problem. I think it is natural for cities to grow a little bit over a long period of time, but since China is trying to cut down on its population size, I do not think building huge skyscrapers with lots of room would encourage that.
Tim Li
ReplyDelete2nd Period
China is undergoing enormous change in a short period of time. As a result of its quick growing population, many of its cities have undergone much expansion. The government is involved in planning and managing all of it. This massive expansion is accompanied by many other types of public work projects, for instance, schools, roads, and housing. New jobs are found by working on these projects, and architecture is also important in designing the new buildings. However, as China becomes more and more urbanized, they may lose some of their unique cultures.
I believe that urbanization in China can be a good thing. The expansion has created many jobs for workers, resulting in a better economy. On the other hand, I believe that China is trying to rush it too much. Many accidents are occurring due to authorities not thoroughly checking safety. The rapid expansion also costs a lot, and if China doesn’t make back money soon its economy will take a huge dive. There is also major pollution that results from this. It takes the work of many factories to produce building materials, and as much as 50% of the new buildings being built are also new factories. The urbanization would also result is the loss of many ancient traditions as people continue to move from their traditional homes to the cities.
Juliann Cho
ReplyDelete1st period
Reading this article, it pointed out some basic features of civilization. For example, it talks about how more roads are being built which is a public work. The article also talks about the government, and what they are doing to help China.
I think that the government’s expectations are so high about the nation being just the way they want it, that they’re moving too fast for the citizens and workers to keep up. I think that urbanization is great, but too much of it will lead to so many more problems. For example, building so many roads and buildings will lower the economy even more and can cause more pollution. Also getting rid of more farmlands will give the farmers a harder time with the economy. I think that China is becoming an urban nation way too fast. The government should give their plans and ideas a little bit more thought and do this carefully, instead of doing so many things now and having it backfire later.
Ariella Hirsch
ReplyDelete5th
China is rapidly experiencing urbanization and will soon be an urban nation. China's former rural areas are being transformed into large cities, and the already existing cities are expanding. Many different consequences and benefits are discussed in the article on China's rapid urbanization. There are a variety of opinions from people, both in China and worldwide about China's urbanization. The main key feature of civilization discussed in the article are cities. Many of the elderly people living in rural China are completely shocked by what is happening and how their lives are transforming. Most of them, along with the much of China's population have never lived in cities before. The article also mentions public works projects, especially new road and buildings, and China's government. As new cities are being created and old ones are expanding it makes sense that more roads and buildings are being constructed. China's government is partially responsible for the rapid urbanization taking place.
There are pros and cons to urbanization. I think that in China's situation the cons will outweigh the pros, however that urbanization was bound to happen as the population of China is very high, and China is becoming more and more powerful. Some of the benefits of urbanization in China may be more jobs created for the unemployed, and the people looking for different work, and more living spaces available for those who need them. Some of the consequences of the rapid urbanization in China will include loss of rural land, meaning destruction of farmland that is very valuable to China, more crowded cities, more highly polluted areas, which also adds to overall pollution. I think that because now China's urbanization is not preventable, extra measures will have to be taken to keep China on the right track, and make sure the urbanization doesn't backfire.
Jonathan Jang / 1stpd
ReplyDelete10/6/11
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
The rapid urbanization of China is expanding rapidly. With the population going up to approximately 750,000,000 and the changing of China’s old habits, cultures and landscapes. A goal like this will take a long time, for example the Hover Dam has been doing a project for w long while now and it is taking forever for them to finish it. I think that this will take more than one’s life time to accomplish. This is a good thing in many ways, for instance; there will be more job opportunities, more place to settle instead of being all cramped in one major area, and etc. in this article it talks about all of the 9 characteristics that we talked about in class a couple weeks ago, the main characteristic are public works, which help the community in numerous ways, such as roads, bridges, buildings, restaurants and etc.
I think that at this rate they will finish in about 25 – 30 years from now. It is a good thing that China is growing, but it may be too fast. If it grows too much then the environment will be totally destroyed and it will ruin and destroy the old values and cultures that the Chinese cherish.
Sadie Frank
ReplyDelete1st Period
I think that urbanization in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's natural for people to gravitate towards others, and cities are rich in culture and diversity and, in my opinion, just much more fun. Some people don't share the same views - country life does have its upsides - but urbanization is a good thing. The things that China is improving upon - the roads, the sanitation, public work projects in general - are very good.
Of course China is moving fast, but what we have to understand is that they've got many civilizations to model upon. The article compares it to the time frames of the urbanization of Europe and the West, but they were beginners and didn't have anyone before them to look to for guidance. China is of course going to move more quickly. It doesn't sound to me like China's going to get rid of all the farmland and country, because China is such a large nation - they've got plenty of space for cities and rural areas.
Jacob Guskiewicz
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
The change in China’s urbanization is happening too fast. What they don’t see is that the urbanization of these cities will take up a lot of land and that will affect the population growth now and in the future. Urbanization is important for businesses to grow, but the government is not seeing that the change will make China even more over crowded than it already is. The urban change will affect the public works, land, organization of the government, jobs, and the social classes. It will affect the cities because it will be swallowing all the rural area like farms, and that will affect food and clothing production. This rapid urbanization will make garbage, sewage and water all difficult to manage. Just like how it will over crowd with people it will with those problems. The government could struggle to manage the changing populations and law enforcement, like how the article said there would be about 220 cities with 1 million people. That is a lot of people per city. Then the social classes will change with job loss from farming and other rural working jobs. The attention might become all business, and not everyone will have the skills to be successful in business.
If I were living in China or held an office in the government of China I would stick with having rural areas and not becoming a full urbanized country. It would take away the mountains of China and rural areas and areas for animals. These changes are big and there are a lot of people in China who could be affected. I bet many people would like it to stay the same, because these changes could cause job loss, land usage change, and problems for animals.
Brandon Ta 1st Period
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
China is going through Rapid Urbanization with about 50% people already living in cities. Which means that China is changing from it's old culture and landscape and adopting a newer modern one. A goal like this would take a long time for such a large country. With the country's population quickly growing to almost 750,000,000 people it will be much better for the country. There are good and bad things about this though. It will make more jobs, more places to settle and people will be all spread out in cities. But if it goes too fast it could possibly destroy China's Environment.
I think that at this rate China is going too fast. People and animals have to get used to their new environment over time, not like this so quickly. If it keeps going like this China may ruin it's environment, and it will be even harder for China. I think they should just slow down and take their time, let everyone adjust to it slowly not force a completely new culture and environment onto their people. The government is starting so many projects on all these public works, a lot of things are bound to go wrong no matter what. They should take this slowly and plan everything out more carefully. With all these projects China is working on they might go into debt.
Arturo Tornero
ReplyDelete1st
49.7% of the 1.34 billion people in China are and have been living under urbanization. Half of the population may not seem too much, but that is already 665,980,000 (six hundred million, nine hundred eighty thousand) and counting. All of the eight basic features of geography are being ‘implied’ in this vast project; increasing quantity of public works, urbanizing cities (arts + architecture), job specializations (more workers for this development), etc… Which all fall under creating a more metropolitan China. To uphold/maintain the population there will be no doubt that taxes will swell tremendously in the following fifteen years.
My perspective of this ‘crisis-task-development’ is that rural areas should remain secure now and forever. Rapid urbanization or just plain urbanization is not necessary in China or really anywhere in a range of at least 100 years. Fields can and should stay fields, there are almost 300 cities in China that contribute more than enough CO2, and we don’t want to kill ourselves with our own poison. Our necessities have been exceeded since we started using iPhones. We already have over 7 billion people on earth, most of them without electricity but able to live a happy life with food, water, shelter, and a family. So would we really need to wipe out hundreds of farmlands and crush peoples farming dreams just for a nice, shiny, colorful city?
Daniel Ferreira 5th Period 10/6/11
ReplyDeleteAs China is rapidly urbanizing, it is helping and hurting them at the same time. It is creating job specialization and public works. This is a good thing, but at the same time, they are wiping out farmers across China. It shows that the government is trying to urbanize, but they aren’t able to control it. “Beijing may drive urbanization, but it does not control it. The results are often messy, chaotic and unanticipated.” However, they are trying to help the poor by upgrading living conditions, which corresponds to social classes.
I believe that at the rate China is urbanizing, it’s not a good thing. While it may help them economically, it is hurting them environmentally. This will cause much more green-house gas emissions and pollution. Everything is all jammed and crowded as the population and cities increase. Farming could essentially be wiped out of China. Many farmers are losing land on a day to day basis. The Chinese government needs to take control of all the urbanization going on and make sure it becomes a slow steady process. At this rate, all of China could just be one massive city.
Waad Husein
ReplyDelete2nd Period
The urbanization of China has completely changed the country. The land is expanding and it’s all happening right before the citizen’s eyes. Because China has become an urban nation, many steps have to be taken in order to fulfill all the needs of an urban nation. The government seeks a higher standard of living, and promotes development in poorer regions which will be a bit expensive; although, this won’t stop development. Urbanization also calls for a relatively larger population, so the government must spend a larger sum of money to support people’s needs, such as health care, education, etc. This means that prices for commodities such as, steel and copper will be much more costly and will have an effect on the world.
I think that China becoming an urban nation is not necessarily a good thing for China, but it’s not going to hurt them either. Economically, with a larger population, this might put a strain on the government, because they must support more people. Also, for the people, it must be difficult to get used to living in a nation where it’s constantly expanding, and there is no stability. In the long run, the urbanization of China will impact the world.
Olivia Donahue
ReplyDelete1st period
October 6th, 2011
There are both positive and negative affects of the rapid urbanization of China. Its good for both job specialization and the Chinese economy, however awful for environmental reasons. Not only is China incredibly over crowded, but also extremely polluted. The more cities they create, and skyscrapers they construct, the more green house gases fill the air. Also, many of the urban areas are growing too fast for locals to keep up with. The streets are overcrowded, and hundreds of public works projects have to be started and maintained just to keep the rapid state of change constant. Besides the environmental issues, converting all of China into urban areas is just a bad idea geographically and historically. China is home to beautiful rural areas, undisturbed by chaotic city life. Is it really worth it to take away a valuable resource just to have a better economy?
When Jeremy Werden and I created J.S. Land for our ‘Creating New Civilizatiion’, we had to include so many things. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to create a functioning society—there are so many factors! I think that China’s urbanization is growing rapidly, almost too rapidly. The accelerated way its society is growing is frightening to me. Frightening because I can’t imagine China getting much bigger, much less do I think that it’s a good idea for people to live in such a compiled place that promotes such a huge population. China already has such a great population; I think it could be harmful for it to multiply as it has even more.
ReplyDeleteI’m not completely against urbanization of countries like China, but I am against the immense denaturalization of the environment that I think China has developed. I don’t have many personal experiences with urbanizations of cities, but from the statistics I’ve heard from, they’re not too good for the planet. China is also overpopulated, which makes urbanization more of a risk than it could be for a different country.
Keith Swartz 1st period 10/6/11
ReplyDeleteThis article refers to many of the aspects of civilization that we discussed as they relate to the urbanization movement presently going on in China. Urbanization involves creating and expanding cities to make people move from rural areas to big cities. There are a lot of upside to urbanization if it is well planned out and occurs more gradually. But the downside to rapid expansion out weighs the benefits. When you urbanize this quickly in the short term you gain a lot of money but when there are not any rural areas left in China, there is going to be trouble because there will not be any farms left that have arable fields to grow crops and provide food for their already overpopulated country.
Another problem with quick urbanization is the poor construction of the roadways, skyscrapers, and other buildings. This leads to costly repairs, shutdowns, and sometimes injuries or death. Without proper planning, this will lead to redesigning and more costly upgrades and changes that will diminish any profits for rapid urbanization. Another very important issue is the negative impact on the environment. The health of our entire planet is in danger from China's reckless behavior.
Melissa Galvan
ReplyDelete2nd Period
This article talked about china's plan to urbanize cites in 5 years. the changes that china is making are happening way to fast the land they used to use to plant rice is now becoming a city. This quick change is shocking the people of China and they are not used to the city life and its going to take them time to getting used to.
I think that at the rate at which China is growing is a little bit too extreme. They need to think about the people around them, how are they going to react to all of this change. If China continues to grow this fast, it will completely destroy the environment. Also, as China turns into a developed country, it’s at great danger of destroying all the old cultures and amazing artifacts and customs that are in the environment.
Tamia E / 2nd period
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article it seems that China’s main priority is to focus on being urbanized. It seems as if China's government is progressing at a very rapid speed, and it's also becoming too overwhelming. With such fast government movement it's beginning to effect China in both positive and negative ways. In this article some of the eight basic features of civilization our shown. Many different cities were clearly brought up in the article. There was a lot of writing involved in this part of this civilization involving many sources such as newspapers. Eight lane roads that are built there and subway lines were brought up dealing with the pubic works section. Other projects included new developments and new building and housing. Another feature talked about was architecture because of how many cities expanded China. Lastly the religious feature wasn't brought upon as much but from context clues you can guess they built many different pyramids and temples. China had a very complex rapid civilization.
In my opinion I think that China should take more time to become get ready before there is a great leap into urbanization. If its not thought out right there could be very harmful consequences toward the citizens and China itself. That would really take a toll on China. Urbanization is also deals with energy intensive and polluting, which could also affect China and the whole entire Earth. I just don't think If urbanization should occur in China something isn't correct urbanization could be viewed as a negative thing, leading up to no further urbanization in other places.
Morgan Mann
ReplyDelete5th Period
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
2011, China made it’s title as an urban nation. Their government is working to better the poorer regions of China, and the government debt is not stopping them from their five year plan. Three years has passed in the making of urbanizing China. A soon to be prime minister Li Keqiang stated that he disagrees with the urbanization process, and believes China should be focused more on their economy and get away from their investment in domestic consumption and exports. An example of the government’s target is the city of Guiyang, which is very poor and has 34% urbanization. This area is hoped to grow higher in population, with 3 million already living here. Paul James at the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne shares his agreement with this new chapter for China, saying that new cities are being built, the nation is involved and people in need are getting help. Animals on the other hand are suffering as well as farmers.
I believe urbanization is not a smart idea for certain reasons. This increases pollution, and cuts down trees, two damages that have already been started and have a large impact on our world. It takes away farmland and rural obs. City areas tend to have numerous thefts and accidents, which no one needs any more of. I believe it’s a smarter idea to keep the rural areas we still have in different parts of the world and leave it for farmers and agriculture. I feel China is doing okay without the addition of urbanization as well.
Kat Westover
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
China’s rapid urbanization could earthier help or hurt it. China would have to be very serious about becoming so urban or it could lead to dire consequences. 50% of the new urban areas are industrial parks, while only 20-30% of the areas are residential areas. That can create many jobs as well as pollution. About 50% of China’s population now lives in urban areas. China’s population has gone up a lot in recent years, causing there to be a need for more space.
I believe that China should not have such rapid urbanization. It may be an easy answer now, but people need to look at the future. The urbanization is causing a lot of pollution and is changing the lives of many people very quickly who may be happy with how they live. It takes away land for farming, which is needed to feed China’s giant population. Also, the work seems rushed. A major highway had collapsed after just 80 days of its opening, and many people were injured when part of a subway that was built only a year before collapsed. If China needs so many new constructions, then they need to have better constructions, or they could end up killing a lot of people.
Taylor Headen
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Chinas civilization is mostly cities, because of the recent construction it is under. The article said that 49.7% out of the 1.34 billion population lives in cities. Due to the cities there is a lot of public works in the country. Also due to the cities it is going to be important to specialize in certain jobs. Another reason these job are going to be important is because of the money/social classes. If you get a good job then you will make a lot of money so that you will be highly ranked in the social classes.
China might think that what is happening to them is good but my opinion is other wise. Improvement in a country is good because you don’t want it to stay the same the whole time, but at the same time improvement can be bad. Especially when everything is moving so fast and upgrading before you get a chance to realize it. Chinas crop are being cut down for big new skyscrapers, job buildings, and roads. It is cool to have new stuff but I think this is being blown out of proportion. You don’t need to redo a road every week nor every month. You should redo it every couple of years, or when you really need it. Another thing is crop provide a good food source, why would you need to cut those down?
Dilay Uras 5th-period
ReplyDeleteThis article is basically talking about how China is rapidly moving on with urbanization. It also talks about how the government is moving to fast that the citizens can not keep up with the pace; nor are they happy with the results that the urbanization idea is bringing. Many of the people say that the urbanization increases and the farmland decreases. This can bring good to the citizens to of China, also. That is because all this construction work will bring new jobs for those who need it.
I think that China should stop this whole urbanization idea, because this all costs money. And China can fall in to debt. A country falling into dent will make them look bad. So to prevent that I say that they should stop. Also think about the land that the many people own. It is being destroyed. Some of these lands are treasures to some of those people. Anyway, I think that China should not causes any more disturbance to the citizens of China.
Everyone knows that China is super populated. However most people are unaware of their espansive countryside that is incredibley unpopulated. I think that there is definately a good aspect to the urbanization, and that is that there will hopefully be more room so people wont have to live in fivehundred square-foot apartments. Although this is a plus, I dont think that China is going about this project the right way. I think that this idea of spreading out is good, but the fact that they are turning all of this land into urban space is bad. If they were to do this well, I think that this land should be further considered, not just taken adavantage of and used up so quickly. China is a world power, probably the MOST powerful, but even they will run out of land eventually. Unless theres a WWIII...
ReplyDelete1st period
ReplyDeleteChina is urbanizing at an amazingly fast rate. It is the fastest urbanization of any human civilization ever. The thing is they are taking away farmers' land forcefully with almost no compensation. The percentage of the cities that are industrial parks also outnumbers the living areas.
I think that China is being too ambitious. At the rate they're building they'll have to repair everything in just a few years. The living conditions are also below par. Plus lets not forget about the impact on the environment. China is really going to have to rethink they're ways
2nd period
ReplyDelete10-9-11
When I read this article, some of the eight basic features that were relevant to the points in the article I thought were public works and job specialization. I believe it was relevant public works because they are creating roads and doing a lot of construction to benefit the people. I think it is relevant to job specialization because there are people that specialize in the certain area's to make the public works projects possible. For an example, Li Chengqiang works as a cement salesman.
I think that urbanization is an important part of the future and moving forward in the future, but I do believe that it needs to have limits. In my opinion, I think that countries like China should have parts that are preserved because it is so old and interesting to the public, but I think that because it is so good it is also good for industries and urbanization.
5th period
ReplyDeleteWith China expanding at so much they show some of the signs of civilization. Cities is an obvious one because they are building more cities in the countryside but this is overdoing it. Soon there might not be enough open land in areas to support the cities there. This also shows organized government because the government is leading this urbanization rush. To an extent this also shows job specialization with the industrialism that is being brought in.
I believe that this is too much urbanization in too short of a time. With the breakneck speed things are going to be of a lower quality and more dangerous. Also with farming land being eaten up areas might find themselves with a shortage in supply of food and need to bring supplies in from other areas. Also with China trying to get more people into the cities working in high pollution jobs then we will see the effects that it has on local environments and national maybe even global environment.
This will bring jobs no doubt but at what cost to Chinas land, heritage, culture, and quality of life.
Becca White
ReplyDelete2nd period
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation
I feel like the rapid urbanization of China is going to help china's economic system. Thats because the population growth is huge. Which means more jobs for the people. Then they in the need for a place to stay. Kids are propbably a huge precentage of the popualtion growth in China. Whichs means the kids at somepoint need to go to school, so the government will need to build more schools. With the population growing the government will need to build more communties. The public works projects will go up as the population of China is. Just to maintain with everything new.
I dont have anythingpersonal to go with this article but I do have strong opinion. I feel like we should help China out if they are ever in a stump. Thats becuase if The Untied States every gets stuck and needs help, we would know we would have China. Even, though we are in a stump right now we are doing everything we can to keep control and stay together.
It seems like China’s main problem/goal is urbanized. It looks like the government is build cites too fast for people to adapt. These cities are taking away farm land which is taking people out of their houses and moving down the street or to somewhere else. If the farm land starts to go away they won’t be able to grow crops. The state is involved in every way and it manages the building of new cities. This event represents the most managed process of urbanization in human history. People are responding to this event at this current time to make things work.
ReplyDeleteJamil Walker
5th period
This Articled is actually good and gives great information. It is explaining how China is having a problem with urbanization. This article related to urbanization because it has to deal with characteristics of cities. I’m kind of in the middle because I’m a type of a person that with like to help people in any kind of way I can