Page 11 - Sphere No.29 (Jun 2011)

9
Sphere
Imagine a mega region covering hundreds of
kilometres, larger than any other urban area, with some
120 million residents – equivalent, nearly, to the entire
population of Japan. Imagine the scale of infrastruc-
ture connecting the different parts of this urban cluster,
stretching from the provincial capital Guangzhou to Hong
Kong, and the enormity of its combined economic output.
The existence of such a mega region is not tomorrow’s
fantasy but today’s reality according to Habitat, the United
Nations agency for human settlements.
Now, the foundations for an even more integrated
Pearl River Delta are being laid, where residents of an
interlocking chain of impressive cities will pursue the
highest living standards in China’s history. As Mainland
economists and policy makers have seen the Pearl
River Delta’s established “world factory” model become
increasingly outdated and unsustainable, they have sought
to articulate a new development paradigm through a
series of far-reaching plans.
Among the outcomes are the 2008 Outline of the Plan
for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta,
a 2009 Study on the Action Plan for Bay Area of the Pearl
River Estuary and more recently, the much-anticipated
12th Five-Year Plan, for 2011 to 2015, which – as with
Beijing’s previous 11 five-year plans - maps the Chinese
Government’s strategies and detailed guidelines for the
nation’s further economic development.
The bland titles of these official documents hardly do
justice to the dazzling visions within. Their ambitious au-
thors envisage the Pearl River Delta as a hyper-connected,
highly urbanised, modernised region, enjoying first-world
standards in quality of life.
Great expectations
By 2020, according to the National Development and
Reform Commission’s 2008 plan, people will live to
80 years old and enjoy comprehensive and effective
social insurance. Many will work in rapidly maturing