By Bill Monahan, ICMA-CM

China is undergoing unprecedented urbanization, referred to as China's great urbanization. The trend has been underway since the early 1990s. A 2010 McKinsey Global Institute report predicted that by 2025 China will have 335 million more urban residents. By 2030, 1 billion Chinese will live in cities, while an estimated 221 Chinese cities will have populations in excess of 1 million.

China's national policy is to move half a billion people from rural villages to become urban residents in the next 30 years. The scale of movement of people from rural to urban settings is matched only by the effort of the central government and local officials to prepare infrastructure, housing, and services to meet demand.

Huge investment has been made in urban infrastructure, real estate, and agricultural land reclamation. The rate of urbanization is not expected to slow until it reaches 70 percent. Further urbanization is seen as essential for China to achieve its plan to sustain fast economic growth and raise per capita income to the level of high-income countries during the 21st century.

Local officials are making great strides to build new and expanded cities with cutting-edge infrastructure, technology, and environmental features. Concepts earlier discussed and researched in the United States and other countries but not implemented due to funding limitations or lack of political will, are now being tried and refined in China.

China has embraced making smart-city principles essential components of any city planning. Use of big data and technology is mandatory in day-to-day functions. China's officials have welcomed the chance to work with ICMA and its members to exchange ideas during numerous meetings and conferences,

Since 2013, through the ICMA China Center based at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing, ICMA members have shared experiences and advice with local government officials, educators, and private-industry professionals in several Chinese cities.

During study tours to China, members have been speakers at conferences, participated in meetings with local governments, and served in consulting roles with ample opportunity to share ideas and knowledge, broaden understanding of evolving trends, and observe practical solutions to problems.

China's managers and ICMA members face similar challenges. For the past four years, ICMA members have also taught summer courses at CUPL on such topics as local government, ethics, capital improvements, and urbanization. The China Center oversees recruitment, selection, and placement of practitioner instructors.

Major Projects Underway

Some cities like Shenzhen, the city famous for evolving from a small fishing community in 1985 to China's version of the Silicon Valley with more than 10 million residents, have designated and created economic development zones using the most modern technological advances.

One such zone called Qianhai, which is being built on reclaimed land, has a plan to develop 500,000 new jobs, primarily in businesses based on new ideas of entrepreneurs. Through a competitive process, businesses are selected and supported with financial resources, work space, and services to grow ideas into thriving startups.

Entrepreneurs with the best ideas are taking off in a global market ripe for the introduction of new concepts and products. These entrepreneurs benefit from a collegial community where cooperation on idea and product development is the norm, rather than direct competition.

Another city, Qingdao, located in Northeast China, is now engaged in developing the new movie-making center of China, an ambitious project that will house all elements of China's cinematic industry.

Also underway is an emphasis on building "sponge cities" to better control urban flooding. A sponge city is one that can hold, clean, and drain water in a natural way using an ecological approach.

China’s modernization resulted in destruction of many natural systems of ponds, rivers, and wetlands as dams, levees, and tunnels were built, resulting in much flooding. Since 2000, the focus has been on low-impact development to manage stormwater.

China is building sponge cities with integrated rainwater and groundwater management and reducing the use of non-permeable concrete while making use of rain gardens, roof gardens, and flood control features, which are becoming common in the United States, and it is being done in a massive and coordinated manner.

The shift, stimulated by the central government, follows the expressed desire of President Xi Jinping that cities "should be like sponges," causing urban planners and designers to embrace the movement.

Rather than focus attention on enlarging infrastructure to handle runoff from more impervious surfaces, China has plans to build 16 sponge cities in close proximity to expanding urban environments.

Officials have asked for help to identify best practices. Conferences and meetings with ICMA participants showed that theories and designs conceived in the United States, Canada, and other countries are being used in the full-scale planning of new Chinese settings.

Special Learning Opportunities

Techniques put into practice allow ICMA members to observe the pros and cons of ideas applied earlier only in small settings. The large-scale application of sponge city concepts, for example, provides unique insights into extensive implementation for professionals and managers.

China's efforts are also particularly useful learning opportunities because the time from idea development to design and implementation is so fast. This is a unique urban laboratory environment open for observation.

In July 2013, for example, I observed the initial stages of a massive flood control project in Changping, an area of Beijing where CUPL has a campus. I guessed that the barren area, crossed by numerous bridges, was where materials had been extracted for nearby residential towers and highways.

Only a few paths existed with little vegetation and no signs of a long-range plan. I returned in April 2015 to walk the area and found massive change had taken place. Literally millions of shrubs and trees had been planted along the hillsides with concrete pavers and boardwalks in place for walkers and joggers to enjoy. But the lowest points were dry.

The next day, on a short trip north, I observed a large dam holding back the water that would complete the flood control and recreation project. It dawned on me that there certainly was a plan as this was part of the sponge city efforts that I had heard of carried out at warp speed.

There is much more to observe over the coming years as China continues to transform. ICMA members who interact and work with Chinese local government officials to share information will find it rewarding to travel to China to take part in consulting, conferences, and exchanges.

ICMA will continue to work to connect members to learning opportunities while sharing the professional expertise of our members with China's local governments. Members who visit the country will find the experience of meeting the people; sampling the food, culture, and history; and observing urbanization efforts to be great fun, educational, and professionally rewarding.

Preparing for April Study Tour

When the March issue of PM went to press, final preparations for an ICMA China Center study tour in April 2017 were underway. Participants will speak at several conferences and forums, provide technical recommendations to host cities, and broaden their horizons with side trips to historical and cultural sites. Watch the ICMA website at http://icma.org/en/international/news/Article/107774/Share_Your_Expertise_with_Chinese_Cities and social media for reports.