Policy design to incorporate sustainability in the urbanisation process of China’s metropolitan cities - The case of Shanghai

Abstract

China’s economic reform has resulted in drastic economic growth in key special economic zones and the formation of major metropolitan cities with high volumes of foreign direct investments, accelerating economic growth and urbanisation rates from rural regions into urban cities. This study critically explores the rapid urbanisation experienced in the city of Shanghai, drawing upon major environmental and sustainability challenges caused by urban developments to accommodate the surging economic growth of the city in recent decades. This study critically explored empirical/ secondary data and identified sustainability driven policies introduced by the Shanghai government in recent years to integrate sustainability into the urbanisation process of the city. Based on the major themes identified in the environmental/ sustainability challenges of Shanghai and recent sustainability driven policies, this study proposed practical recommendations for improving future policy designs that integrates sustainable development across six sustainability city lenses in urban development.