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| Alicia Humphrey Class of 2017 |
Although China is a country often thought of as on the rise and rapidly developing, the nation’s urbanization has not come without problems. For example, many of China’s newer cities are in fact nearly uninhabited. At his lecture on the topic on March 23rd, Richard Dilworth compared China’s ghost cities issue with that of the United States in the 1800s as many migrated to the west. However, China’s problem exists on a much larger scale; Dilworth cited a survey saying there are currently 49 million vacant housing units in China. China’s rapid urbanization is in many ways a reflection of the danger its economy is in, Dilworth went on to explain. Although China’s debt as a nation is relatively low, private debt in the nation is at its greatest period of rapid increase ever—at over 150% of the GDP.
However, there may be good news: China is in a much better position to fill its empty ghost towns now than the U.S. was in the 1800’s. Currently, China’s urban population is over several hundred million people and growing. This allows for cities to become provinces, which gain more political power and thus more power and autonomy from federal control. However, Dilworth maintains a deal of skepticism, saying that a government bailout may eventually be needed.
Alicia Humphrey is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She studies political science and English.
Alicia Humphrey is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She studies political science and English.