> http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,1635188,00.html
>
> Guardian Unlimited
>
> British to help China build 'eco-cities'
>
> Frank Kane
> Sunday November 6, 2005
> The Observer
>
> British engineers will this week sign a multi-billion contract with
> the Chinese authorities to design and build a string of 'eco-cities' -
> self-sustaining urban centres the size of a large western capital - in
> the booming country.
Yep, China is going to build 10 new cities outside Beijing where the working people will live while the rich stay behind in Beijing and aimlessly drive their SUVs around without the risk of running over some overworked prole bicyclist too tired to pay attention to the traffic and the SUV's blaring horn... did I mention the driver owns an SUV and is rich? It bears repetition.
The proles will ride to work in buses (and someday they will burn them).
It's their apartheid 'urbs (instead of sub-urbs) of the future. They may be of "ecological" design, but I doubt if these cities will be "sociologically non-anomie-ous" in their human and cultural structure.
Why do I suspect those cities will go up in flames, much as is happening in Europe right now, within the next hundred years or so (~+-~ ?!).
Maybe sooner... much sooner. These ARE interesting times.
Leigh