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Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

theguardian.com

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Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#151

Post by cyanydeez »

hshdhdhj4444 wrote: post #68
kubb wrote: post #15

Chongqing seems incredible on pictures and YouTube videos. No doubt it's a comfortable place to live for many people, and surely it isn't perfect, especially when it comes to things like air pollution. What amazes me is China's capacity to do development on a large scale, something that's completely missing in Europe. If we had efficient large-scale construction solved, we could really put a dent in the cost of livin…

It’s missing in most European places because there’s little need for it. When there is a need, Europe does pretty well. At least relative to the U.S. For example, Europe built the completely novel floodgates for Venice. It’s been very successful as far as I’m aware when it was heavily doubted before and throughout its development. On the other hand, the U.S. won’t even contemplate building something similar to protec…

Keep in mind China has construction more than just from population capacity; it's also a shell game for local districts to get taxes and for "investment" by locals who are told it'll always go up, just like the American market.

And then at the top level, China views it as a "make work" project to keep industry going.

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#152

Post by screye »

whatever1 wrote: post #20
kubb wrote: post #15

Chongqing seems incredible on pictures and YouTube videos. No doubt it's a comfortable place to live for many people, and surely it isn't perfect, especially when it comes to things like air pollution. What amazes me is China's capacity to do development on a large scale, something that's completely missing in Europe. If we had efficient large-scale construction solved, we could really put a dent in the cost of livin…

The cost of housing in the large Chinese megacities is comparable to, if not higher than, that in Western countries. Therefore, they are not constructing housing at a fast enough pace to meet their population’s needs. However, they do build at a rate that is 2-4 times faster than that of Western countries.

Chinese housing demand is a unique beast.

Chinese citizens do not see stocks as a stable investment, so housing becomes the main type of investment. Housing domicile rules (Hukou system) give special rights to homeowners which incentivizes housing purchase instead of renting.

As a result, housing prices are proportionally higher in China than in the US. There is a gold-like intangibility to it.

If China also had NIMBYs alongside this system, their houses would've easily risen to the most expensive in the world.

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#153

Post by screye »

blacksmith_tb wrote: post #125
hshdhdhj4444 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s missing in most European places because there’s little need for it. When there is a need, Europe does pretty well. At least relative to the U.S. For example, Europe built the completely novel floodgates for Venice. It’s been very successful as far as I’m aware when it was heavily doubted before and throughout its development. On the other hand, the U.S. won’t even contemplate building something similar to protec…

US infrastructure is increasingly terrible, true. But high-speed rail isn't probably what I'd point to as the most glaring problem. No doubt the TGV and Shinkansen are impressive, but the longest route in Japan (Tokyo-Aomori) is 675km compared to 4000km from Los Angeles to NYC (assuming you could it make a straight line, which you couldn't). Not to say I wouldn't be delighted to even have service from San Diego to Se…

Most US HSR routes are envisioned planned along similar corridors as the EU ones.

DC - Philly- NYC - Boston

SF - LA - SD

Chicago - Detroit - Toronto

Miami - Orlando - Jacksonville

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#154

Post by aianus »

xtracto wrote: post #87
skippyboxedhero wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is an insight into human irrationality to see a country where hundreds of millions have been lifted out of crushing absolute poverty, that has built one of the world's best infrastructure from nothing...in the 70s, China was poorer than every country in Africa bar one. ...the problem is that some people are concerned only with how things are done, this is feudal government, this is pre-industrial economic growth,…

Western societies are blinded by the narrative their governments have fed them in the last 50 years: China Bad. But us in 3rd world countries have the ability to see both Western and Eastern societies' development and compare it ij a more unbiased way. Frankly the China bet looks more successful.

This is nonsense, ~zero rich people in third world send their kids to study in Shanghai instead of Boston or immigrate to Beijing instead of NYC to park their capital.

In fact it’s the rich Chinese who continue to move to Vancouver and London and Irvine to escape China and have a better future.

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#155

Post by thenthenthen »

alwa wrote: post #86
thenthenthen wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would not consider CQ comfortable. Shanghai is 1000x more comfortable.

What criteria do you consider when you think about comfort in this sense? The (always-credulous) Guardian seems to go based on photogenic shopping centers/bars and raw square footage: “A flat in Chongqing costs a seventh of what it would cost in Beijing or Shanghai and is twice as big.” Presumably your criteria might be more subtle?

CQ: The weather is quite extreme, getting around is pretty hard, the crazy amount of tourist during the Holidays is overwhelming, the wages are lower, less job opportunities. Shanghai is flat, weather is moderate sea climate, food from all over the world, as well as bars, the highest amount of coffeeshops in the world (not really my thing) but most importantly, walkable, whilst CQ is more… hikeable…

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#156

Post by andrioni »

rasso wrote: post #112
sagacity wrote: post #21

German television made a very interesting documentary about the city a few months back: https://youtu.be/p49QRxO_n2c

Interesting - not available for me (in Germany!)…

It's a ZDF documentary, I imagine DW only got the rights to show the translation outside of Germany.

Here's a link to the original: https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/megacitys-wenn-es-nacht-wird-...

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#157

Post by screye »

SamPatt wrote: post #85
thelastgallon wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the western world (and rest of the world following western world) has one rule (the only rule): make the super rich richer, everything else is just marketing to accomplish that. Home prices are completely out of reach for most people in UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia (coming soon to a country near you!). You're overpaying to live like a 1920's postman: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tGPHcteG9dY Create art…

Housing shortages aren't a result of some nefarious plot to make the super rich richer. It's more complex than that. We need to build more housing, and there are various reasons why that isn't happening. Many of them are well-intentioned and even good (high safety standards dramatically increase the cost of new buildings).

In practice, it turns out not to be true. I am speaking for the US which I know better.

Many environment protections are farcical. (SJ earthworm fiasco). Many building regulations are intentionally difficult with little added safety (2 fire exits). Avenues for litigation and local activism increase delays and costs. Widespread demarcation of cities as historic (despite being run of the mill post war builds) makes redevelopment impossible.

I don't particularly care about intentions. I'm sure Mao thought he was doing the right thing by shooting down sparrows.

The outcomes matter, and the outcomes mean supply crunch, cost inflation and massive weather transfer to home owners (old and rich) from home buyers (middle class and young).

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#158

Post by idiotsecant »

kubb wrote: post #15

Chongqing seems incredible on pictures and YouTube videos. No doubt it's a comfortable place to live for many people, and surely it isn't perfect, especially when it comes to things like air pollution. What amazes me is China's capacity to do development on a large scale, something that's completely missing in Europe. If we had efficient large-scale construction solved, we could really put a dent in the cost of livin…

The more critical things that China is doing well is infrastructure. They have DC transmission networks, solar, and hydro at a scale unheard of in the rest of the world. They're depositing into a savings account right now that will pay them massive dividends for a century or more. They're making the investment that made the US a world superpower that we are no longer willing to make at scale. It's a matter of time until China is the world hegemony. I don't know what that looks like for the world, but it's certainly bad for the US. If the populist politicians currently in charge of the US were actually interested in the public good they would be pouring money into works projects the likes of which haven't been seen in almost a century here in the US.

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#159

Post by kubb »

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #134
kubb wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love it, and why doesn't every city do that.

It's an awful place and pretty much all of us Viennese that don't live there make fun of it.

What's so bad about it other than it's obviously not the cool, centrally located district?

Well connected, long time residents who have access to flats in the inner city always feel superior to the people who move to the city after them, and have to live on the outskirts, that doesn't say much.

Re: Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures

#160

Post by yieldcrv »

rcpt wrote: post #128

I see countless US stories about how "family farmers defend themselves from evil development" or "Oakland residents suffer the effects of global trade booming in their city". But when I read about China's incredible growth nothing like that is ever mentioned. Why is that?

Multiple things at play here

For candid Chinese dissidence there are a couple of tolerated zones on wechat, like an American Embassy’s wechat page. Its not protected, people just use it that way sometimes. And you just have to learn some of the slang.

There are in person clashes sometimes. The municipal level isn’t as quick to seem every little action as an affront to the territorial unity of China, which is against the Chinese constitution.

The social safety nets are very expansive and work decent for the population. Housing, healthcare, busy work for income.

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