ABSTRACT
In China, living in cities was long the privilege of a relatively small minority. As of 1980, the country had only 223 cities and an urbanization level of 20 per cent, according to official data. Living in cities meant food security, better sanitation, regularly paid employment, and access to healthcare and education systems. However, conditions have changed, and it is forecast that, in little more than a decade, more than half of China's population will be urban-dwellers. While urban–rural economic disparities may widen in some cases, living in cities no longer brings automatic benefits. This chapter examines the urban transition in China, its socioeconomic significance and its environmental consequences. It concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of urbanization for sustainability.
