During the 2015 Annual National Planning Conference held in China’s Guizhou Province, Guo Renzhong stated that if the problem of land allocation is tackled properly and efficiently, urban areas across the country can accommodate 3.4 billion people, according to a report by the Want China Times.
Guo, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an inspector with the Urban Planning, Land and Resources Commission of the Shenzhen municipal government, revealed data from a State Council study conducted in 12 provincial capitals and 144 prefecture-level cities.
The study shows that on average, provincial capitals have planned to construct 4.6 new towns while prefecture-level cities decided on 1.5 new towns.
He also cited the case of a regional capital in western China seeking to build three new districts and five new towns, covering an area seven times its size.
The WCT report adds that rampant urban expansion in the country reveals a desire to promote further economic growth albeit at a pace too quick.
Expanding urban areas too fast may risk the possibility of alienating the majority of the population who have yet to afford the price of prime real estate.
Furthermore, the current strategy of land allocation has been constantly criticized for not taking into account other aspects such as industrial structure and demographics. Its adoption in the first place into government policy is largely seen as a way to cater to individual interests through the selling of a city's surrounding land to developers.
In another report cited by WCT, it states that when a huge plot of land is sold to such developers, a housing glut is bound to arise, as well as the appearance of towns with no substantial population.