Its construction was announced in 2017. The city of Xiong’an was the apple of the Chinese authorities’ eye. Xi Jinping, chairman of the PRC, announced that it would be the city of the future, pedestrian-friendly and largely self-sufficient. However, its unfavourable floodplain location and regulations discouraged residents from settling here and opening businesses. As a result, Xiong’an, with its huge, empty buildings, appears like a ghost town.
The city of Xiong’an is one of the largest urban developments currently underway in China. The city was built 100 km from Beijing, which is home to more than 20 million people. The new metropolis was intended to relieve the Chinese capital and take over some of its functions.
The Chinese authorities have announced that Xiong’an will be a modern city of the future, so companies that are related to the new technology industry can start operating here. Xiong’an is to become a model city, powered by clean energy, whose inhabitants will eat healthily. Buildings, too, are to be adapted to the challenges of the future. The plan is for residents to plant vegetable gardens on their roofs. The entire development was designed by architects from the Spanish studio Guallart Architects. The city is to be as self-sufficient as possible. In addition to these rooftop gardens, vertical fruit and vegetable gardens are to be created.
The counterbalance to Beijing’s congestion is to be the green alleys of Xiong’an, narrower streets to favour pedestrians. Instead of cars, getting around by public transport will be promoted. The city’s showpiece, for example, is the new railway station, which can handle up to 100,000 passengers a day. Despite these amenities and modern developments, the city is far from reaching its target of three million inhabitants.
The realisation of such a large-scale urban development project was associated with controversy. According to independent media reports, a significant number of residents were displaced prior to construction. Climatic conditions are also a problem. Indeed, the new city is threatened by floods. Today, only 170,000 people live here. Many residential and office buildings are still waiting for their occupants.
What are the problems of Xiong’an? Those who have decided to settle here complain about the lack of entertainment. The new city does not meet their expectations in terms of culture. They lack the space and initiatives to help establish social relationships. Restaurants, cafés or karaoke bars… Beijing residents find it difficult to leave the huge capital to move to a new city a hundred kilometres inland.
The construction of the metropolis has already cost nearly 100 billion dollars. The momentum of the edifices built here was made possible by state funding. Private developers are not allowed into Xiong’an. All buildings belong to the state. Importantly, premises here can only be bought by high-tech companies, which limits Xiong’an’s ability to develop rapidly.
source: Rzeczpospolita
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