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4 Tuesday <strong>May</strong> <strong>23</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi<br />
NOR’WEST NEWS<br />
Your Local Views<br />
Ghost cities in China<br />
St Albans<br />
resident<br />
Margot<br />
Fluitsma<br />
writes about<br />
her trip China<br />
where she saw<br />
the bizarre<br />
phenomena of Chinese<br />
ghost cities<br />
Over the past 36 years,<br />
hundreds of cities have been<br />
built from scratch in China to<br />
accommodate for the country’s<br />
urbanisation.<br />
Many of these centres remain<br />
unoccupied.<br />
I witnessed these breathtaking<br />
sights first hand while travelling<br />
the country.<br />
It is common to see bizarre<br />
skylines in varying stages of<br />
completion.<br />
Identical high-rise apartment<br />
complexes void of people, wide<br />
roads void of traffic.<br />
Many of the projects are fullscale<br />
cities where you couldn’t<br />
see any signs of life.<br />
Some of these prefecture level<br />
ghost cities are modelled on<br />
iconic destinations. Most notably<br />
there is a copycat Paris that<br />
currently sits at one third of the<br />
occupancy rate (fun fact, there<br />
are at least three ‘Eifel Towers’ in<br />
China) and then there is a replica<br />
Manhattan ‘Yujiapu’ which sits<br />
half-finished and completely<br />
empty after construction ceased<br />
in 2010.<br />
These eye-wateringly ambitious<br />
projects were the result of<br />
China’s new-found prosperity<br />
over the course of the last halfcentury.<br />
The country’s burgeoning<br />
middle-class had few options to<br />
invest their money.<br />
Excluding real estate, Chinese<br />
could invest in one of two options<br />
the bank or the domestic<br />
stock market.<br />
But as hordes of Chinese<br />
continued to migrate from their<br />
country dwellings to urban<br />
centres, many investors saw real<br />
estate as the most prosperous<br />
financial move which explains<br />
the phenomena of ghost cities.<br />
In such a large and insulated<br />
nation as China, it is difficult<br />
to put an exact figure on how<br />
many of these centres remain<br />
unoccupied though the number<br />
BUSTLING: Once a ghost city,<br />
Shanghai saw a 90 per cent<br />
increase to its population.<br />
is thought to be into the high<br />
hundreds.<br />
But in a country of 1.3 billion,<br />
these centres will likely fill up in<br />
the years to come. Recent history<br />
has proven this already.<br />
Neighbouring centres to the<br />
greater Shanghai area that once<br />
had occupancy rates as low as 10<br />
per cent but I saw first hand that<br />
they are now bustling at 90 per<br />
cent.<br />
Demand will show its head but<br />
I think it might just might take a<br />
few years.<br />
Readers respond to an<br />
article about Housing<br />
New Zealand tenants<br />
developing a charter of<br />
rights with the city council<br />
Gary Knight – With the<br />
revelation by Prime Minister<br />
Bill English, for sale of up to<br />
2500 state houses in November<br />
rationale must prevail over this<br />
issue.<br />
In many cases the proposed<br />
sell-off would have a devastating<br />
effect on tenants in the Bryndwyr,<br />
Riccarton and Shirley<br />
areas where this is destined to be<br />
actioned.<br />
A myriad of tenants having<br />
through varying circumstances<br />
little or no choice but to reside<br />
in a state house are facts that Mr<br />
English as former housing minister<br />
would be aware of and must<br />
consider this vital aspect prior to<br />
any sell off.<br />
It is imperative that amalgamation<br />
between the city<br />
council and Fendalton-Waimari-<br />
Harewood Community Board<br />
emulates in a master plan for<br />
residents in these three areas<br />
to state their views, concerns<br />
and queries relative to inherent<br />
growth, future development and<br />
precise community status.<br />
Readers respond to the<br />
story of business owners<br />
in Fendalton who were<br />
ADVOCATE: Bryndwr<br />
Community Group members<br />
Marney Ainsworth, Gail<br />
Scott and Naenae Higgs<br />
are fighting for the rights<br />
of Housing New Zealand<br />
tenants in the area.<br />
concerned over loss of<br />
parking outside their shops<br />
Rob Eder – Always thought<br />
cars were allowed to park too<br />
close to the corner, need to lose<br />
two or three parks back to make<br />
it safer and easier turning around<br />
the corner. If the shops are any<br />
good, people will still go there.<br />
Jennie Moreton – You can<br />
never get a park outside these<br />
shops anyway so it won’t change<br />
anything. People in this city<br />
need to stop expecting to get a<br />
park right outside the door of<br />
everywhere they go. Park down<br />
the road and walk to the shop or<br />
better still walk from home.<br />
Heather Stricke – Waste<br />
of money to change that corner<br />
there are not that many kids<br />
crossing the road.<br />
Fresh hot meals - lunch or dinner<br />
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Ph 359 1968 | Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11am-9pm
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