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I just took a train from Shanghai down to 黄山. While I can't confirm there are entirely empty cities (I don't doubt it though), There were massive modern housing

by vitno 13y ago

I just took a train from Shanghai down to 黄山. While I can't confirm there are entirely empty cities (I don't doubt it though), There were massive modern housing complexes... with no one in them. It was so surreal.

yaix 13y ago
Those will get filled with people within about two years. It works about thise way: 1. A road grid are build with 4 lane roads, redlights, etc. 2. Housing complexed are build on the resulting squares with the ground floor for business and shops. 3. Small businesses get the ground floor spaces for free for two years, to make them move in here despite not having any peolpe living there. 4. People start to move in, because there are shops around and the rents and still low. 5. After two years, the buildings are largely rented or sold out, the shops start to earn money and pay rent too. 6. After 4 years it looks like the center of a city. I have lived in such places, both at the very begining when there was nothing around, and later when it seemed to be an overcrowded city center. All these stories about "Chinas empty buildings" are largely bullshit. At least on the east coast.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  > Those will get filled with people within about two years. It works about thise way: Someone told me it would be like this 3 years ago for a project that is still pretty much empty..., I assume Anhui or Hubei is similar. There is just no industry and jobs around many of these projects to support them. > All these stories about "Chinas empty buildings" are largely bullshit. At least on the east coast. The coast has already been developed, but go inland just a bit into Hefei or Jiangxi...its bullshit to think that these projects are anything other than the result of a bubble.
vidarh 13y ago
I'm in London. There are dozens of massive modern housing complexes... with no one in them. It takes time, and often the builders prefer to sell slowly at high prices rather than drop the prices enough to sell quickly. I'm not saying none of these represents a problem, but it's not a given that large empty developments do. Especially in areas with very rapid growth.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  There's also the Pieds-à-terre phenomenon: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/nyregion/paying-top-dollar-for-condos-and-leaving-them-empty.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/nyregion/paying-top-dollar...

by vitno 13y ago

yaix 13y ago

Those will get filled with people within about two years. It works about thise way: 1. A road grid are build with 4 lane roads, redlights, etc. 2. Housing complexed are build on the resulting squares with the ground floor for business and shops. 3. Small businesses get the ground floor spaces for free for two years, to make them move in here despite not having any peolpe living there. 4. People start to move in, because there are shops around and the rents and still low. 5. After two years, the buildings are largely rented or sold out, the shops start to earn money and pay rent too. 6. After 4 years it looks like the center of a city. I have lived in such places, both at the very begining when there was nothing around, and later when it seemed to be an overcrowded city center. All these stories about "Chinas empty buildings" are largely bullshit. At least on the east coast.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
> Those will get filled with people within about two years. It works about thise way: Someone told me it would be like this 3 years ago for a project that is still pretty much empty..., I assume Anhui or Hubei is similar. There is just no industry and jobs around many of these projects to support them. > All these stories about "Chinas empty buildings" are largely bullshit. At least on the east coast. The coast has already been developed, but go inland just a bit into Hefei or Jiangxi...its bullshit to think that these projects are anything other than the result of a bubble.

vidarh 13y ago

I'm in London. There are dozens of massive modern housing complexes... with no one in them. It takes time, and often the builders prefer to sell slowly at high prices rather than drop the prices enough to sell quickly. I'm not saying none of these represents a problem, but it's not a given that large empty developments do. Especially in areas with very rapid growth.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
w1ntermute 13y ago
There's also the Pieds-à-terre phenomenon: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/nyregion/paying-top-dollar-for-condos-and-leaving-them-empty.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/nyregion/paying-top-dollar...