Case Study: Urban Systems Growth (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Case Study: Shanghai

Background

  • Shanghai is located on the east coast of China, on the Yangtze river delta

  • In terms of population, Shanghai is the largest city in China

  • It is one of the fastest-growing and most populous cities in the world

    • It has a population of over 29 million people (2023)

    • This is increasing at annual rate of over 2.5%

  • The urban area of Shanghai covers over 6 000 km2

    • The urban area is increasing at a rate of 1.6% per year

  • Shanghai has a variety of functions, including:

    • Ports

    • Finance and trade

    • Retail

    • Recreation

    • Tourism

    • Business

  • The rapid growth of Shanghai and its size mean that the city faces many infrastructure challenges

Shanghai skyline 

Skyline of Shanghai with iconic skyscrapers like the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower, alongside the Huangpu River under a cloudy sky.
Photo by Siyuan Hu on Unsplash

Access to clean water in Shanghai

  • It is estimated that over 85% of the water in the rivers supplying Shanghai is undrinkable

    • Over 56% is unfit for any purpose

  • The main water sources were from the Huangpu and Yangtze Rivers

  • Pollution from industrial and agricultural activities have led to significantly decreased water quality

    • In 2013, thousands of dead animals were found in rivers supplying Shanghai's water

  • Most recently, the main source is the Qingcaosha reservoir

    • This source contains less raw sewage, chemicals and heavy metals

  • The majority of people have access to piped water in Shanghai 

    • The quality of the water is often poor

    • Over 80% of Shanghai's water is now treated but only an estimated 5% reaches the desired levels of cleanliness

    • Many of the pipes are old and contain lead

  • In 2022, a drought led to water shortages in Shanghai

  • Salt water intrusion increased the shortages 

Sanitation in Shanghai

  • In 1987, the World Bank worked with the city of Shanghai to launch the $153 million Shanghai Sewage Project 

    • This project aimed to build water and wastewater infrastructure

  • Access to sanitation has improved to 99% in Shanghai

Waste disposal in Shanghai

  • The increase in population has led to the city producing over 30 000 tonnes of waste every day

  • Before 2019, approximately half the waste was burned and half was sent to landfill

  • Much of the waste was sent to unregulated heaps leading to land and water pollution

  • In July 2019, a compulsory waste-sorting policy came into effect

    • This decreased the amount of waste sent to landfill or burned

    • burning of waste is also used to generate electricity

Transport in Shanghai

  • Shanghai has one of the busiest transport infrastructure in the world

  • The Yangshan Deep Water port has an annual cargo of over 600 million tonnes

  • Shanghai also has two international airports and four airport terminals

    • These have 70 million passengers a year and Pudong Airport has the world's third-largest cargo movement.

  • The rail network carries over 5 million people a year:

    • It has 508 stations

    • There are 20 lines 

  • The Shanghai bus network has over 2 000 routes 

    • There are an estimated 18 500 buses

  • There are continuous developments in Shanghai's transport infrastructure, including:

    • A new subway route

    • A new container terminal

    • Rail projects to make Pudong International airport more accessible

    • An integrated transportation hub in the Pudong area

    • Electric buses 

Telecommunications in Shanghai

  • In 1949, approximately 30% of all phone lines in China were in Shanghai

  • It now has the highest density of 5G sites 

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Bridgette Barrett

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