Case Study: Urban Systems Growth (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Bridgette Barrett
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
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
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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