Case Study: Urban Systems Growth (SL IB Geography)

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 

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