In the West, environmental urbanism has tended to act as a constraint on development, but how should we view the recent emergence of the Chinese ‘eco-city’? Can they supply the quantity and quality of housing and other urban amenities that China and the world needs? What does the 21st century Chinese city mean for the notional liberty of the individual and the actual preservation of the authority of the state? Are there lessons for other developing countries or even for the West?
