China remains gripped by demolition fever. But what is the human cost?
In recent months, we have covered numerous, deeply worrying stories involving demolition in China including several suicides by protestors attempting to prevent the demolition of their own homes and, more recently, the apparently unlawful killing of another protestor who dared to stand inthe way of “progress”.
With China now ranking as the world’s fastest-growing economy, many of its residents now expect the trappings that their nation’s new-found wealth should bring: improved housing; better roads; enhanced infrastructure. To meet this demand, the Chinese government is forging ahead with a widespread construction programme to rid the country of its narrow streets and the tiny houses that are common throughout the “old China”, replacing them with new, Western-style roads and apartment buildings.
But this “destruction and construction at any cost” approach has a human cost, as this excellent article and photo series demonstrates.
“…The residents of these old houses are given money, but often it’s not enough. The only affordable housing to be found after a forced move like this is often well outside the city and far from any jobs or shops. Their old houses may not have had running water or electricity, so the opportunity to move offers a step up the urban ladder in some respects. But as with any relocation, adjusting to a new neighborhood creates many headaches, especially if the money promised for the old houses never arrives. China’s economy continues to hum along, of course, and the demolition continues regardless of whether or not any of the new construction ventures will ever be completed….”
It makes worrying reading and is well worth a visit, here.
