China depends on its cities for economic growth and innovation, but how many supersized cities can China build and sustain? Or will China’s urbanization be a key to shaping the world’s development in the 21st century?

Thursday, March 19, 7:30pm
“Urbanization: The Great Sprawl of China”
Rosie Blau, China Correspondent, The Economist
Beijing International Society
Luxembourg Embassy Residence | 60 RMB; 30 RMB for students | Foreign Passport Holders Only

In ancient times, Beijing built towering city walls that helped to prevent undefendable sprawl. These days it builds ring roads, stretching built-up urban areas ever outwards. China depends on its cities for economic growth and innovation, but how many supersized cities can China build and sustain? Or will China’s urbanization be a key to shaping the world’s development in the 21st century?

Rosie Blau will discuss the state of current urban expansion in China and how success is slow to come when building its “megacities,” a term now used to officially describe a city population that exceeds 10 million. She will also present the importance of China to address crucial urbanization issues as it seeks to continue to propel its rise of the last three decades.

Rosie Blau is China correspondent for The Economist, based in Beijing. She joined The Economist in May 2011 as a reporter on the Britain section, where she covered energy, transport and a range of other areas. She was then seconded to Intelligent Life asAssociate Editor. Prior to joining The Economist she worked at the Financial Times. Her jobs there included Books Editor, Leader Writer and Assistant World News Editor. She served as a judge for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2010.

Event information courtesy of Legation Quarter