Meaningless Race

Qianjiang Evening News September 29

Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, announced a plan to build a 677-meter-high skyscraper on September 26. The planned project will become the tallest building in China, surpassing the 636-meter-high one under construction in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province.

In recent years, many Chinese cities have announced plans to build a super skyscraper. In 2014, Suzhou began to construct a 598-meterhigh building which will integrate office space, a hotel, a shopping mall and tourism facilities into one complex. The construction is due to complete in 2020. In September 2015, a 596.5-meter-high building was completed in Tianjin and became the tallest building in China. But the record won’t be kept long, as the super skyscraper in Wuhan is scheduled to complete in 2018.

The race of building the tallest skyscraper among cities has caused a debate. To struggle for the fame of the tallest building, some property developers have made changes to original designs and increased height. This could cause financial problems and even lead to bankruptcy of the project at last.

Actually, many developers seek higher plot ratios in real-estate development, or higher economic benefits. But a high plot ratio makes residential density high and brings less comfort for residents and users. Also, it may cause a large number of units to lie idle.

Furthermore, the super skyscrapers face a number of challenges, including high cost of operation and safety problems. In urban development, Chinese property developers and municipal governments should be prudent to the game of height.