Underoccupied developments in China

Underoccupied developments in China are mostly unoccupied newly built property developments in China, and frequently referred to as "ghost cities" or ghost towns. The phenomenon was claimed and recorded as early as 2009 by Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan and subsequently reported by news media over the decades. Although a feature of discourse on the Chinese economy and urbanization in China in the 2010s, many developments that were initially criticized as "ghost cities" in China have since become occupied and are now functioning cities.

China's government has set a goal to raise the nation's urbanization rate to around 75% by 2035, which may require the construction of an estimated 40 to 50 million new housing units to accommodate this shift. Some observers argue that China's so-called "ghost cities" are better understood as ambitious urbanization projects built ahead of demand. A 2021 Bloomberg article cited geography professor Max Woodworth who explained these developments often resemble fully constructed cities but lack immediate population inflow. He notes that China's rapid push to urbanize after decades of underurbanization, has led to a pace of construction that sometimes outstrips the rate at which people move in, despite ongoing investment interest. While these areas may appear underutilized initially, they are often intended to fill gradually over time as part of a long-term urban development strategy.

Terminology

Media outlets often label underoccupied development areas in China as "ghost cities" or "ghost towns". However, the two terms are technically misnomers, as they traditionally describe previously inhabited places that became abandoned due to economic decline, whereas many underoccupied developments in China are newly built and have yet to receive significant residential occupation.