#ghost cities

This is a fascinating question!

It's true that the "boom town" phenomena occurs in the case of gold rushes - like California in 1849, West Australia in 1851, the Klondike in 1896 - or the construction of railroads or highways or the development of new factory towns or the like.

I would say that the most recent example of this phenomenon is the "new cities" built in China as speculative real estate developments premised around the need for affordable housing for manufacturing workforces, especially during the 2005-2011 housing bubble. In some years, these developments hit big and you get brand-new megacities out of nowhere.

In the past couple of years, with the slowdown in the Chinese economy and particular problems in the real estate sector, the fascinating phenomena of "ghost cities" (originally observed in 2006) where there are massive empty developments in various stages of construction just lying vacant has become more prominent, as developers run out of money or credit, or find it hard to attract industry and residents in a time of COVID lockdowns and the relative decline of Chinese manufacturing as a basis for urbanization.

“Throughout China, there are hundreds of cities that have almost everything one needs for a modern, urban lifestyle: high-rise apartment complexes, developed waterfronts, skyscrapers, and even public art. Everything, that is, except one major factor: people.

These mysterious — and almost completely empty — cities are a part of China's larger plan to move up to 300 million citizens currently living in rural areas into urban locations. Places like the Kangbashi District of Ordos are already prepped and ready to be occupied.

Photographer Kai Caemmerer became fascinated with these urban plans [...] his series, ‘Unborn Cities,’ depicts a completely new type of urban development. ‘Unlike in the US, where cities often begin as small developments and grow in accordance to the local industries, these new Chinese cities are built to the point of near completion before introducing people’"

"Because of this, there is an interim period between the final phases of development and when the areas become noticeably populated, during which many of the buildings stand empty."         

“Many of these new cities are not expected to be complete or vibrant until 15 to 25 years after they begin construction. They are built for the distant future, and at present, we can only speculate on what form they will have taken when they reach this point in time.”

Buonanotte (Good Night), Abruzzo, Italy

This small village’s name was originally Malanotte (Bad Night), but it was changed by its villagers for obvious reasons, because of they were tricked by all the people of the region.

The hamlet is unhabitated for decades.

Google Maps

Aloha mai kākou, and Happy Aloha Friday. First, I’d like to send my heartfelt wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery from the Communist Chinese Wuhan Kung Fu Flu Coronavirus. I have all the faith in the world that they will recover and become stronger. As of today, the President is being taken to Walter Reid Medical Center out of an abundance of caution. It’s reported that the…