Strategies for sustainable urban development: towards green(er) Chinese cities?

In the face of more and more environmental pollution and the rapid pace of urbanisation, sustainable urban development has become an increasingly important issue for China. As the country aims to bring urbanisation levels up to 70% by 2035, the way its cities develop and the control of resources consumed for growing urban activity are of paramount importance. Yet, despite a rhetoric pushing for the realisation of sustainable cities, urban development practices currently show a persistently different picture, casting doubts over the effectiveness of policies adopted at the different levels of government. The different dimensions of environmental management in sustainable urban development policies still encounter important obstacles in their implementation