Cities in China are booming. It is not just Bejing and Shanghai experiencing an unprecedented building fever, but also the numerous other large cities. Architects and planners throughout the world are magnetized by the “wild east”. German planners are also attracted by the gigantic market in China and the explosive growth. But there are still no grounds for unconditional euphoria. This book is the result of a first Sino-German Architect and Town Planner Symposium. The variety of themes touched upon reflects the breadth of problems for Chinese society which have become noticeable with the impetus in urbanization in recent years.