"An urgent shift in focus from solely driving GDP growth to an agenda of boosting urban productivity is not only an opportunity, but a
necessity," the McKinsey report said. A more concentrated model of urban growth could produce 20% higher per capita GDP than China’s
current pattern, it added.
The report recommends China developing 15 "super cities" with an average population of 25 million, or 11 clusters of cities with
combined populations of more than 60 million. The report also forecast that China’s urban population will expand to 926 million by 2025 and touch a billion in 2030. By 2025, China will have 221 cities with more than one million inhabitants in each, and urban areas will generate 95% of China’s GDP, up from the current 75%.
However, the report warned that the urban population growth will put pressure on many cities, including the environmental challenges, such
as rising demand for land, energy and water.
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