What is suburbia? Rupa Huq in her book 'On the edge: the contested cultures of English suburbia' said that 'The suburbs are places that are defined in the imagination as much as by geography' (p.29). Is suburbia a place, an idea, an ideology, a process, a performance or all of these things? What is suburbia like in your country? Come prepared to discuss your ideas, definitions and bring some photos and provide an example of a suburban place near you.

Sales of new homes in Tongzhou district amounted to 4,912

units between April 1 and July 20, up 131.5 percent year-on-

year, according to data from Beijing-based real estate consultancy

Yahao.

"Homebuyers are optimistic about the district's development

potential, as being a sub-administrative center will help to improve

living facilities there," Guo Yi, marketing director at Yahao, told the

Global Times Sunday.

As well as raising sales, the development plan has also boosted

prices. The average home price in Tongzhou jumped 30 percent

year-on-year to 28,000 yuan ($4,508) per square meter in the first

six months of this year, media reports said.

A new Wanda plaza opens in Tongzhou District on August 24, 2015 in Beijing, China. Tongzhou district was appointed as the vice administrative center of Beijing.

Beijing plans to move its municipal government away from the

city center in a bid to ease congestion. The long-rumored plan

was confirmed in a guideline issued by city authorities over the

weekend. It calls for “remarkable progress” by 2017 on the

construction of a “subsidiary administrative center” located

in Tongzhou, an eastern suburb of Beijing that is home to one

million residents. Eventually, authorities say, the plan will cut the

population within Beijing’s central districts by 15%.

300，000 People Commute Between

Beijing and Hebei Yanjiao: “Chun Yun”

Everyday, People Squeezed Until They’re

Like a Picture

http://www.chinasmack.com/2014/stories/300k-beijing-workers-commute-from-neighboring-yanjiao-every-day.html

Every weekday before dawn in the remote Beijing satellite town of Yanjiao, Hebei

province, more than a dozen elderly people stand shivering in the cold as they

take the early spots in long queues at the bus station.In the past year, the average

housing prices in Yanjiao, which is 35 kilometres east of Beijing, has risen from 8,000

yuan (HK$10,100) to 9,400 yuan (HK$11,800) per square metre. However this is still

less than half the prices of suburban areas in Beijing, and a far cry from a staggering

50,000 yuan-per-square-metre in the city centre.

Every day, some 300,000 commuters travel from Yanjiao to Beijing for work, and return home at the

end of the day to sleep. This phenomenon has earned the town the nickname of “Sleeping Town”.

Beijing’s rapid expansion in the past 20 years has seen its population surge to 21 million this year.

To cope with the explosive growth, the government has expanded the subway network to 17 lines,

covering a total distance of 465 kilometres.

But even a decade’s worth of boosting infrastructure has not reached all towns at the city’s

outskirts, like Yanjiao. Driving is also unfeasible as commuters are often trapped in traffic

congestion during rush hours, while mounting costs of fuel and parking also make it a pricey option.

The Chinese government this

month drafted an ambitious plan to

integrate Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei

into a mega urban cluster, which

would include the development

of four or five new satellite towns

around Beijing.

The towns will serve the purpose

of connecting the cities as well

as becoming the headquarters

for some city-based, labour-

intensive businesses which have

been plagued by the symptoms

of megacities including pollution,

traffic jams and surging populations.

The satellite towns are expected

to be in the range of 30 to 70

kilometres from Beijing, and will be

connected to the city via rail links.

Beijing’s Spatial Plan: Two Axes, Two Belts, and Multiple Centers

Source: Strategic Research Institute of Beijing Spatial Development, China Institute of Urban Planning and Design, 2003.

The 1991 and 2004 Plans were made in response to the changed

emphasis on Beijing’s role as the Capital city. Heavy industries

started to move out of the city. Patterns for more livable space,

better sustainability for growth, and higher quality of urban live

are sought for. And in turn, this idealization of urban life style is

becoming a model for other large cities in China.

https://www.bpastudies.org/bpastudies/article/view/190/354