Sunday 27 September 2009

Dave Wyatt


(from "Thames Town") © Dave Wyatt


(from "Thames Town") © Dave Wyatt


(from "Thames Town") © Dave Wyatt


(from "Thames Town") © Dave Wyatt


(from "Thames Town") © Dave Wyatt


Dave Wyatt Graduated from University of Bolton (Dalian Cohort) in 2009 with MA International Photojournalism, Documentary Photography and Travel Photography


“Thames Town: China’s new suburbia”

“Thames town is an English style new satellite housing estate built close to Shanghai as part of the local governments ‘One City –Nine Towns’ plan. This plan was hatched out of the population boom being experienced in Shanghai. In the past 15 years the population has increased by 8 million and the landmass it covers has increased from 100sqkm to a staggering 680sqkm. Despite this growth Shanghai is still four times as densely populated as New York. The ‘One City –Nine Towns’ plan sought to construct nine satellite housing estates around Shanghai. Six of these estates are themed on European style towns from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Italy.
The rise of China’s new middle ‘class’ is resulting in the same phenomenon as seen in post-war Britain and America, that of the creation of a new suburbia. Now that disposable incomes are reaching levels that allow people to pay for better education, annual holidays and private accommodation, the landscape of China is changing in the same manner as seen in the West. The construction of new towns such as Thames Town would have been impossible as recently as a quarter of a century ago. Under the leadership of Chairman Mao all housing was state owned. The rise of private wealth and less government control has led to a demand for a style of housing most Chinese have never before experienced.”

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