經過了幾千年緩慢的各代人都幾乎覺察不到的發展之后,城市正在突然迅速地向四面八方擴展開來,中國現在的城市人口每年以7%的速度在增長,而在大城市里則達到每年增長10%。僅舉一個可以看得見的城市加速擴展的例子,上海目前每小時要增加十棟樓房和一百平方米的馬路,且這個速度近幾年并不會減慢,隨著農村面積的逐步縮小,絕大多數人口正在向市區遷移,我們正在向城市化的社會發展。
After millennia of slow growth that was hardly noticed by each generation, cities are suddenly and rapidly reaching out in every direction. Urban population in China increases by 7 percent a year, while in big cities the rate may be as high as 10 percent a year. To give only one visible example of accelerated urban expansion. Shanghai now grows by 10 buildings and 100 square metres of roads every hour. Besides, there is no reason to believe that this pace will slacken in recent years. With rural areas gradually shrinking, we are now heading towards an urbanized society as the vast majority of rural people move into cities.