China bans construction of skyscrapers
China has banned the country's small towns from building "super high-rise buildings." It is part of a larger crackdown on nonprofits by Chinese authorities.
The announcement was hailed on the Chinese social media site Weibo, with many saying that high-rise buildings "are not needed ... they are just for show."
''Cities with a population of less than 3 million will be banned from constructing buildings taller than 150 meters (492 feet)''.
In cities with a larger population, construction of buildings taller than 250 meters will be banned. Buildings over 500 meters high are already banned.
China is home to some of the world's tallest buildings, including the 632-meter-high Shanghai Tower and the 599.1-meter-tall Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen.
Although skyscrapers may be needed in densely populated cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, there is no shortage of land in other cities, and high-rise buildings are reportedly being built in these cities for no apparent reason.
Hundreds of people were seen fleeing this year when the famous 350-meter SEG Plaza building in Shenzhen began to shake.
China is increasingly cracking down on such "wasteful" expensive projects. And criticizes local developers' obsession with building attractive buildings.
Earlier this year, the country banned "ugly architecture".
Zhang Shengu, vice president of Tongji University's College of Architecture and Urban Planning, had earlier told the South China Morning Post: History can make money.
He said that! ''Every building aims to make a historic building possible, and developers and city planners strive to achieve that goal''. They want to achieve this goal in a new and weird way. "
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and Emergency Management made it clear that if a city with a population of less than 3 million wants to build a building higher than 150 meters, it has special permission. You have to get a letter.
However, despite such permission, they will not be able to build a building higher than 250 meters under any circumstances.
Similarly, cities with a population of more than 3 million can apply for a building taller than 250 meters in certain circumstances, but they cannot even think of a building taller than 500 meters as the ban will not be relaxed.
The statement added that those who approve such plans and violate the new rules will be subject to "lifelong accountability".