The speed at which all this is happening in China makes me wonder why we speak about ten year plans in Melbourne, Australia.
In part this scenario of a station in a field reminds me of the discussion of the development of infrastructure before people in Stockholm:
In contrast, places like Vällingby, a Swedish suburb outside Stockholm built in the 1950s, were sited around a new Metro station. Building rail infrastructure through built-up areas is extremely expensive, but building it through farmland, before new neighborhoods are built, is comparatively cheap.
Considering it that way, I wonder that there aren’t (or maybe there are and I just am not finding them) more examples like the Chongqing Metro stop. It makes for fascinating photos, kind of the opposite of ruin porn (http://ktxc.to/wp-ruin-porn)…
That is a good question Chris. I am not sure. You will not get them in Australia as the government usually waits fifty years before investing in infrastructure. It reminds me in part of the China’s ghost cities.