China bans cities from building skyscrapers taller than 1,640 ft

China bans cities from building skyscrapers taller than 1,640 ft


China has banned all cities from building new supertall skyscrapers except in 'special' circumstances to improve urban landscapes.


The central government has prohibited regional officials from 'blindly designing and building' towers taller than 500 metres (1,640 feet).


The construction of those taller than 250 metres (820 feet) will be 'strictly limited.'


The Ministry, however, has not explained what are the 'special' circumstances, under which cities can apply to construct supertall skyscrapers. 


China has the largest number of tall buildings in the world. 


It boasts more than 2,177 towers no shorter than 150 metres (492 feet) and 85 buildings taller than or at 300 metres (984 feet). 


In comparison, the United States, the world's second-largest skyscraper country, has 807 buildings that measure 150 metres or above and 25 that stand at least 300 metres in height.


But now, it seems that the Chinese government is determined to slow down the country's breakneck construction to manage the appearance of its cities.


The new restrictions were rolled out by the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development on April 27.


The authority claims the regulation was approved in line with the nation's 'new-era architectural principle' which requires urban structures to be 'practical, economical, ecological and beautiful'.


The Ministry vows to clamp down on 'huge, foreign-worshipping and wacky' buildings. Copycat designs will be strictly forbidden.


Officials also demand cities to come up with building designs that can 'strengthen cultural confidence' and 'represent Chinese characteristics'.


If any city does need to erect new supertall skyscrapers, relevant officials must first pass 'strict inspections' from the firefighting, earthquake and energy-saving authorities.


Then, they will have their proposals assessed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development – and eventually by the National Development and Reform Commission.  


The Ministry also instructs the local authorities to tighten the approval process for buildings taller than 100 metres (328 feet) and protect natural areas and historic buildings. 


China has been witnessing rocket-speed urban construction in the past two decades.  


The nation is home to six out of the 10 tallest buildings in the world, according to figures from Emporis.


In the past year, Chinese cities built 40 per cent fewer skyscrapers compared to the previous year.


Nevertheless, it still completed the world's tallest building of the year, the 530-metre-tall (1,738 feet) Tianjin CTF Finance Centre in Tianjin, according to a study.


Before that, the nation had achieved the feat four times in a row since 2015. 


The tallest complete skyscraper in China at present is the Shanghai Tower, which measures 632 metres (2,073 metres) in height and opened in 2016.