Forty years ago Shenzhen was a backwater town with a population of 20,000 and little industry or agriculture. But after Deng Xiaoping’s reforms the town developed rapidly and is arguably surpassing Hong Kong as China’s leading city for industry and technology
The Master Plan (1986-2000)
The plan to develop the Shenzhen SEZ was inaugurated in 1986. The zone was designed to grow in defined clusters connected by a main avenue as a corridor. Urban clusters were developed together and supported by roads and utilities. Land use was assigned, distinguishing residential, industrial, commercial and recreational areas. The objective was to attract inward investment for industry and trade
Uneven growth
These satellite images show how urban development evolved in the two cities over four decades
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