In Shanghai suburbs, bigger's better - Canadian Architecture News

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In Shanghai suburbs, bigger's better

Archiseek / Canada / News / 2004 / October 17

Clusters of cookie-cutter houses stretch as far as the eye can see, joined together by ribbons of asphalt overflowing with traffic. It might as well be Oakville — with an extra coat of gaudy gold paint: Split-level homes with glittering chandeliers and flat-screen TVs. Cozy patios with swimming pools and sliding doors. Oversized kitchens. Private driveways with garages for cars to curl up overnight. After 55 years of communism, suburban sprawl is taking root in the People's Republic of China. Here on the outskirts of Shanghai, where revolutionaries once banished the bourgeoisie, China's nouveau riche are finding sanctuary in dream homes designed by Canadian architects. More than 120 foreign architectural firms have set up shop in China, about two dozen of them from Canada.

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