A Study on Large Infrastructure Construction and Sustainable Urban Development

摘要

Under the current circumstance of global financial crisis, local authorities in China have one after another increased their investment in large infrastructure construction, which will undoubtedly quicken China's pace to shake off the shadow of the financial crisis and positively affect sustainable economic development. With both positive and negative instances, this paper points out that large infrastructure is a double-edged sword to urban development; it might generate both positive and side Effects. The paper suggests that at the macro level the authorities should stick to four viewpoints in terms of large infrastructure construction's role in promoting sustainable urban development and points out five issues that deserve attention in maintenance of large infrastructure's own sustainable development at the operational level. Finally, the paper points out that since large infrastructure construction is a systematic project, local authorities should make use of the scientific decision-making method, fully respect both expert and public opinions, carefully evaluate economic, social, and environmental interests of the projects to seek the optimized location selection, the reasonable scale, as well as the correct timing of construction, thus a-chieving the best comprehensive interests and paving the way for sustainable urban development.