With previous articles showing that Ordos Kangbashi as the "largest ghost city in China", recent reports have started to dispute the assertion. Recent government announcements said that the city is at 90 percent occupancy.
Upon further investigation, as reported on Forbes, this claim has a twist to it. The ghost town is actually surrounded by the Yijinhoulou and Dongsheng Districts as well as the Ejin Horo Banner, a country level division. Much of the unoccupied buildings are on the south side of Kangbashi while the north side is within two administrative areas. This provides an illusion of being a highly urbanized area.
In a previous report from News.com.au, Kangbashi Ordos was the city envisioned to be the metropolis in the inner Mongolian region. Years later, despite many programs to entice people to move to the newly built city, only a hundred thousand came.
Now, years later, the buildings have shown wear and tear, despite remaining unused and unutilized. This only shows the shortcuts made in order to complete the bustling city within the time frame set.
One observer said, "The buildings are starting to fall apart because everything was built so quickly. They built the city so fast with cheap materials and short cuts were taken. The buildings are well-designed but the execution of the buildings themselves is low end."
From the outset, many problems beset the city to be built. Investors suddenly started to pull out of the projects. The cost of living, despite government incentives, remains high.
Previously, a report from CNN.com narrated how in the early 2000s, over $1 billion dollars was put into the development of the city. It is now in disrepair and with a population of just one tenth of its capacity, truly it is 90 percent of its worth and value even with rearrangement of borders.
