Opinion: Gigacity - A source of problems or the new way to sustainable development

Abstract

The eastern part of China as a whole is practically a gigacity; it is a conglomeration of megacities with circa 650 million inhabitants. The gigacity, with its emissions, processes in pollution cocktail, numerous feedbacks and interactions, has a crucial and big impact on regional air quality within itself and on global climate. A large-scale research and innovation program is needed to meet the interlinked grand challenges in this gigacity and to serve as a platform for finding pathways for sustainable development of the whole globe.