China's Motor City

The son of Hitler's architect has been hired to design the 300,000-person 'Detroit of the East' in Changchun.

1 minute read

February 4, 2006, 5:00 AM PST

"With its plans to build a city neighborhood dedicated to the car industry Changchun, China is taking another ambitious step toward becoming a key player in the global automotive industry. And the son of Hitler's architect is lending his services."

"Albert Speer Jr. confirmed this week that his firm won the $140,000 design competition staged by the city of Changchun to plan an entire city district dedicated to automobile manufacturing and housing for the people who will work there."

"The so-called 'Detroit of the East' will include housing for 300,000 residents and is expected to be completed within 10 to 15 years. The city said the plan will in part be inspired by Volkswagen's 'Autostadt,' or Car Town, at its Wolfsburg, Germany headquarters. The Autostadt is a mixture of both automobile production plants and cultural facilities open to the public."

Thanks to ArchNewsNow

FULL STORY: Albert Speer Jr. to Build "Detroit of the East" in China

Friday, January 27, 2006 in Spiegel Online

Architecture Transportation Urban Development China

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