Landscape Impacts Spur Major Repairs to Three Gorges Dam

After years of denial, the Chinese government has admitted that its massive Three Gorges Dam project is destabilizing the land around the reservoir.

1 minute read

August 1, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

Repairs and resettlement is expected to cost about $15 billion -- almost half the cost of its original construction.

"For years the Chinese government refused to acknowledge any dark side to its proudest engineering feat, the largest hydropower project in the world that is also designed to prevent the sort of catastrophic floods that have stricken millions of farmers in the Yangtze Basin for millenniums. Begun in 1994, it opened in 2008.

Two months ago, however, the State Council, China's cabinet, recognized that the dam had caused 'urgent problems regarding the smooth relocation of residents, ecological protection, and geological disaster prevention.'"

FULL STORY: China's Three Gorges project: A huge dam with big troubles

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 in The Christian Science Monitor

Government / Politics Infrastructure Land Use Landscape Architecture Social / Demographics China Dams Reservoirs Three Gorges Dam Resettlement View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.