According to the new regulations promulgated by the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, cities with less than 3 million inhabitants will be prohibited from building skyscrapers over 492 feet high without special permission, and skyscrapers over 820 feet high will be prohibited with no exceptions.
For larger cities, skyscrapers of this height are allowed with special permission, but the construction of buildings over 1,640 feet is completely prohibited. By comparison, Manhattan’s Empire State Building is 1,250 feet high, and China’s tallest Shanghai Tower is 2,073 feet.
Ministry officials argue that there is no real need to build skyscrapers in cities with low population densities. In addition, they question the ability of small town fire and rescue services to cope with potential emergencies in skyscrapers. The decree also introduced the requirement to inspect super-tall buildings for their stability during earthquakes. Restricting the construction of buildings over 1,640 feet was proposed after fluctuations in the top floors of a Shanghai skyscraper this year forced it to close indefinitely.
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