"""Sustainable Urbanisation in China : Historical and Comparative Perspectives, Mega-trends towards 2050 (URBACHINA) combines the knowledge and expertise from a number of different disciplines to provide new and innovative insights and scenarios that can be used guide urbanization in China over the next 40 years. A key strength of the proposal is the use of 'thematic pairs' of European and Chinese researchers who will lead and deliver the research and dissemination associated with work packages organized around the key themes identified in the Call. Each work package team comprises leading experts who will utilize state-of-the-art knowledge, methods and techniques from economic geography, to anthropology and history to test a suite of hypotheses founded on historical and comparative perspectives on urbanisation trends and process in the EU and China.While each of the four core research teams will deliver significant added value through the work packages, there is also provision in the proposal for extensive cross-project collaboration based on the four defined topics identified in the Call:1.The institutional foundations and policies for urbanisation;2.The issue of land property in urbanisation and the development of real estate markets in cities;3.The need for environmental infrastructures delivering connectivity and services for the urban population;4.The relationships between urban development, traditions, and modern lifestyles in cities.These four topics will be treated as different layers within a comprehensive analysis of a single process -urbanisation in China- that links historical experiences, comparative dimensions and possible future scenarios. This framework will provide a firm foundation for multi-faceted interactions between scholars, officials and business in Europe and China. It will also provide the basis for extensive dissemination of URBACHINA outputs using a variety ofmedia designed to engage policy makers and ordinary citizens."