Welcome to Chongquing. The Guardian described it the megalopolis you've never heard of. Chongqing is the fastest-growing urban centre on the planet. Its population is already bigger than that of Peru or Iraq, with half a million more arriving every year in search of a better life. Nowhere is the staggering urbanisation of the world more evident than in Chongqing. This is where the pace and scale of urbanisation is probably faster and bigger than anywhere in the world today. Located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, this former trading centre and treaty port has long been the economic hub of western China. But after its government was given municipal control of surrounding territory the size of many countries, it has grown and grown, becoming what is now the world's biggest municipality with 31 million residents (more people than Iraq, Peru or Malaysia).
