Urbanization drive should balance speed, quality

China's leadership is relying on urbanization to counter slowing economic growth and support structural reform. But how fast should the process go?

A report by the United Nations Development Program and the Institute of Urban and Environmental Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has offered an answer.

The report urged China's leaders to strike a balance between speed and quality in the process of urbanization. The success of the process, the report said, should not only be measured by GDP and urban resident numbers, but also by the livability of cities.