With 1.3 billion inhabitants, 20% of the world's population lives in China.[2] While the rate of population growth has been declining for decades, the total number of inhabitants has been growing and is expected to do so through 2030.[3] China's urban population is growing rapidly; between 1950 and 2009, the percentage of the population living in urban areas quadrupled from 14% to 48%.[4] Meanwhile, the rural population is declining, opening the landscape in areas that are not urbanized.