The Western media commentary on China seems to have a narrow fascination with the size of the country’s potential market and the negative environmental and social impacts of its economic growth.

There may be good reason for this fear, with a new coal-fired power-station being built every two weeks. In the latest issue of Radar, however, we aim to illustrate how China’s growing role and influence on the world stage may have more to offer sustainable development than is commonly acknowledged.

Because of the astonishing pace and scale of development, the need to find ways of marrying social and environmental progress is particularly pressing in China. John Elkington interviews Peter Head of Arup who is fighting to ensure that a growing number of the world’s megacities embrace sustainability principles from the outset.