City heads still stuck in the clouds

As projects for new and unique super-structures across Europe and the United States are cancelled or delayed because of the global financial crisis, ambitious skyscraper plans in China remain unbounded.

Mainland cities continue to launch one grand design after another, while even second-tier cities with an abundance of land are looking to set new records for their regions and boost their image as modern hubs.

But critics of these man-made landmarks warn against the trend, branding needlessly tall buildings a "shallow and wasteful" way for a city to show off its prosperity, while warning the structures also pose a massive risk to the lives of those living or working inside because they are fragile in the face of disasters.