...are done, as you can imagine, on a much bigger scale than here:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094492,00.html

Chances are, there is a plan to occupy the town when it's complete and not before.

Don't believe all that you see in China.
It just takes one stroke of a pen from someone influential and people will be moved there , end of.
That these were built means that someone with a lot of money and pull wanted them there..in China build it and they have to come.

Ah but there is always an Irish angle...
viewtopic.php?p=358230#p358230

Ordos sits on over 50% of the worlds supply of Rare Earth. This is an array of minerals that are core to New Tech Battery Production. Due to the nature of the resource, if you want to be a player in this game you have to move there. Dubai has sand (maybe a future business hub), Longford has ... (help). Ordos is different.

China to restrict exports of rare earth. Move here or else!
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-rare-earth-restrictions-2010-6

As we discovered on the rare earth's thread, China mines 50% of work supply, but it doesn't have a monopoly on the stuff in the ground. There are other good locations for these metals including Ireland, so Longford may have it's day in the open-cast sun yet.

Erm, is it just me or is anyone else seeing a massive business opportunity here ???
Set up a company called GHOSTBUSSERS and make a packet bussing millions of Chinese into the ghost estates for a fat fee!!!
But make sure the advertisements are written out clearly, especially the contact phone numbers - with so many Wings and Wongs in China it's easy to wing the wong number! (oh yes we've heard it before, but it's true!)