in defense of Ordos admin, I don't think anyone has been scheduled to move in yet. as of March this year, a great deal of the larger infrastructure was still underway. the video shows a traffic cop, but I think that is to supplement the temporary traffic system until they erect the actual system and such. similarly, there were temporary power-generating stations in the main plaza solely for running construction equipment, that seem like they will disappear before the city opens for business. the interview with the restaurant owner is a nice reminder, however, that there is, so far, only place to eat in the city! can you imagine a chinese city without diverse eating options??
the video also does raise the interesting and larger question of what happens if no one does move in. a number of Inner Mongolian new cities (same can be said for Ningxia and probably many other areas) and new mega-expansions to existing townships seem to have an over-abundance of shiny, unoccupied apartment buildings. being beyond the affordability of their intended transplants, the pricing structure might have to give way, creating a curious dynamic between centralized price controls and boundless expansion. younger generations--those that can afford them anyway--are buying units on the outskirts not always as straight-out investments, but also for the security of having a place to eventually move to when they are eventually free from the jobs and other things keeping them in the central city. but what happens when they inherit the apartments of their parents and accumulate more (depreciated) real estate than they can use or afford?