I think there is a difference between the man-made cities in the article and the man-made cities in China. In China, the man-made meaning the government gives special funding and policy. But the man-made here in the article is really man-made to change its physical system.
A few weeks back, we talked about the development of Shenzhen. This article talks about the trend of instant cities, both there and in other areas of Asia. Thought you might be interested to read it.