Asia-Pacific

China, Japan, other South East Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands countries.

Forced Eviction Stirs Public Outrage in Taiwan

One family in Taipei has rallied support for "victims of urban renewal" after the city demolished their home to make way for high-rise apartments, Loa Lok-Sin reports.

June 12, 2012 - Taipei Times

How Tokyo Gets Transportation Right

As a New Yorker visiting Tokyo, Eric Jaffe set out to keep a scorecard comparing his home city's transportation infrastructure with that of the Japanese capital. He found that the score wasn't even close.

May 18, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Onward, Singapore: Setting the New Standard for Urban Innovation

Boyd Cohen takes us through a brief tour of the Lion City's many progressive and wildly successful programs, from affordable housing to traffic management and beyond.

May 17, 2012 - Fast Company

Tokyo's Role in Creating A Global Food Phenomenon

ASLA's blog, The Dirt, dishes on how sushi, an ancient food, became modern in Tokyo, and conquered the world.

May 13, 2012 - THE DIRT

Twitter Inspired Tower Planned for Seoul

It seems fitting that South Korea, home to one of the most advanced mobile cultures in the world, may get its own "hashtag"-like tower, if Bjarke Ingels has his way.

May 7, 2012 - Architizer

Germany, Japan Increase Coal Burning Post Fukushima

Japan was not the only nation to shutter its nuclear power plants after the March 11, 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Germany followed suit. Consequently, both nations have seen a dramatic increase in coal burning, thus increasing emissions.

April 24, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Little Boxes on the Hillside, in China and Beyond

Nate Berg offers his take on the replicas of Western subdivisions that have come to define social status in the burgeoning economies of the Middle and Far East.

April 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The Challenges of Memorializing

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington DC, and observations from a recent trip to Japan, Christopher Hawthorne pens an opinion piece on memorials - the "eternally fraught corner of design practice.

March 21, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Relocating An Entire Country To Escape Climate Change

You think the preparations your coastal town are considering making to accommodate rising seal levels are onerous? Well read about the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, who are considering the need to move their entire populace to Fiji.

March 11, 2012 - Inhabitat

Friday Funny: The "Shut Up" Gun

Ever wanted to silence aggressive cell phone talkers or that intractable opponent speaking out against your brilliant redevelopment plan? Well researchers in Japan have developed just the product for you, reports Mark Hachman.

March 9, 2012 - PCMag.com

Roadblocks Along the Road to Recovery in Japan

Christopher Hawthorne reports from Japan on the many obstacles preventing areas destroyed by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami from proceeding with rebuilding, as the recovery effort stalls in the cleanup stage.

March 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Destruction and Renewal in Japan

A series of stunning photo comparisons in The Washington Post and The New York Times document the magnitude of destruction unleashed by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the steps achieved to date towards recovery.

March 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

Sustainability To Be a Centerpiece of Japan's Rebuilding Effort

Having just returned from a United Nations-led tour of disaster-ravaged areas of Japan, Warren Karlenzig reports on efforts across the region to rebuild along smart growth and green economic development models.

March 6, 2012 - Common Current

The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit

Over the past 100 years, women-only train cars have come and gone in Japan. Daniel Krieger reports on why these subway cars have endured amongst women’s concerns for safety.

February 11, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Exhibit Seeks to Understand Japan's 'Metabolism' Architecture

The new exhibit at Toyko's Mori Art Museum will be the first architecture showcase since the 2011 earthquake, and displays a movement central to the country's history of building and rebuilding.

February 7, 2012 - The New York Times

For a Japanese Island, Reconstruction Kills Revival

Since the Japanese government spent $300 billion rebuilding Okushiri after a 1993 tsunami, things have taken a grim, ironic turn: with high-paying construction jobs leaving, so are young people who no longer wish to be part of a fishing economy.

January 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Indonesia's Growth Overwhelming its Public Infrastructure

Indonesia's economy is growing but the crumbling infrastructure is costing residents.

January 9, 2012 - NPR

Did China's Real Estate Bubble Just Burst?

Steep and sudden price reductions are being felt in real estate markets in Shanghai and across China. Indicators suggest that the 'biggest bubble of the century' may have just burst.

December 30, 2011 - Foreign Affairs

A Totalitarian Landscape

Images from "The Atlantic Cities" offer a glimpse into the architectural landscape of Kim Jong-Il's dictatorship in North Korea.

December 23, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Environmental Devastation From Russia's Oil Drilling Considered Routine

It's on the scale of a Deepwater Horizon spill every 2 months - except that it's considered the cost of doing business. Aging pipes, lax oversight and inclement weather all combine to make an estimated 5 million tons of annual spillage.

December 20, 2011 - AP via Yahoo Finance

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