Asia-Pacific

Bryan Finoki tackles the spatial and socio-economic problems of shantytowns, focusing on recent tragedies in the Philippines. (Includes photos.)

What does it mean when Japan, the most hopeful follower of the Kyoto Protocol, "acts more American" and pollutes more than expected?

New legislation would more strictly enforce planning regulations governing public buildings and parks, regulations now often ignored by planners and developers.

Without a doubt, Shanghai has surpassed Tokyo in terms of urban energy, buzz, and style.

Development in Shanghai and Osaka over the past decade shows one region growing fast, the other stuck in the mud.

Deforestration contributed to a landslide in the Phillipines that may have killed over 1000 people.

The scheme for Ho Chi Minh City is designed to alleviate overcrowding and other socioeconomic problems.

Elements of a new city council plan include an overall reduction in speed limit, a more streamlined tram system, and general opposition to increased road access for cars in the central business district.

A columnist confesses publicly that he is a heretic and that he 'loves suburbia.'

Light rail may be the answer to the transportation crisis in Sydney, Australia, argues chief executive of City of Sydney council, Peter Seamer.

One year later, most survivors still do not have permanent shelter. Yet many have income again.

The Tsunami Memorial committee selects five designs for the memorial short list.

The fatal rioting over a proposed coal plant shows that rural residents who are bearing the environmental and social costs of China's hyper-development may be running out of patience.

A scandal is unfolding in Tokyo as 57 buildings are identified as likely to fail in a moderate earthquake.

House prices in most capital cities in Australias have doubled, putting them out of reach for young Australian families.

U.N. scientific panel reports on what it says may be the first example of people being formally displaced due to rising sea levels caused by global warming.

Mazda is recommending employees walk rather than drive to work.

Joshua Muldavin writes that the massive chemical contamination of China's Songhua River is but a symptom of an unsustainable global economy in which rural areas bear the environmental costs of global industrialization and consumption.

Is Melbourne experiencing a populist revolt against the city's smart growth Melbourne 2030 development plan?

Millions of rural Chinese have moved to the largest cities, seeking jobs, but without formal access or rights to services. Chinese officials are concerned that the unequal treatment of urban and rural residents may lead to social instability.