With populations steadily increasing in India and China, the two countries are looking to green building methods to reduce their energy use as they urbanize and move more closely to Western energy consumption patterns.
"While quite a bit of attention has been focused on the two countries' advances in renewable generation and transportation, such as Delhi's impressive, if belated, switch to buses and taxis that run on compressed national gas (CNG), a less-noticed shift is also taking place in how the two nations create new buildings and communities. Given that buildings typically account for up to 40 percent of total energy consumption, India and China's great leap to the head of the growing green building movement will have profound implications for the global geo-politics of energy."
By 2030, China plans to re-urbanize 400 million of the people pushed out to the rural countryside during the Cultural Revolution. Part of this plans involves reducing the amount of energy it takes to run a large city, and green building is a major part of that effort.
"Officials from the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development have recruited the visionary American architect and green guru, William McDonough to help them create six model cities. In the model city of Huangbaiyu, McDonough takes his design cues from the local landscape by constructing low, earth-bermed buildings with roof gardens and streets oriented at a 15-degree angle to break up chilly winter winds and circulate urban air. Every building will be mixed use and each will be oriented to capture the maximum amount of solar energy."
FULL STORY: The Great Green Leap Forward

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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