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Beijing Getting Bigger, Clearing Thousands of Homes

Posted by: Tim Halbur

10 November 2009 - 12:00pm

Chinese officials have decided to expand Beijing's Central Business District, clearing out nearly four square kilometers with 10,000 homes on it in the process.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill won top honors in the design competition for the site, and have created a significantly transit- and pedestrian-oriented plan.

From The Infrastructurist:
"SOM's 'vision,' as it is called in their promotional video, calls for an express commuter rail to the airport, a new high-speed rail network, a streetcar system, and three new districts 'anchored by signature parks and green boulevards.' It'll be lined with pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets. But the most dramatic claim they make is that their plan, if implemented, will reduce energy consumption 50%, water consumption by 48%, landfill waste by 80% and carbon emissions by 50%. That last figure, if you believe them, is comparable to planting 14 million 'adult trees.'"

Full Story: Beijing to Tear Down 10,000 Homes for Expanded Business District
Source: The Infrastructurist, November 9, 2009
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In everyone’s haste to get the dollars on the street, many communities are overlooking this rare opportunity to leverage these federal funds and build self sustaining initiatives.
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