Beijing Getting Bigger, Clearing Thousands of Homes

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.'"