Pregnant, elderly, or infirm; subway riders throughout the world rely on the kindness of strangers to secure a seat on the subway. The extraordinary efforts of one Beijing woman to get a seat were discovered in embarrassing fashion recently.
Reporting in the South China Morning Post, Chris Luo describes the incident, and the woman's response, which has "angered thousands of netizens in China."
Apparently a woman surnamed Zhang bought a "fake stomach" online with the intent of pretending to be pregnant to secure a seat on the subway. "Zhang said she paid 300 yuan for the fake stomach – after some bargaining."
"But when she wore it on the train, the belt tying it to her waist came loose. The fake belly dropped to the ground. Zhang admitted she was 'found out and mocked' by other passengers.'"
Then came the most amazing turn in the story: the woman "subsequently launched a complaint [with the Liyuan Industrial and Commercial Bureau] about the product’s quality."
"China’s official newspaper Peope's [sic] Daily's website, people.com.cn, published a commentary on Wednesday, condemning Zhang’s lack of ethics. Its headline read: 'Fake pregnant woman exposed' and then asked: 'Who exactly shows the poor quality.'”
FULL STORY: Woman discovered wearing false stomach on Beijing subway
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.