Eco-Towns

For decades, Indian political leaders turned their attention towards the rural population. Today, a new focus on urbanization is attracting Japanese partners to develop "eco-towns" along a rail line.

As the U.K. experiments with building environmentally-friendly "eco-towns", Peter Hetherington of The Guardian argues that they should also be greening up Britain's vast suburbs.

The UK government recently announced the sites of four new planned "eco-towns". But local opposition to the projects remains high.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's grand plans for 10 carbon-neutral 'eco-towns' haven't lived up to their fanfare, according to some. Now as things move forward, the goals have been watered down a bit.

The UK's "eco-towns" are feeling the hurt of the current economic situation, with only one or two likely to move ahead.

Plans for the construction of "eco-towns" in the UK have sparked protests from groups who argue that they will be too spread out and will encourage sprawl.