China
Shanghai's Faux World Cities Fail to Catch On
A decade after its inception, Shanghai's One City, Nine Towns project, an ambitious attempt to manage the city's massive population growth via the creation of international-themed satellite communities, has failed to deliver hoped-for results.
China's Drive Toward Carbon Neutrality
By 2030, China will have 220 cities containing a population of 1 million or more, 24 of which will be megacities. The boom China is expected to go through, 'boggles the imagination of North Americans and Europeans.'
Cisco Helps Build "Instant Cities"
Cisco is contributing technology to Songdo City in South Korea, a brand new and complete city for a million people. China plans to build hundreds of these "cities-in-a-box" as a massive rural-to-urban migration occurs there.
China's Grand High Speed Rail Plans
China has plans not only to expand its own network of high speed trains, but to build the trains for the rest of the world. They are already giving Japan and Europe a run for their money. Not bad considering their first HSR line opened in 2008.
Scales Tip Towards Cities in China
A new report predicts that more than 50% of China's population will live in cities by 2020.
Five Observations from Three Years in China
I’ve spent much of the last three years working on transportation finance and planning issues in China, and Reason Foundation now has transportation policy projects up and running in the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, and Beijing.
San Diego Dirtier than China
In a new working paper called “The Greenness of China: Household Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Urban Development,” Siqi Zheng, Rui Wang, Edward L. Glaeser, and Matthew E. Kahn rank 74 Chinese cities in terms of their household carbon footprints.
Rural-Urban Divide Blurring in China
As China's cities grow, the economic policy that determines who is a rural resident and who is an urban resident are in need of some changes, according to this article.
An Interview with the Chinese Premier
This interview below with the Chinese Premier offers a preview of the challenges and opportunities that will unfold at the December 2009 UN Climate Conference (see http://en.cop15.dk/?gclid=CI-ImOyB8JwCFYwwpAodNSUfjQ) Here is the interview, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2009-09/14/content_8687301.htm
A Low Cost Way to Learn About the Future of China
During my first week in China, I have spoken to dozens of people and toured all over Beijing. I even have a map listing the locations of all of the McDonalds in Beijing. Spatial theorists need to write down a model to explain how a uniform distribution of McDonalds is what we observe. While I am quite happy to be here, this is not a low cost trip. The flight over was literally a pain in the neck. I'm in trouble with my wife
China and Climate Change
In my first week here in Beijing, I have spoken to a number of scholars here about climate change. A few observations; 1. China's scholars are thinking about climate change mitigation but I haven't met many talking about adaptation.
President Obama's Aiming for U.S.-China Deal
The Obama administration is making a U.S.-China deal on climate change a centerpiece, according to The Guardian (UK).
China's Eco Island A Pipedream?
Flashy plans to build a green city on an island near Shanghai have yet to take any shape. The Chinese government claims the project is still on its way.
Shanghai Disneyland Deal Signed
The City of Shanghai has signed on to a proposal from the Walt Disney Company to build a Disneyland theme park in Mainland China.
Recycling Becomes an Economic Liability
Due to consumers cutting back, the global market for recyclables has collapsed and even begun to cost some cities' recycling programs.
China's Rail Investment Needs Pricing Reform
As China embarks on the greatest rail-building investment since the U.S. built its transcontinental railroad, this article points to the urgent need to reform its state-controlled pricing system, both for freight and passengers, to make it effective.
The Global Transit Space Race: China's $272 Billion Advantage
This morning I was reading through my daily dose of planning related blogs and dropped in on The Overhead Wire, Jeff Wood's excellent transit soapbox. One of Jeff's most recent posts links to an October 25th Reuters article announcing China's $272 billion dollar investment in new rail infrastructure. Yes, you read that correctly. 272 billion. Can't you see president Hu Jintao bringing his pinky to his lips, à la Dr. Evil?
McKinsey's Pitch for a More Compact Urban China
The McKinsey Global Institute has just published a major report outlining four potential scenarios for urbanization in China.The main thrust of the report is that China needs to focus less on growing its cities and more on making them efficient and productive. Given the massive levels of capital investment Chinese cities have seen over the last 20 years, it makes sense that the country's urban planners need to find ways to squeeze more capacity out of these systems. After all, as McKinsey projects, another 350 million people will need to be accommodated, some 250 million of them as rootless rural migrants.
The Changing Skyline of Beijing
A new building by Rem Koolhaas in Beijing is part of a wave of modern construction that is changing the tightly-planned urban fabric of the Chinese capital.
China Using 10 Times More Cement Than Anyone Else
The Oil Drum charts recent figures released by the U.S. Geological Survey, which show a stunning growth in cement use (and therefore, presumably, building activity) in China as compared to world usage.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
