China
Chinese Cities Consider Congestion Pricing
Air pollution and traffic are choking China's largest cities: a recent conference reveals that officials are looking to solve these twin transportation problems with economics.
Shanghai Halts Construction, Orders Children Inside due to Severe Smog
Off-the-chart smog levels recorded on Friday in China’s second largest city put its 30 million residents at risk and has authorities urging people to stay indoors.
Can the Great Green Wall of China Keep Out the Desert?
At the edge of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia a nonprofit organization is planting millions of trees to slow the advancing sands. At stake is the air quality in Beijing and, perhaps, "the viability of the Asian continent."
China Loosens One-Child Policy
The Communist Party announced on Nov. 15 two huge changes to two long-term policies that exerted enormous control over its citizens. More couples will be allowed to have additional children and "reeducation through labor camps" will be abolished.
In China's Model New Town Urbanization Equals Ghettoization
Outside of Tianjin, in northern China, a model new town has become a symbol of something less exemplary - the country's struggles with urbanization. Broken promises and scant opportunities are creating trying conditions for former farmers.
Friday Funny: Apartment Building's Fake Window Facepalm
Images of a new apartment development in Qingdao, Shandong province have caused a stir on the Internet in recent weeks. The reason? Builders painted dozens of fake windows along the high-rise buildings' facades. Who were they trying to fool?
Hong Kong to Get a Carbon Labelling Scheme to Fight CO2
The Construction Industry Council is launching a Carbon Labelling Scheme for Construction Materials in December 2013, the purpose of which is to communicate verifiable and accurate information on the carbon footprint of construction materials.
Friday Fail: Massive Housing Project Built in the Middle of Chinese Highway
No doubt, a few angry fingers were wagged in Xi'an, Shaanxi province after a superblock of apartments was built where an eight-lane highway was supposed to go. The solution: just build the highway though it.
China Confronts Troubling By-Product of Urbanization: Mountains of Construction Rubble
China's rapid rebuilding effort has produced mountains of debris as old cities are replaced with gleaming new metropolises. Illegal dumping is coming under fire as it gets more and more difficult to conceal the evidence.
Sickening Smog Strangles Major Chinese City
With particulate pollution levels well over 20 times the amount deemed safe, and visibility reduced to less than 30 feet, a choking smog brought the northeast Chinese city of Harbin to a standstill Monday.
Chinese Development Goes Green
Architects Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown bring a new model for ecologically responsible urban planning to China.
Synthetic Natural Gas will be China's (and the World's) Climate Nightmare
China's drive to reduce urban air pollution and increase energy security will unleash massive carbon and toxic emissions, almost tripling its current emissions over 40 years. The plan is to build 40 plants to convert coal to synthetic natural gas.
In Five Short Years, High-Speed Rail Revolutionizes Chinese Transport
Five years after it opened, it looks like China's bet on high-speed rail is paying off. The system has increased mobility and worker productivity and stimulated development in areas near stations. The country will continue to expand the system.
10 Cities Most at Risk From Natural Disasters
Natural disasters affect millions of people each year, and cost between $60 billion and $100 billion worldwide. Here are the 10 global cities most at risk.
Urban Farming: Coming to a Mall Near You?
If an upscale mall in Shanghai is any indication, Prada and Gucci may have a new competitor to contend with: a storefront farm, complete with seasonal produce and a pig pen.
China Announces Ambitious Plan to Tackle its Atrocious Air
As China's hazardous environment becomes a "potent political issue", the central government has released a detailed plan that aims to clean up the country's abysmal air pollution.
Seven Skyscraper Design Fails
This week, sun rays bouncing off the "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper in London have caused cars to melt and forced the city to ban parking in the area. Here are 7 other skyscraper design fails that have led to mishaps and disasters for cities.
What's Behind Bike Share's Skyrocketing Growth?
Earth Policy Institute's bike share charts allow readers to compare bike share programs in the U.S., now numbering 34 with 18,000 bikes. As impressive as it is, a comparison with bike share programs abroad put the numbers in perspective.
Has Asia Hit Peak Mega-Mall?
Asia's mega-malls have been booming for over a decade, many built atop former park space, and now are suffering from high vacancy rates and low consumer spending.
Chinese Developer Reaches for the Heavens, Captures Hostility
Efforts to erect the world’s tallest building in Changsha are emblematic of a country that's constructing mega-towers like it's going out of style. But the backlash that the Sky City project has inspired may signal that tastes are actually changing.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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