China
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.
How Does Maglev Work, Anyway?
A new sixty-minute TV documentary explains how maglev technology works, and covers the first major accident on a maglev track.
A Building Boom with a Human Cost
This piece from Next American City looks at the human toll major building projects are taking on construction workers in China, Dubai and other rapidly developing places.
Olympic Park Still Serving Beijing
The Olympic Forest Park in Beijing is standing out as one of the rare Olympics-related projects to remain in use after the 2008 event. Hu Jie, the park's designer, talks about its planning and the role of public space in Beijing.
Emptiness in Beijing After Olympic Building Boom
The 2008 Summer Olympics brought a boom of construction to host city Beijing. But now, six months later, much of the office space built in the lead up to the games sits empty -- and likely will for years.
China's Urban-to-Rural Migration
The global economic downturn is hitting China's urban factories. Millions of migrant workers who had left their farms for factory work are now facing the possibility of making an urban-to-rural migration.
Beijing Adds 1,466 New Cars Daily
For the first month and a half of 2009, the amount of new cars added daily in Beijing has climbed from 1,350 in 2008 to more than 1,450, bringing more than 65,000 cars into the city so far this year.
With No Jobs, China's Rural Exodus Retracting
More than 20 million Chinese who had migrated to cities for work have been forced to return to the rural countryside as urban jobs dry up.
Stimulus Gets Transportation Projects Moving - In China
While the U.S. waffles over its stimulus package, China is two months into a grand countrywide transportation facelift, building high-speed rail, expanding freight capacity and generally beefing up the country's mobility.
Rural-Urban Income Gap Widens in China
The income gap between rural and urban residents in China has increased again in 2008, and has been attributed to other social inequities in the growing country.
Beijing Disappearing
Wrecking crews continue to clear the old hutongs of Beijing, replacing them with modern streets and skyscrapers. Meanwhile, a handful of scavengers work to save pieces of history from the wreckage.
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.
The Monks of Tourism
In an effort to draw more tourists to their ancient temples, officials in the Chinese town of Guandu has contracted tourism-savvy Shaolin monks to take over operation of the temples.
Planned Eco-City in China Stumbles
Dongtan eco-city was to be a community of 50,000 residents living in a utopian, eco-friendly development. But since the mayor of Shanghai, a big supporter, was arrested on fraud charges, the whole project may be dead in the water.
What Would Jane Jacobs Do In Dubai?
Writer Karrie Jacobs (no relation) tours the rapidly-urbanizing cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Dubai. As development forces small neighborhood cultures out, she can't help but wonder what Jane Jacobs would think.
Financial Turmoil Leads to Reverse Migration in China
As more and more of China's "floating population" return from their city jobs to their farms, officials brace for backlash from the recently unemployed.
Why Infrastructure Spending isn't Always the Answer
China's stimulus plan is aimed at funding more of what the country already has enough of: infrastructure. What's needed is social spending and for citizens to have more of a stake in the economy, argues Zhiwu Chen.
Killer Brown Clouds On The Rise
A U.N. report details the severity of the 'brown cloud' phenomenon affecting much of Asia and other parts of the planet. In addition to reducing sunlight and causing premature death, the clouds affect weather patterns, harvests, and glacier declines
China's Urban Transition
China is on a path to become an overwhelmingly urban country -- in sharp contrast to its largely rural recent past. Cities across the country are hoping to make the transition gracefully.
Seeking Harmony in Chinese Planning
Effective planning creates harmonious environments, according to this piece from Xinhua. Most Chinese planners, the author argues, have not embraced this idea.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
