More Chinese are buying cars, but the government urges them to keep on cycling.
"In Beijing alone, it is estimated that 1,000 new cars every day are added to an already appalling traffic snarl-up. Until now, urban planners have tried to make room for these economic engines by building thousands of miles of multi-lane roads, often at the expense of bike lanes." Qiu Baoxing, a vice-minister with the Ministry of Construction, said it was important for China to retain its title as the "kingdom of bicycles. The Ministry recently instructed that any bike lanes that have been narrowed or destroyed to make way for cars in recent years must be returned to their original use. In addition, the government said that all civil servants should bicycle to work or take public transport to reduce smog.
Read the full story: China Backs Bikes to Kick Car Habit
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Feds to more closely scrutinize proposed Amtrak facility’s environmental impact
The Federal Railroad Administration had initially said the facility qualified for a less extensive environmental review.
Boston is hard to build housing in: its chief of planning wants to keep it that way
Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
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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