Chinese officials have decided to expand Beijing's Central Business District, clearing out nearly four square kilometers with 10,000 homes on it in the process.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill won top honors in the design competition for the site, and have created a significantly transit- and pedestrian-oriented plan.
From The Infrastructurist:
"SOM's 'vision,' as it is called in their promotional video, calls for an express commuter rail to the airport, a new high-speed rail network, a streetcar system, and three new districts 'anchored by signature parks and green boulevards.' It'll be lined with pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets. But the most dramatic claim they make is that their plan, if implemented, will reduce energy consumption 50%, water consumption by 48%, landfill waste by 80% and carbon emissions by 50%. That last figure, if you believe them, is comparable to planting 14 million 'adult trees.'"
FULL STORY: Beijing to Tear Down 10,000 Homes for Expanded Business District

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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