A new breed of developers in China are increasingly trying to make the country's new cities into pleasant, walkable and even environmentally sustainable.
Architect and developer team Calvin and Frederick Tsao are trying to integrate elements of livability into new and emerging Chinese megacities.
"The Tsao brothers have teamed up to imbue Chinese cities with some mixed-use pedestrian friendliness. The idea is to retain some of the connections to the existing rural landscape to ease people into city living. Their two Chengdu plans are heavy on parks and plazas to encourage walking and socializing. Encouraging exercise for new urban denizens is probably a good thing-obesity rates in rural China are only 5 percent, but the rate in cities is four times higher."
Read the full story: Trying to make China’s planned cities livable
From SoHo to SoDoSoPa
How zoning made great neighborhoods illegal to build, and preordained gentrification.
The Case for a Walkable Honolulu
Why supporting mixed use development and ground-level retail can solve the city’s housing and walkability crises at the same time.
Meet NYC’s New Office of Livable Streets
The NYC DOT program will build on pandemic-era initiatives to promote safe and comfortable streets that enhance community and expand uses beyond just moving cars.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
Non-stop party: Chicago voters weigh permanent festival grounds
A stable place for bleachers, stages and drainage may streamline the setup and teardown of large events.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority