Lisa Gu pens a passionate defense of Chinese cities in response to a recent article that claims they are virtually "unlivable."
Spurred by a recent article by Isaac Stone Fish appearing in the journal Foreign Policy that claimed China's cities, "with their lack of civil society, apocalyptic air pollution,
snarling traffic, and suffocating state bureaucracy, are still terrible
places to live," Lisa Gu comes to their defense.
Responding to Fish's criticisms point-by-point, she describes the country's advances in education, low per-capita greenhouse gas emissions rates, investment in infrastructure, and opportunities for personal freedom. "China clearly is no paradise," admits Gu, "yet the world should recognize how
significantly the quality of life has improved over the stereotypes of
the past."
She continues, "I'm often deeply saddened by the way in which China is
so often portrayed in western media. China's growth and development
over the past few decades has been vast, and it possesses potential for
a more affluent future. Westerners may refer to China as ‘unlivable'
but for me, and hundreds of millions of people like me, China today is
more than simply livable, and it will continue to improve as time goes
by."
Read the full story: Livable China
Study Finds Evidence of 'Nationwide Gentrification'
A new study finds that economic inequality is a national problem, evidenced by the access of college educated residents to quality of life indicators in cities all over the country—not just San Francisco, New York, and Boston.
Exploitation or Affordable Option? Melbourne Debates Micro Apartments
The increasing scarcity of affordable accommodation in large cities has seen the rise of the 'micro apartment'. Taking its lead from studios but on a much smaller scale, this article questions the appeal of living in a space of less than 15m2.
Digital Democracy in the Big Apple
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NY's "Chief Digital Officer" Rachel Sterne presented plans to use enhance technology that connects citizens with their government.
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.”
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.
With no reauthorization bill in sight, Texas slashes $6.6 billion from transportation budget
An official said the program may receive additional funding when a federal reauthorization bill passes.
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
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello