China

Pollution is a growing problem throughout China - one that even tight-lipped public officials have been forced to acknowledge. But conflicting government interests - between state-run polluters and concerned policy-makers - are holding back fixes.

March 23, 2013 - The New York Times

A growing "sand scandal" in Shenzhen may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the quality of concrete used in constructing China's skyscrapers. The construction of what was to have become the country's tallest building has been halted.

March 22, 2013 - Wired UK

Pregnant, elderly, or infirm; subway riders throughout the world rely on the kindness of strangers to secure a seat on the subway. The extraordinary efforts of one Beijing woman to get a seat were discovered in embarrassing fashion recently.

March 1, 2013 - South China Morning Post

Part of a larger strategy to address its numerous environmental ills, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases will begin taxing carbon emissions, possibly as early as 2015.

February 21, 2013 - Quartz

Old and new maps take center stage in China's effort to lay claims to disputed territories.

February 20, 2013 - The Washington Post

In his new book "A History of Future Cities", journalist Daniel Brook visits four cities on the edge of the future: St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai.

February 19, 2013 - Places Journal

Following the Chinese government’s pledge to address its growing urban income gap, India’s The Economic Times suggest that current proposals do not go far enough.

February 12, 2013 - The Economic Times

A 2,000 year old household registration system in China ties temporary urban workers to rural life.

February 10, 2013 - The Washington Post

As the structure of China’s urban shopping malls evolves into large-scale, multi-use “lifestyle complexes”, so too does their role in the social and cultural fabric of metropolitan society.

January 24, 2013 - China Daily

China's slowing economy has prompted calls from economists to reconsider the "one-child" policy that has contributed to a shrinking labor pool. It's annual population growth rate was .57% for 2000-2010. By comparison, the U.S. rate was .97%

January 23, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Residents of a neighborhood filled with historic Shanghai architectural style buildings, shikumen, found themselves removed by their government in favor of new, modern luxury condos, hotels, up-scale retail stores, and trendy cafes.

January 20, 2013 - Global Site Plans

A new book on the subject argues that we shouldn't be so quick to discount China's increasing instances of architectural mimicry. The practice reveals much about 'the hopes, dreams and contradictions of China's middle class.'

January 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Over the next few decades, half of global economic growth is predicted to come from the slums of developing world cities. Gaia Vince believes the key to the coming urban revolution is how these shantytowns evolve.

January 16, 2013 - BBC

In Beijing, the level of air pollution is the highest the monitors at the U.S. embassy have ever recorded since put in place in 2008. The pollution results from a combination of weather conditions and particulate matter - most from coal burning.

January 15, 2013 - The New York Times - Environment

Can dynamic digital globes compete with flatter technologies like today’s iPad? Mark Vanhoenacker explores some of the possibilities these modern spheres may bring to places of work, study and play.

January 11, 2013 - New York Times

As this video from The Perennial Plate, a web series about sustainable food, demonstrates, rooftop gardening is becoming a global phenomenon.

January 6, 2013 - The Atlantic

In Hong Kong, new government policies to curb real estate speculation in housing markets have led investors to turn elsewhere for quick, lucrative profits - the market for parking spaces.

January 5, 2013 - Los Angeles Times - Business

Counterfeiting is, of course, nothing new in China. From DVDs to Apple stores to an entire Austrian village, the country is rife with copycats. But a new project in Chongqing may take the cake, reports Kevin Holden Platt.

January 3, 2013 - Spiegel Online

The opening of the 1,200-mile Beijing to Guangzhou high-speed rail line marked the latest milestone in "one of the world’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects." The longest such segment in the world takes only 8 hours to traverse.

December 27, 2012 - The New York Times

China is moving mountains again, but this time it isn't a legendary peasant doing the moving, but instead, Yan Jiehe, former teacher, big time developer and one of China's richest men, who is behind it all.

December 23, 2012 - The Guardian