China
U.S. Coal Exports to Europe Breaking Records
If President Obama is waging a "war on coal," as his critics claim, then Europe must be enjoying a love affair with America's high-carbon fossil fuel, and the most polluting variety at that. How could the world's greenest continent turn so brown?
Caught Between Rural and Urban: the Migrant Workers Urbanizing China
China's rapid urbanization has been built by a class of citizens called "nongmin," or peasants, many of which have migrated to urban areas for work but retain their legal status as residents of the countryside.
Air Pollution Kills 7 Million Annually
In September, 2011 the above title read two million. Figures from both years are based on reports from the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency. Is air quality getting worse, or are more deaths being attributed to air pollution?
China Makes Moves to Cleaner Coal
Charles C. Mann reports on the benefits and obstacles to cleaner coal and why we need to explore carbon capture and storage even as we transition to renewable energy.
Hyper-Urbanization: China Plans for 100 Million New City Residents by 2020
China recently announced ambitious plans to move 100 million former farmers to urban environments—enough to bring the country's urban population to 60 percent of its total.
Beijing's Smog is Notorious, But Delhi's is Much Worse
Chinese and Indian cities are known for having some of the most polluted air in the world. You've likely heard about Beijing's severe smog; but in Delhi, where pollution levels are regularly higher, the hazardous air gets little notice. Why?
Whatever Happened to Declining Oil Consumption in the U.S.?
Last year, the U.S. increased oil consumption by two percent, surpassing the increase in China for the first time in more than a decade according to a new IEA report. How does this increase square with peak car, peak VMT, and peak oil consumption?
Pollution from China Doesn't Stay There
A new study reveals two findings on air pollution spewing from China's coal-burning factories. First, the pollution blows to the U.S and other nations. Second, 20% of the pollution can be traced to Western demand for cheap goods from those factories.
China's Annual Air Pollution Death Toll: Half A Million People
The admission is the first from a Chinese official that puts a human cost on the country's huge air pollution problem, largely stemming from coal-burning power plants. But Shanghai had good news this week too. Rain brought blue skies and clean air.
U.S. Oil Boom to Reduce World Prices While Global Coal Consumption Surges
Gas prices will drop due to surging U.S. oil production according to an U.S. Energy Dept. report. Another report from the International Energy Agency points to surging carbon dioxide emissions, not from oil but from coal burning, largely from China.
China's Next Environmental Disaster: Polluted Soil
China's horrendously polluted air has made international headlines of late. Though its extents are less obvious, the country's mounting soil pollution crisis carries equally serious ramifications.
What Can Toledo Teach Other Cities About Attracting Investment?
As Chinese companies increase their direct investments in the United States, one midwestern city is reaping the rewards of close relationships with its foreign counterparts. What can Toledo teach the many cities seeking Chinese investment?
Could a Car-Share Vending Machine Put a Dent in Private Car Ownership?
A start-up tech company and electric car maker have teamed up to develop a radical car-sharing experiment. Observers are excited about the project's potential to attract urban drivers and improve notoriously poor air quality across China.
Victims of China's Air Pollution: Lung Cancer in 8-Year-Olds
Though smoking is on the decline in China, lung cancer rates are rising. Twenty-year olds have joined seniors as likely patients, attributed to the toxic clouds containing particulates that regularly envelope China's eastern cities.
Chinese Cities Consider Congestion Pricing
Air pollution and traffic are choking China's largest cities: a recent conference reveals that officials are looking to solve these twin transportation problems with economics.
Shanghai Halts Construction, Orders Children Inside due to Severe Smog
Off-the-chart smog levels recorded on Friday in China’s second largest city put its 30 million residents at risk and has authorities urging people to stay indoors.
Can the Great Green Wall of China Keep Out the Desert?
At the edge of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia a nonprofit organization is planting millions of trees to slow the advancing sands. At stake is the air quality in Beijing and, perhaps, "the viability of the Asian continent."
China Loosens One-Child Policy
The Communist Party announced on Nov. 15 two huge changes to two long-term policies that exerted enormous control over its citizens. More couples will be allowed to have additional children and "reeducation through labor camps" will be abolished.
In China's Model New Town Urbanization Equals Ghettoization
Outside of Tianjin, in northern China, a model new town has become a symbol of something less exemplary - the country's struggles with urbanization. Broken promises and scant opportunities are creating trying conditions for former farmers.
Friday Funny: Apartment Building's Fake Window Facepalm
Images of a new apartment development in Qingdao, Shandong province have caused a stir on the Internet in recent weeks. The reason? Builders painted dozens of fake windows along the high-rise buildings' facades. Who were they trying to fool?
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
