Beijing

The 3,000-Year-Old Document That Planned Beijing
The Guardian Cities details how the Kaogong Ji brought an ancient order to the sprawling city of Beijing.
Odd-Even Licensing Worked, So Why Is New Delhi Halting It?
Reporting from the world's most polluted capital, Julie McCarthy speaks with Ari Shapiro on NPR's "All Things Considered." McCarthy talks glowingly about how successful the two-week trial went in reducing pollution and congestion even more so.
New Delhi Restricts Diesel Cars; Beijing Issues Second Red Alert
It took an act of the Supreme Court for India to address the incredibly unhealthy levels of particulate matter in New Delhi. New rules are aimed at diesel cars, SUVs, and taxis. In Beijing, pollution triggered a red alert for only the second time.
Car-Free Movement Gaining Steam in Europe and Elsewhere
Athlyn Cathcart-Keays of The Guardian-Cities chronicles the advancement of the international urban car-free movement as well as auto regulations that focus on air pollution. The most recent city to join the growing list is Oslo, Norway
Good News on Bad Air Day in Beijing
Calling Monday's air pollution a 'bad air day' is a gross understatement. The "soupy metallic haze" was comparable to walking through a coal mine. People were told not to go outside. But the good news is how the government is addressing pollution.

Can Beijing Return to its Transportation (and Communist) Roots?
Beijing has strayed so far from its roots as a bicycling city that it now claims the title of the world's largest auto market, while only 12 per cent of commuters use bicycles. City planners wants to make it popular again to reduce air pollution.

Asian Subways Are the Busiest
Rankings from the International Association of Public Transport have Tokyo on top, followed by Beijing and Shanghai. New York comes in seventh.

Beijing Heads Towards Population 130 Million
China's capital city is already one of the largest in the world, but it's about to get a whole lot bigger. As the Chinese population continues to migrate from rural to urban areas, the Chinese government is planning for megacity of 130 million.

American Suburbia Transplanted to Beijing
Chinese and Indian cities have been quick to welcome housing developments modeled on North American suburbs, including "Orange County" and "Vancouver Forest" in Beijing. This globalized sprawl perpetuates all the ills of our own.

China's Inland Cities Hit Their Stride
China has added to the ranks of the world's megacities at a ridiculous clip. Even so, inland cities have tended to languish in anonymity. With new policies and economic orientations, the Chonquings are starting to compete with the Shanghais.

China Plants 'Great Green Wall' of Trees
Net deforestation continues, but at a slower rate as the world's largest ecological engineering project stretches for a planned 2,800 miles. It is hoped the new trees will halt the advance of the Gobi Desert.
The Best and the Worst Airports to Access
If you want great access to an airport, go overseas—that's the main finding of a study by Golden Gateway Alliance, a Manhattan-based airport advocacy organization. Tied for dead-last in terms of access is Denver and a certain New York airport.
Researchers Pushing for Even Bigger Chinese Cities
Research suggests China’s current urbanization policy forgoes $2 trillion in growth over the next ten years. That is, unless the government funnels even more migrants into major population centers and develops for density.

Beijing's One Million Underground Urban Dwellers
The October issue of Land Lines reveals the remarkable story of how an estimated one million people came to live in subterranean apartments in Beijing.

Underground: The Next Frontier of Urbanization
With rapidly urbanizing metro areas, some cities are not looking to build up, or spread out, anymore. Rather they have begun to grow into underground spaces.
China Bans the Use of Coal Around Cities
In this Sunday Review editorial, The New York Times applauds China's announcement that it will ban coal burning in the Beijing region by 2020, but warns that some solutions to air pollution will exacerbate climate change.

E-Commerce And The Future Of The City
Chinese cities have grown at an astounding pace over the past few decades, wholeheartedly embracing the automobile. The upcoming IPO of Alibaba and the rise of e-commerce heralds a new, possibly troubling chapter in China's urban development.
Parking Propels Real Estate Bubble in Beijing
What's causing underground parking spaces to go for $160,000 in Beijing? Quartz reports that demand, narrow roads, resident disenfranchisement and old zoning law give developers the upper-hand.
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?
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.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service