Japan

Nuclear power has saved 370 times more lives than it has ended in the last four decades, says a NASA paper. Despite the horrors of Japan's ongoing nuclear disaster, we'll need to rely on nuclear power for the sake of the environment and human health.

April 8, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Over the weekend it was announced that 71-year-old Japanese architect Toyo Ito has won this year's Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious award in the field. The jury honored Ito for combining "conceptual innovation with superbly executed buildings."

March 18, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Japan is looking to unleash a new source of natural gas in the same way that fracking and horizontal drilling has revolutionized natural gas drilling in the U.S. It's called methane hydrate or 'flammable ice', and is the most prevalent energy source.

March 15, 2013 - The New York Times

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

February 20, 2013 - The Washington Post

In this compelling essay, authors Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava take a look at Tokyo's post-war development and explore how lessons learned from its unplanned growth may be useful for other rapidly urbanizing Asian cities today.

January 20, 2013 - Next City

John Metcalfe looks at how one Japanese company is advancing a more quieter sensitive method for demolishing high-rise buildings, floor by floor.

January 13, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The Yomiuri Shimbun reports on plans to elevate the ground level in urban areas that were inundated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, prior to rebuilding. One town will elevate its land by 17 meters (55 feet).

January 4, 2013 - The Daily Yomiuri

Edwin Heathcote examines the common ethos that connects Kyoto's Katsura Imperial Villa and Los Angeles's Schindler House, "two homes, far apart in time and space, that influenced the modern movement."

November 29, 2012 - Financial Times

You've probably heard of the improbable lengths to which Tokyo's subway goes to pack in riders. But you likely haven't seen images of "unwilling subjects trapped in the train window" like those taken by photographer Michael Wolf.

November 20, 2012 - Slate

Tyler Falk reports that the Japanese city currently known as Izumisano has a enterprising idea to help reduce its $1.2 billion debt by selling its naming rights.

November 4, 2012 - SmartPlanet

The Economist looks at the generational gap that is hampering efforts to rebuild tsunami-stricken communities in Japan, as the elderly favor restoring what was lost as soon as possible, and the young seek sustainable revitalization.

August 6, 2012 - The Economist

Transportation planners who thought the current job climate couldn't possibly get worse may want to ignore this piece. John Metcalfe reports on studies that show slime is just as effective in planning the path of an urban rail system as humans.

July 24, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

As a New Yorker visiting Tokyo, Eric Jaffe set out to keep a scorecard comparing his home city's transportation infrastructure with that of the Japanese capital. He found that the score wasn't even close.

May 18, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

ASLA's blog, The Dirt, dishes on how sushi, an ancient food, became modern in Tokyo, and conquered the world.

May 13, 2012 - THE DIRT

Japan was not the only nation to shutter its nuclear power plants after the March 11, 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Germany followed suit. Consequently, both nations have seen a dramatic increase in coal burning, thus increasing emissions.

April 24, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington DC, and observations from a recent trip to Japan, Christopher Hawthorne pens an opinion piece on memorials - the "eternally fraught corner of design practice.

March 21, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Ever wanted to silence aggressive cell phone talkers or that intractable opponent speaking out against your brilliant redevelopment plan? Well researchers in Japan have developed just the product for you, reports Mark Hachman.

March 9, 2012 - PCMag.com

Christopher Hawthorne reports from Japan on the many obstacles preventing areas destroyed by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami from proceeding with rebuilding, as the recovery effort stalls in the cleanup stage.

March 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

A series of stunning photo comparisons in The Washington Post and The New York Times document the magnitude of destruction unleashed by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the steps achieved to date towards recovery.

March 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

Having just returned from a United Nations-led tour of disaster-ravaged areas of Japan, Warren Karlenzig reports on efforts across the region to rebuild along smart growth and green economic development models.

March 6, 2012 - Common Current