Posts tagged with 'Asia'
World's Fair 2010: "Better Cities, Better Lives"
World's Fair 2010: "Better Cities, Better Lives"
Via NAC, I see that Shanghai, which is hosting the 2010 World Expo, has declared its theme to be Better City, Better Life. The mostly unnavigable site even has a whole page outlining what this theme means, highlighting the economic ...
Will China Dominate the Electric Car Market?
Will China Dominate the Electric Car Market?
Step aside, Japan. Don’t even try, Detroit. China has plans to corner the electric car market. From the New York Times: TIANJIN, China — Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading ...
Is There a Future for Human-Scale Chinese Cities?
Is There a Future for Human-Scale Chinese Cities?
James Fallows of the Atlantic recently blogged about “today’s enormous, expanding Chinese cities,” comparing the more intimate architecture of Shanghai to the sprawling concrete slabs in Beijing. “This is not a ‘which do you like better?’ discussion,” he emphasizes. Rather ...
Most "Global" Cities Aren't the Dirtiest
Most "Global" Cities Aren't the Dirtiest
“Most global cities aren’t the dirtiest cities,” according to Foreign Policy magazine. “In fact, some of the biggest, most integrated cities are some of the cleanest urban areas on the planet.” The conclusions are part of the publication’s Global Cities ...
Beijing Offers Subsidy to Discourage Dirty Cars
Beijing Offers Subsidy to Discourage Dirty Cars
Beijing is prepared to pay up to 1 billion yuan (about $146 million) in subsidies to get citizens to ditch their dirty cars and purchase cleaner ones. (Read Laura Root’s recent post about the pros and cons of these types ...
Paying for Blue Skies
Paying for Blue Skies
Previously, the Beijing skyline took the international spotlight during the Olympics as air pollution threatened athletes and cast a gray haze over the city. Now the Beijing government is designing a policy that would reward driver’s for purchasing cleaner cars. ...
Transport, Energy and CO2 in Asia
Transport, Energy and CO2 in Asia
Electric railway system in Bangkok. Photo by SpAvAAi. Lew Fulton of the International Energy Agency made a very compelling presentation at the most recent BAQ Asia Conference. Here are some of the most important messages from his data-intensive presentation: Asian ...
New Beijing Traffic Restrictions Surprisingly Popular
New Beijing Traffic Restrictions Surprisingly Popular
Beijing Traffic. Photo by Proggie Listening to NPR last night, I was caught by surprise by a story describing the unexpected popularity of the temporary traffic restrictions Beijing implemented during the Olympics. Conventional wisdom holds that citizens usually view such ...
Cycling in Beijing
Cycling in Beijing
Photo by Alexandra Moss. Once known as the world’s ‘bicycle kingdom,’ China has experienced rapid urbanization leading some to declare the beginning of the end for China’s bikes. While it’s true that from 1995 to 2005, China’s bike fleet declined ...
Bangalore Is Waiting for the Butterfly Effect
Bangalore Is Waiting for the Butterfly Effect
The term “Butterfly effect” was coined by Edward Lorenz based on the theory that a single flap of a butterfly’s wings in one part of world could set off a tornado in another part of world. The concept – which ...
Beijing Bicycle
I haven’t had a chance to see this elegantly shot film, but I still thought it would be appropriate for me to share it with you. Click here to view the film makers site. And click here for AO Scott’s ...
Fighting Noise Pollution, Mumbai Celebrates No Honking Day
Fighting Noise Pollution, Mumbai Celebrates No Honking Day
Photo by James Cridland. In ancient Indian and Chinese texts, writers noted that the ultimate form of torture involved subjecting captives to loud and horrible noises. It’s an interesting paradox that we now live in the modern world as free ...
Car-Centric Transport Policy Hurts India's Informal Sector
60 Kilos from CHINTAN on Vimeo. In a recent post here on thecityfix.com, Sudhir Gota documented the plight of ‘Transport Challenged People’ in Bangalore, India. In his piece, Sudhir explains how Indian transportation policy’s often myopic focus on car infrastructure ...
Behind Bangalore's Growth, A New Species Is Born: Transport Challenged People
Behind Bangalore's Growth, A New Species Is Born: Transport Challenged People
Here two-wheelers invade a footpath. All photos by Sudhir Gota, SECON Pvt Ltd. Krishnappa is a security guard for a multinational software firm in Bangalore who, for the past thirty years, has walked and cycled to work. For Krishnappa, the ...
The World's Worst Traffic
The World's Worst Traffic
Going nowhere fast in Bangkok. Photo by pchweat. Which city has the world’s worst traffic? It’s a tough question, as cities like Sao Paulo, Cairo, Mumbai, and Los Angeles compete neck and neck for the world’s worst bottlenecks. But Time ...
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