urban planning

urban-planning

A Chinese Coal City Finds New Use for Old Mines: Cooling Homes

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

The pioneering low-carbon technique, which routes water from accumulated rainfall and groundwater in abandoned mines to residential areas, has previously been used in the area to heat homes during winter.

Chen Yiru

How Late Architect Frank Gehry Silently Shaped Chinese Cities

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Despite the Chinese mainland not having a building designed by Gehry, who died early this month, the transformational example of his Guggenheim Museum Bilbao became an urban development blueprint for the country.

You Xudong

The Architect Saving China’s ‘Ugly’ Buildings, One Photo at a Time

For two years, Liu Yujia has crossed China on foot and by bike, photographing the tiled towers, tinted-glass hotels, and industrial relics of a disappearing urban era, once often dismissed as “ugly.”

Bus Stops Here: Shanghai Lets Riders Design Their Own Routes

A new crowd-sourced transit platform allows riders to propose, vote on, and activate new bus lines in as little as three days.

China Intervenes to Prop Up Struggling Local Bus Services

As some bus companies teeter on the brink of insolvency, the central government has ordered local authorities to find the money to keep services operational.

Jiang Xinyi

In Chinese Megacities, ‘Ultra-Long Commutes’ Are on the Rise

A growing number of people in China’s largest cities are traveling over 90 minutes each way for work, a new report has found.

Chinese City Scraps Plan to Rename Streets After ‘Confusing’ Idioms

Four years ago, Handan renamed dozens of roads after idioms linked to the city’s ancient past. But even local residents found the phrases “difficult to remember,” local authorities admit.

Li Xin

Li Miaoran

Can City Walks Fix What Ails Chinese Urbanism?

Urbanists were calling for more walkable cities before it was cool. Now they want to leverage the city walk boom to make their vision a reality.

Cai Yineng

For China’s Parks, How Open Is Too Open?

A recent televised debate has sparked renewed interest in 24-hour parks.

Shanghai’s Pocket Parks: Flourishing Gems and Forgotten Gardens

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

These micro landscapes dot the city, providing nooks of nature in urban neighborhoods. But while some thrive, others are struggling to survive.

Shanghai Observer

15 Dead in Nanjing Apartment Fire, Electric Bikes Under Scanner

Municipal authorities have announced a thorough investigation into safety hazards in high-rise buildings, commercial spaces, and other densely populated areas.

He Qitong

Cars or Scooters? China’s Small Cities at the Crossroads

Residents of smaller cities are embracing the personal automobile. But there’s still time to reverse this trend.

Hu Yang

Housing a Megacity

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

The living conditions of Shanghai residents have transformed massively in the past few decades, from mostly crude dwellings to the many high-rise apartment buildings we see today.

Sixth Tone

Wukang Mansion: Shanghai’s ‘Pearl’ Before Its Online Fame

Local historians and residents share the rich, glamorous history of the Wukang Mansion, as the Shanghai landmark approaches its 100th birthday.

The Paper

Old Markets, New Appeal: Young Chinese Rediscover Wet Markets

Amid renewed interest, wet markets in China are evolving too, merging modern amenities with traditional charm to cater to younger, experience-driven tourists.

Fan Yiying

Myriam Kryger on How Rivers Inspire the Flow of Art, Ideas

The former French cultural attache on the importance of creating space for face-to-face interactions that inspire fresh ideas and exchanges.

Our Water

Suzhou Creek, Seine Meet in First Season of Our Water

Our Water: Shanghai Launches Program to Promote Global Culture Flow

City teams up with Paris for the first year of a river-inspired initiative that aims to promote international exchanges and cooperation with world metropolises.

How Scooters Caught China’s Urban Planners Off Guard

The country’s cities were planned with cars in mind. Can they be made safe for scooters?

Wang Yuanyuan

Shanghai Metro 3.0

This year, the Shanghai Metro turns 30. To mark this milestone, Sixth Tone discovers the metro afresh.