Clash of The Subway and Car Cultures in China

Chan Shao Zhang, a 67 year old engineer, is currently supervising an army of workers operating 60 tunneling machines below the metropolis of Guangzhou in Southeastern China. Their goal is to not only build one of the largest and advanced subway systems but to also curb the Country's growing love for the automobile.

The tunneling system is taking hold not only in Guangzhou but all over the country as the Chinese government is pushing local and provincial officials to step up their infrastructure spending to offset lost revenue from slumping exports. Hence, at least 15 other cities are building subway lines with many more planning them in the near future. This is a very encouraging change as in the past, most cities have been discouraged from such alternate transportation planning due to high costs of subway tunneling. For example, only the city of Tokyo currently has a subway system that serves more passengers than city buses. The buses are cheaper and able to serve far more streets but move more slowly, pollute more and contribute to traffic congestion.

The concern now though is that the Chinese populace are purchasing cars faster than the government can build subway systems and car sales have soared ninefold since the year 2000. In the month of February, China surpassed the United States in total vehicle sales for the first time ever. This, combined with the fact that some Chinese policies allow real estate developers to build sprawling new Los Angeles style suburbs, undermine the benefits of the mass transit boom. Shanghai charges a fee of several thousand dollars for each license plate of a newly purchased car to try to discouraging car use and promote more alternative transportation but this has not taken hold in much of the Country.

Despite all this, China is continuing on with the plans of connecting all cities via these subway tunnels that are seen to be a way to jump start the economy again. The city of Guangzhou alone plans to open an additional 83 miles by the end of next year along with an underground tram system and a high-speed commuter rail system. A long-term plan calls for at least 500 miles of subway and light rail routes, and there are discussions on expanding beyond that.

I think this is a very forward thinking plan regardless of the new love for cars in the country. If done right, the subway systems will always be a very convenient way to commute to avoid traffic and parking issues. That is if it is done right and not a pretense of an alternate transport system like what exists in San Diego or Los Angeles. I think New York should watch and see how its done as the long delayed Second Avenue line which is to stretch a mere 1.7 miles still has not been completed.





Image obtained from: www.NewYorkTimes.com
Some article info obtained from: Kieth Bradshaer's "Clash of Subway and Car Culture in Chinese Cultures."

Sarkozy's Dream For A New Paris

In the summer of 2008, in much more optimistic times, the French government hired design teams of internationally known architects to put Paris back on the drawing board to re-imagine the capital as a "world class city." The teams have come up with 10 strategies for creating a metropolitan area known as Grand Paris – it's the first major redesign since the Napoleonic era.

The various ideas being proposed all seek address what most Parisian feel is wrong with the city-its public transit system saturated, its periphery spoiled by ugly housing projects, and its suburbs an undefined sprawl of disconnected towns – does not work. "It's slowly losing its vitality," says award-winning Paris architect Jean Nouvel. "What we laughingly call regional development is finished. If we want to maintain the prestige of Paris, we have to look after it."

These architectural teams, six of them French, were given the mission of envisioning the "post-Kyoto" metropolis. They were left to define the boundaries of this newly conceived Grand Paris as they saw fit, but it was to incorporate the best of sustainable design techniques, energy efficient structures, and a mix of housing for both rich and poor.

Most of the planners urged intense use of space within the limits of historic Paris. They talked of high-speed trams on top of the beltways, malls on top of subway stations, and gardens on the five square miles of rooftops in Paris. A new mixed-use neighborhood in the center of Paris could arise, they said, if only the neglected stretch of land between the Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est train stations in central Paris were freed up for private development.

President Sarkozy is expected to define which of the various plans to follow up on when they go on public view at the national architecture museum next month though current details are still a little sketchy.

Other than the image above of Roland Castro's proposed "Central Park France" and Jean Nouvel's concept, I really haven't seen anything concrete to get a good sense of just what is being proposed so I'm not sure how to critic these plans. Still, the idea to completely revamp the infrastructure, especially the transportation system is a very good idea (something we are still trying to fix here in the States). So I am looking forward to seeing more of these proposals.




Image obtained from: www.csmonitor.com

AIA's Plan To Help Stimulate Economy And Create 1.6 Million Jobs

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast projects an 11 percent decline in design and construction activity in 2009. To revitalize the building sector, which accounts for about one in every ten dollars of the United States GDP, the AIA developed the Rebuild and Renew Plan, which details its recommendations for the allocation of funds in President-elect Obama’s economic recovery plan. The AIA is calling on the new administration and Congress to create policies that ensure these monies are spent on the planning, design and construction of energy efficient, sustainable buildings and healthy communities that are advantageous for both the environment and economy. If implemented correctly, the nearly $100 billion plan would create 1.6 million jobs throughout the design and construction industry.

Recent reports estimate that the economic recovery package may total as much as $800 billion, with at least $350 billion dedicated to infrastructure projects. However, the AIA’s recommendations call for longer planning and design periods for projects to help ensure that they are carried out in the most effective, cost-efficient manner and that funds are not poorly spent due to the projects being hastily planned and executed. Providing funding for projects across 24 months will ensure a steady stream of funds for job creation over the likely life of the recession.

“President-elect Obama’s economic recovery package provides us with the opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on our built environment with projects that improve the safety of the existing infrastructure and increase energy efficiency, so long as these projects are undertaken with the utmost attention to smart design and planning,” said Christine McEntee, Executive Vice President and CEO of the AIA. “The Rebuild and Renew plan has garnered significant interest from the transition team and key Congressional leaders, and outlines initiatives to build better, safer and healthier communities while creating jobs and stimulating economic growth nationwide that can lead to long-term economic vitality.”

The plan is comprised of five key policy areas for immediate attention: 21st century schools; green commercial, residential and institutional buildings; historic preservation projects; transit, mixed use development and complete streets projects; and tax relief for businesses. Highlights from the plan include:

• 21st Century Schools – As the costs of energy and construction materials continue to increase and budgets get tighter, education agencies are further delaying or canceling major projects to repair and modernize school buildings. The AIA is calling for the federal government to invest $25 billion in districts across the country to repair, modernize and green school buildings. Additionally, it is proposing $700 million for pilot programs that would provide grants for the development of model school campuses that support 21st century teaching and learning in the each region of the country. This proposal would create more than 445,000 jobs across the industry.

• Green Buildings - The current economic crisis presents an opportunity to build better public, residential and commercial architectural designs. This requires investing in the types of full-scale retrofits that can significantly reduce a building’s carbon footprint. The AIA is calling for the federal government to provide $30 billion for energy efficiency upgrades and modernization for federal, state and local public buildings; residential, commercial, industrial and healthcare facilities; and green affordable housing. Appropriating these funds would result in the creation of 430,000 jobs. In addition, the AIA is calling for increasing the size of the energy efficient commercial buildings tax deduction from $1.80 per square foot to $3.00 per square foot and this recommendation was just endorsed by the Environment America Research & Policy Center.

• Transit and Livable Communities - A lack of investment in our infrastructure system since the New Deal has limited economic growth and jeopardized the safety of American citizens. As Congress prepares to create legislation that stimulates the economy the AIA believes that it is important to invest at least $12 billion for transit facilities and operations, since they greatly enhance the economic development, sustainability, safety and livability of communities. Funding for transit-oriented projects will create compact, walkable communities that mix housing, retail, office space and other amenities around high quality train systems and create approximately 375,000 jobs for the building and construction industry.

• Historic Preservation Projects – The preservation of historic buildings already in the development phase will create more work for the building industry and generate positive economic returns in the communities surrounding them. The plan calls for the appropriation of at least at least $30 million to the under-funded Save America’s Treasure program for bricks-and-mortar preservation projects. The plan also calls for another $100 million in grants to be provided through the State Historic Preservation Officers and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers for non-federal public and nonprofit historic sites.

• Tax Relief for Businesses – By accelerating the depreciation of energy-efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or commercial refrigeration property installed in nonresidential property or residential rental property, businesses of all sizes would be able to improve their operations, reduce costs and reduce energy consumption. The AIA is also calling for elimination of a requirement that businesses that perform government work have three percent of their payments withheld.

I am glad that the AIA was forward thinking and proactive enough to come up with this plan and am equally pleased that the President-Elect's transition team have seen the potential for implementing this idea and fusing it with what they have already outlined for infrastructure. I hope that we can all work together in a bi-partisan collaboration to improve the economy and create more job opportunities not just in the construction industry but across the board to other professions as well.


Image obtained from www.rics.org/NR/rdonlyres
For detailed info, check www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/R&R Detailed.pdf

Obama's Infrastructure Plan and What was Left Out

At his Sunday news conference, President-elect Barack Obama expounded on his plan for massive federal spending for infrastructure which is proposed to "go beyond roads and bridges" to other programs with "long term payoffs" for taxpayers. This includes school construction, broadband Internet build out and other building projects that will hopefully put more work on my desk and create the 3 million new jobs Obama is hoping for.

Even though this will significantly benefit us in the building construction field and all tax payers in the United States in general, I couldn't help but notice that nothing was said about a plan for protecting the Gulf Coast region from a possible category five hurricane and subsequent floods and I don't seem to be the only one who noticed this. Harry Shearer of the Huffington Post outlined in his Dec 7Th article, Obama's Infrastructure Plan, that the Army Corps of Engineers have continued to drag their feet on how to rectify its deplorable handiwork of 2005 when New Orleans was hit by Katrina.

Up till now, Washington's excuse for not committing the funds to help the Gulf Coast was that the said funds would be "hijacked" by the regions "dirty politicians." But what is the excuse now as New Orleans continues to remain vulnerable. Shearer does state that sources close to Obama informed him that the president-elect does not want to bring up this issue now so as not to "rile up anti-New Orleans sentiment." Are you kidding?

I am very Confident in Obama but I feel that this is a key issue that should have been addressed in his infrastructure program. Another Hurricane disaster is something he definitely does not need to happen on his watch as he focuses on the out economy and the quagmire in the Middle East and something residents definitely do not need to experience again.

Image obtained from www.washingtonwire.com