This morning, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published an op-ed by Hal that discusses the best urban design principles to deal with China’s new and expanding cities. In the article, titled “Paying for the great urbanization of China,” Hal emphasizes four realms that must be addressed in order to create sustainable Chinese cities: urban layout, transportation, buildings, and financial incentives.

Rather than develop single-use, superblock neighborhoods, Hal argues that Chinese cities ought to promote mixed-use with smaller blocks and streets. Small, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets help move cities away from the auto-centric model, which has been proven to lead to extreme traffic congestion and air pollution from vehicle emissions. In addition to walking and biking, offering high-quality public transit, like a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system or a metro, will help move hundreds of thousands of people every day with higher efficiency and less pollution. Because buildings can last for decades, it is crucial that new ones are constructed to be as energy-efficient as possible. Hal notes that the most effective way to enforce building energy efficiency is by establishing strict building codes and standards.

Lastly, Hal states that China will need to transform the way it finances city development projects. Current finance policies place significant restrictions on local governments’ abilities to borrow money and issue bonds that would fund projects for new urban design, public transit, or building construction. China will need to reform its municipal finance methods in order to allow city governments to more effectively support new development projects.

You can read Hal’s op-ed on The Bulletin’s website, or download it as a PDF.

Featured image copyright: Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Investment and Development Co., Ltd.