Resources & Publications - Program on Chinese Cities

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Thoughts on Overseas Travels：How Is Incremental Urban Regeneration Led by Creative Culture Forged?—The “Design + Policy Incentives” Duet in Denver’s Golden Triangle

Yu Wang points out that Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District (GTCD) has become a flagship example of non-demolition-oriented downtown revitalization in the United States through an incremental approach led by culture and reinforced by policy incentives. Formerly a zone where administrative offices mingled with underperforming facilities, the district’s renewal did not rely on large-scale teardown and rebuild; instead, it adopted infill development and micro-scale spatial interventions, pairing an “axis-guided + node-reinforced” street strategy with the embedding of … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The Power of Design—How Richland Library Cultivates Urban Culture and a Digital Future

Jia Liu highlights how Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina, has redefined the public library through design, shifting from a book repository to a community hub, cultural incubator, and driver of digital equity. The renovated main branch embodies the “Library as Studio” concept with open layouts, glass walls, and multipurpose spaces, while its children’s section with Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are mural creates an immersive reading environment. The Edgewood branch, designed with African American cultural … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Successful Practice of Microtransit—Experience from Wilson, North Carolina

Yu Wang noted that Wilson, NC replaced its fixed-route buses with the RIDE microtransit system, a flagship U.S. on-demand case. Through dynamic dispatching, virtual stops, and pooled rides, RIDE expanded coverage and raised productivity (passengers per service hour from 3.5 to 4.6) while keeping wait times manageable. Flexible payments, accessible vehicles, call-in booking, and discounted fares ensure equitable access for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income riders. Funding mixes federal grants, the municipal budget, and one-time subsidies, … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Another Possibility for Industrial Parks—Exploring Urban Regeneration through the Example of EYA’s Lake Fairfax Project in the Greater Washington Area

Yu Wang, taking the redevelopment of Lake Fairfax in the Greater Washington area as an example, illustrates how EYA transformed a high-vacancy office park into a walkable, mixed-use community integrating housing, schools, parks, and green spaces, providing a model paradigm for sustainable urban regeneration. Through rezoning and carefully controlled development density, the project not only met housing demand but also maintained community acceptance, demonstrating a pathway for the regeneration of traditional suburban office parks. The article further … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The Energy Transition Path of West Virginia, USA—From Coal Dependence to Clean Energy: Transition Pathways and Lessons Learned

Hong Chen traces West Virginia’s pivot from coal to clean energy through the Mountaineer GigaSystem and Monarch Cloud Campus—zero-carbon hydrogen built on FidelisH2® + CCUS, announced on August 16, 2023. Phased at roughly $2B each (excluding the data center/greenhouses), the project targets ~10 million tons of CO₂ permanently stored per year and >$100M in annual state revenue. More than a single deal, it sketches a replicable transition playbook for coal regions by coupling policy incentives, CCUS-enabled hydrogen, … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Public Participation in Urban Planning in the United States: An Analysis of the Leigh Valley Project Hearing in Durham

Yu Wang evaluates how public participation shapes U.S. urban planning through Durham’s Leigh Valley hearing—where a merger and rezoning near I-40/NC-54 advanced a walkable, higher-density neighborhood vision amid RTP’s housing pressures. The proposal allows up to 4,100 homes (apartments + townhomes) with long-term affordability commitments, greenway links, and street network changes, while wrestling with the area’s “Transit Opportunity Area” designation. Transparent notices, livestreamed testimony, developer revisions, and a 5–1 planning recommendation followed by council approvals reveal how … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：2024 Durham “Better Cities” Film Festival Series Report (Part 4) [Final Installment]

Sai Ma reports from the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, where the series concluded with “Zoning and Land Use.” Across eight shorts, the film explored New Urbanism lessons from Seaside, playful design to activate underused spaces, and how zoning shapes daily life and community growth. The finale—“Arbitrary Lines: The Free Spirit of Caroline”—had its first Southern screening, capturing the historic debate of a town long without zoning as it considered land-use rules.
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：2024 Durham “Better Cities” Film Festival Series Report (Part 3) [Serial]

Sai Ma reports from the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus with the third feature, “Southern Urbanism & Main Street Revitalization.” Across seven case shorts, the film explores how Southern cities—marked by lower density, later development, and distinctive cultural heritage—navigate urbanization challenges while leveraging historic assets. It highlights strategies that foster community cohesion, preserve unique architecture, and promote sustainable, place-based revitalization.
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：2024 Durham “Better Cities” Film Festival Series Report (Part 2) [Serial]

Sai Ma reports from the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus with the second feature, “Housing & Architecture.” Across nine shorts, the program examines how cities pair resilient, adaptive design with affordability and inclusion—spotlighting cases from THEARC in D.C. to supportive housing in the Bronx, micro-homes for the unhoused, pocket neighborhoods, and U.K. co-housing. It asks whether we can deliver enough homes and great design, and argues for human-centered, low-carbon, place-based solutions.
Thoughts on Overseas Travels： 2024 Durham “Better Cities” Film Festival Series Report (Part 1) 【Serial】

Sai Ma reports from the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus with the first feature, “The Engine Inside,” a 90-minute documentary following six riders across Kamloops, Alaska, New York, Ghana, Colorado, and Cairo. Through stories of recovery, endurance, civic activism, women’s mobility, and street safety, the film reframes the bicycle as a human-powered “engine” for equity and urban transformation. It challenges car-centric planning and urges protected bike networks and people-first streets to deliver … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：How to Activate the Economic Benefits of Natural Resource Conservation? — A Case Study from Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Huilin Yang reports on how the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status can convert conservation into local prosperity. Drawing on criteria IX and X for inscription and a rare, rain-fed peat wetland ecology, the case links expected tourism growth to a capital plan— a new U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service visitor center (~$4.5M) plus the $33.5M “Okefenokee Experience” (observatory, nature center, and cultural/community center)—projected to generate 300+ construction jobs, ~$46M in output, and … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The “Give and Take” in Real Estate Development—A Case Study of the Briar Chapel Project

Chen Xu distills the “give-to-get” logic from Briar Chapel, the RTP region’s flagship green community—preserving 55% (900 acres) as open space and building all homes to NGBS standards, which have saved residents $5M+ in energy costs. By pivoting to compact lots under Chatham’s CCO, restoring creek corridors and trails, and redesigning a two-mile transmission-line approach into a landscaped gateway, the project rode out the 2008 crisis while keeping a broad price mix ($180–$375/sq ft; detached, customs, townhomes, … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Adaptability of Low-income Communities in Post-disaster Relocation

Jiaming Xu summarizes Kanako Iuchi’s six-year longitudinal study on post-Haiyan relocation in Tacloban, Philippines. The research contrasts planned relocation to permanent housing in the north with transitional return to coastal zones, showing how resident attitudes evolved from skepticism to acceptance as infrastructure, services, and livelihoods stabilized. Key insights highlight the role of durable housing, education and healthcare access, and reliable water supply in shaping satisfaction. The article argues for a planning-centered relocation model—one that prioritizes holistic recovery, … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Reflections on the Transformation and Creativity of Abandoned Factories—A Record of the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, North Carolina, USA and the Chengdu Eastern Suburb Memory in China

Min Tang compares two landmark factory-to-creative-park transformations: the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, North Carolina, and Chengdu’s Dongjiao Memory in China. Both sites preserve their industrial heritage—red-brick smokestacks in Durham and Soviet-era factories in Chengdu—while layering new cultural and commercial uses. Success factors include strategic planning, heritage protection, mixed-use design, and strong community engagement. The article suggests future possibilities ranging from creative industry hubs to green maker spaces, showing how adaptive reuse can generate cultural vibrancy, economic … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Behind the Realization of the “People’s City” Vision—Experiences and Insights from the Implementation of Matthews Town Planning in the US

Zi’ang Xie examines how Matthews, a small town outside Charlotte, North Carolina, turned vision into reality by aligning public demand, financing, and design. The case shows how resident-driven priorities shaped the 12 community visions, later embedded in the town’s strategic and comprehensive plans. Through municipal bonds, Matthews funded multimodal transport projects, pedestrian-friendly streets, and greenway connections. The article also highlights challenges of deep public participation—business resistance, parking debates, and “Zoom-bombing”—and how trial zones, expert panels, and transparent … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Public Participation in American Land Use Planning: An Analysis Based on the ‘Context – Structure – Action – Outcome’ Framework

Duanshuai Shen analyzes how public participation shapes U.S. land use planning through the lens of “Context–Structure–Agency–Outcome.” Drawing from a Durham, North Carolina zoning hearing, the article shows how local traditions of multi-actor governance, layered decision-making, and diverse participation platforms—hearings, workshops, surveys, social media—allow residents to influence planning outcomes. This inclusiveness not only ensures transparency and accountability but also integrates community priorities into decisions on water resources, zoning, and environmental protection. The result is a planning process that … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The American Research Triangle Park through the Eyes of a Practitioner

Yu Wang examines the transformation of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park (RTP) through the launch of the HUB mixed-use project. Drawing on site visits and developer conversations, the article shows how RTP is shifting from its original single-use research park model toward a people-centered innovation district. Mechanisms such as special tax district reinvestment, zoning changes, public–private partnerships, and amenities like Boxyard, public art, green parks, and RTP Connect subsidies are highlighted as tools to attract talent and … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Evolution of the Model of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park

Yuhang Ren traces the evolution of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park (RTP) from its origins in the 1950s to its current transformation. Managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, RTP first embodied a “Industry–People–City” (RTP 1.0) model dominated by large firms like IBM and GlaxoSmithKline, where research and production were spatially isolated from housing and services. Recognizing the drawbacks of single-use planning, RTP has shifted to a “City–People–Industry” (RTP 2.0) model, reinvesting $50 million in mixed-use centers such … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The Revival and Redevelopment of the American Tobacco Campus

Jie Ren analyzes the revival and redevelopment of the American Tobacco Campus (ATC) in Durham, North Carolina. Once the world’s largest tobacco factory and later abandoned for over a decade, the site was purchased by Capitol Broadcasting in 2002 and transformed into a mixed-use landmark. The project’s three phases restored historic elements such as the Lucky Strike smokestack and water tower, added offices, retail, housing, and cultural venues, and culminated in the Durham Performing Arts Center—now one … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Why has North Carolina’s Research Triangle become the tech hub of North Carolina?

Zhihao Yao explores why North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park (RTP) has emerged as the state’s premier technology hub. Founded in 1959 through collaboration between government, universities, and business groups, RTP leveraged the scientific capacity of Duke, UNC–Chapel Hill, and NC State to attract federal institutes like NIEHS, corporate anchors such as IBM, Cisco, GSK, and Lenovo, and later more than 200 high-tech firms. Today, the park spans 7,000 acres, employs nearly 50,000 people, and hosts clusters in … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：My Experiences on American Highways

Qingxi Wang reflects on the unique experience of driving on U.S. highways, highlighting how affordability, orderliness, and convenience shape a culture of long-distance travel. Unlike in China, where high tolls, congestion, and higher fuel prices constrain highway use, U.S. interstates are typically toll-free or inexpensive, well-maintained, and surrounded by scenic landscapes. Drivers follow rules, maintain steady speeds close to the posted limit, and gas stations are abundant with fuel prices nearly half of China’s. Highways compress space … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：On the Road — The Harmonious Relationship of “People, Vehicles, and Roads” in America

Liqing Zhou explores how the relationship among people, cars, and roads shapes mobility and urban life in the United States. Drawing on experiences from interstate highways to local streets, the article shows how clear functional road classifications, human-centered traffic design—such as ubiquitous stop signs, middle turning lanes, and exit numbering—and rigorous drainage standards underpin both safety and efficiency. This order allows speed to coexist with freedom, creating a sense of mobility central to American culture. Yet Zhou … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Why the United States? — Observations on the American Innovation Environment

Zhenming Wu reflects on why the United States has sustained global leadership in innovation, drawing on personal observations in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. The article highlights three enabling conditions. First, a simple and efficient daily life—supported by streamlined administration, livable environments, and optimistic mindsets—frees researchers to focus on long-term work. Second, America’s cultural diversity, shaped by immigration and a “salad bowl” ethos of coexistence, fosters tolerance and multiplies the chances of novel ideas. Third, communication culture—from classroom … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Chapel Hill Greenway Research and Optimization Proposal

Xue Jiang surveys Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s small-town greenway system—~13.4 miles across 8 long and 3 short trails—and distills lessons for planning and retrofits. Originating from a 1998 plan that sought linear open space, universal access, and non-auto mobility, the network combines three corridor types: stream corridors that form the ecological spine, man-made utility corridors (sewer, gas, power), and neighborhood connector trails. Fieldwork flags gaps—discontinuous links, weak wayfinding, limited bike comfort—and analyzes two emblematic segments: the largely … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Romance of the Mountain City: Impressions of Chapel Hill

Tian Shuang’s “Mountain City Romance” captures Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a forest-first town where neighborhoods lack walls, streets thread through mature canopy, and low-rise housing, schools, parks, and retail nestle into topography rather than flattening it. Open communities, ample parking set in shade, and small, well-sited schools reflect an everyday urbanism designed around cars yet softened by abundant green. Homestead Park and nearby lakes illustrate how recreation follows landform; ubiquitous deer, squirrels, and waterfowl underscore strong … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Perspectives on Urbanization in America

Ma Xiaohe traces how U.S. industrialization and urbanization rose in lockstep—especially during the Second Industrial Revolution (1870–1920), when manufacturing overtook agriculture, immigrant labor flowed into factories, and city share of population jumped from 25.7% to 51.2%. After 1920, urbanization continued more slowly, reaching ~82% by 2017. The U.S. model features tight coordination between industry shifts and population concentration; a spatial evolution from small towns to large cities to metropolitan regions, followed by “smart growth” responses to sprawl; … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Chapel Hill Public Transit

Yan Zhang shows how Chapel Hill built a strong bus culture inside a car-oriented America by aligning service with a university town’s travel needs. With ~60% of UNC students living off-campus and parking constrained near campus and Franklin Street, routes radiate to UNC and the town center, backed by free fares since 2002, real-time arrival displays, and park-and-ride lots. First/last-mile fixes—bike parking at stops, front-mounted bike racks on buses, and walking/cycling buffers guiding sidewalk/greenway upgrades—lift usability despite … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：American Children’s Outdoor Playgrounds

Wanfei Gao highlights how Chapel Hill and other U.S. towns integrate child-centered outdoor environments into everyday urban life. Playgrounds combine colorful equipment with soft surfaces—often wood chips instead of asphalt—to reduce injury risk, while fencing and layouts balance safety with freedom. Larger parks host soccer and baseball games with family spectators and trained coaches, embedding play within community rituals. Beyond apparatus, natural lawns, sand pits, ponds, and even sculptural installations expand sensory and social learning opportunities. U.S. … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Revitalizing Small Towns: The Redesign of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill

Lei Xia highlights how Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street renewal illustrates the principles of vibrant small-town urbanism. Once a simple dirt road, the street evolved into a hub for retail, dining, culture, and student life, but rising congestion and frequent pedestrian–vehicle conflicts demanded redesign. Guided by Jacobs’ call for diversity and density, the plan prioritized walkability—colorful paving, shaded sidewalks, benches within a 400–500 m radius, and planting strips separating cars from people. Pocket parks carved from setbacks and … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The American Trail System and Its Implications for China

Chunling Zhang reflects on how the United States has turned its trails into a cultural and recreational system, blending fitness, memory, and environmental stewardship. From the Appalachian Trail to neighborhood greenways in Chapel Hill, trails connect daily life with nature, often carrying stories of love and loss through memorial benches, plaques, and community donations. The U.S. model, formalized through the 1968 National Trails System Act, combines federal oversight, state and local management, and extensive volunteer participation, ensuring … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The Past and Present of the ‘Rural Kingdom’

Xin Chen describes how the United States—despite being the world’s most urbanized power—transformed into a “kingdom of suburbs and countryside.” Three intertwined forces shaped this paradox: technology, policy, and race. First, the vast interstate highway system of the 1950s, cheap gasoline, and near-universal car ownership made commuting from country to city routine. Second, federal housing policies from the New Deal to the postwar GI Bill fueled suburban homebuilding with subsidized mortgages, tax incentives, and zoning that favored … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：A Glimpse of Urban Parks in the United States

Li Jia traces the evolution and distinctive character of American urban parks. From the naturalistic landscapes of the mid-19th century to the reform parks of the Progressive Era, the recreation-focused facilities of the Depression years, and the cultural revival of the 1960s, parks have continually adapted to social needs. Today, U.S. cities feature a graded park system—mini, neighborhood, community, and regional parks—supported by local governments and special park districts, with financing often supplemented by federal or state … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels： Campus Planning and Architectural Imagery: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill vs. Duke University

Huanhuan Qiang compares the campus planning and architectural imagery of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and Duke University. UNC, with its motto “Lux, Libertas,” unfolds along a north–south axis punctuated by quads, the Old Well, Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower, and Kenan Stadium, blending classical references with open, park-like landscapes. Its libraries and red-brick buildings embody accessibility and everyday academic life. By contrast, Duke, designed by Julian Abele, follows a strict Gothic master plan organized … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：FBC: An Urban Form Management Tool in the Context of New Urbanism

Mingyu Zhang introduces Form-Based Code (FBC) as an urban form management tool developed in the context of New Urbanism in the U.S. Unlike conventional zoning, which focuses on land use separation, FBC emphasizes physical form, walkability, and the integration of public and private spaces. Its components typically include regulating plans, public space standards, building standards, and administrative procedures, often supplemented by landscaping or signage standards. FBC can be mandatory, optional, or hybrid, each reflecting different levels of … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：New Characteristics of American Suburbs: Dense, Diverse, and Prosperous

Yi-Ping Xiao analyzes the new characteristics of American suburbs, which are evolving beyond the traditional image of sprawling, low-density, car-dependent communities. Since the mid-20th century, suburbs represented prosperity but were criticized for land waste, car dependency, and social segregation. Today, shifting demographics and lifestyles are reshaping suburban growth into denser, more diverse, and vibrant forms. Developers are creating compact, transit-accessible communities—such as Plano, Texas—that combine suburban affordability with urban amenities. Meanwhile, suburban office spaces are replacing outdated … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Construction of “Disaster Resistant Communities” in the United States

Fei Zhong explores the U.S. experience of building “Disaster Resistant Communities,” a model that has been evolving since the 1990s as part of FEMA’s Project Impact initiative. The approach emphasizes prevention over response: communities partner with governments, utilities, NGOs, businesses, and residents to identify hazards, map risks, and implement tailored mitigation plans. Wilmington, North Carolina, a coastal city threatened by sea-level rise and extreme storms, became an early demonstration site. Its strategy combined adaptive planning, flexible measures, … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：How to make planning more than just “drawing on paper and hanging on the wall”?

Ronghui Tan examines why urban planning in the U.S. rarely ends up as “maps on the wall” but instead becomes a living, participatory process. Since the 1960s, the role of planners has shifted from government agents to mediators among diverse interests, supported by legal guarantees such as the Federal Highway Act and the Federal Transit Act. Participation takes multiple forms—hearings, advisory boards, surveys, community forums, even planning “games”—making it easier for residents of different ages, backgrounds, and … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Green Thinking in Urban Future Planning

Xia Jiang reflects on her visits to major U.S. cities—New York, Boston, Washington, Orlando, Miami—and finds that what makes them charming is not only skylines of steel and glass, but the pervasive greenery: tree-lined boulevards, extensive public parks, and water bodies woven into daily life. These landscapes, though not overly ornate, embody a democratic, people-centered approach to green space. From Portland’s urban growth boundary to Chicago’s celebrated green roofs and Los Angeles’s “clean tech corridor,” American cities … Read more
Thoughts on Overseas Travels：The Forgotten Corner of Time: Middleton Place

Jing Xu visits Middleton Place in Charleston, one of the oldest surviving plantations in the American South and now a National Historic Landmark District. Built in the 1730s along the Ashley River, the estate once flourished as a vast rice plantation but was devastated by the Civil War and an earthquake. Unlike many reconstructed sites, Middleton Place has resisted commercial overdevelopment, preserving its scars and authenticity. Visitors encounter the surviving South House with original furnishings, portraits of … Read more