On Monday I will be departing on a trip to China. Last year, I received a grant from the Earlham College Center for Environmental Action (using funding from the Mellon Foundation) to investigate urban density as a solution to the climate crisis. After years of anti-urbanization policy under Mao Zedong, China in the past four decades has undergone the most dramatic urbanization process in human history. The main reason for making this trip is simply to experience first hand the enormity of this undertaking, and then reflect upon how I can integrate this into my environmental policy classes. I will be visiting Beijing (with a day trip to Tianjin), Shanghai, and Hong Kong, which are all ‘global cities’ — making them incredibly important both geopolitically and economically. Beijing provides an opportunity to visit a more traditional urban setting focused to a large degree on horizontal urban growth, while Shanghai and Hong Kong have emphasized vertical development.

In addition to studying patterns of urbanization in these three metropolitan areas, I will explore China’s increasingly state-of-the-art transportation system. At the most basic level this will include renting bikes, taking taxis, and riding buses/subways. I will also take the modern high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai. I will take the bullet-fast maglev train that connects downtown Shanghai to Pudong Airport. I will take an ‘internal’ flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong. This will allow me to experience nearly the entire suite of transportation options available in China.

And, over the next two weeks I will be writing about all of these experiences. So, stay tuned!