It's not often I read New Scientist Magazine. However, browsing the newsagents at Victoria Station (London) today this caught my gaze. In a nutshell it explores what I confidently can call fact, that whether the green lobby likes it or not we aren't all suddenly going to make a rush to live back in the countryside from where around 90% of our ancestors came prior to the industiral revolution. World wide populations continue to move to cities and this the article recognizes is likely to be little more than disastarous ecologically. Whereas American cities were developed with the car in mind this is no longer recognized as the best approach by many planners, politicians, environmentalists et al. Rather to design cities which discourage car use, improve transport, offer mixed use development, i.e. workspace and residential side by side, good telecomunications and even grow food. The photo here kind of sums up the approach. The article continues then to talk about a new suburb of Shanghai being developed out of a muddy island which will be called Dontang and the article explores a risk analysis of what might go wrong as well as what the planners wish to achieve. Basically Dontang will be a short distance from downtown Shanghai and it is hoped the place will not just become another urbanized suburb full of cars. For this reason the whole area is being designed to make driving a trial. Wind turbines and green space will be a common feature in the new suburb but the article criticizes the inclusion of a golf course which could be set aside for more productive uses such as food production. The main thing is the Chineese are trying on a scale no one else seems to be. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has visited for inspiration to take ideas forward in London. Read it yourself, New Scientist, £2.70 from newsagents.