Development VS Protection

I agree with you that it is a pity to tear down the traditional buildings. Here in Shanghai, there is a in-official group led by an architecture professor in the Tong Gi University, appealing for government attention to such cases. Whenever some attempt is found, people will contact the organization. Their contribution is highly recognized and as the result, some areas are reserved, highways rerouted, and most importantly, the general level of understanding and attention greatly enhanced.

Hi Soochow, I like china and i care about its economic development. china should lead asia as soon as possible. I think about this problem from the viewpoint of city landscape management. the removal of old buildings is unavoidable, but the city govt should provide some places in the city where old buildings are preserved and can be tourist objects. for example, the govt must pick 100 most historical buildings to preserve. by doing this, the city will still retain its historical parts while being able to keep up with economic development. and the most important issue is the govt must provide better living place for people whose houses were torn down. btw, in which part of china do you live?

I think that we don't do well in this aspect. Many nice old buildings were removed. But then later our government will spend huge money to make something which look like the old buildings. It is a big waste. No matter how much you spend, it won't be an antique. The culture can't be copied. Besides the "face project" really sucks. I love China

Soochow, As much as it pains you to see historical and memorable structures and buildings being torn down for the present economic development, I have to believe that these developments are not entirely about economics and/or modernization. China is a big country, other than the heavily populated cities there are plenty of land and I am sure the authorities could have other considerations before deciding pulling down a historical site, where one of the most valid one would be the site's structural foundation which most of the time would deteriorate with time making it unsafe to be around. With your country's development and emphasis on eco-friendly energy, not forgetting a spokesman on many environmental issues on UN and the rest of the world - I would not believe that the authorities did not make an extensive study and consideration for their decisions.

Yes, exactly. It's all about money. Smallest outlay for the maximum return in the shortest time-frame. There are so many different ways & materials at our disposal in these modern times. Governments everywhere should be providing investors with incentives to build in harmony with their local environment. Get on the forums for people building the latest in eco-friendly housing all over the world. On the Shemco website there is a huge amount of information for not just building on a budget & saving money upfront, but saving money on a daily basis. There are endless benefits to having your buildings designed right in the first place. Have your buildings cool in the Summertime & warm in the wintertime without the need for & expense of heaters & air conditioners. Our energy costs & your energy bills are set to skyrocket in the next couple of years, so prepare for it now. You can use it to harvest your own rain water & store it so you can run your house off it & never have to pay a water bill again. You can grow your own fruit & vegetables. You can build systems in there to generate & store your own electricity if you wish. You can set up systems to allow you to get things done for free that you currently have to pay through the nose for on a frequent basis. You can live more simply with less clutter & more peacefulness & still have enough left over. It's better & cheaper to build with locally sourced building materials. Certain types of timber are naturally termite-resistant too. I'm unconvinced about solar cells (photovoltaic) for energy generation. Solar hot water is an excellent idea still. Photovoltaic cells are a huge financial outlay & will take about 25 years to recover your costs (break-even). There are much better & much, much cheaper alternatives that are also much more environmentally friendly & output tons more power in all weather conditions extremely efficiently & help the environment at the same time. http://www.shemco.com/sustainable-green-living/