Two on China: Connected China app / China’s Urban Billions series

Connected China: Explaining the Players and Networks within China – post on the always-interesting blog information aesthetics about a “beautifully crafted” app developed collaboratively by Thomson Reuters and Fathom Information Design.  Here’s a direct link to the Connected China app.

[It] tracks and visualizes the people, institutions and relationships that form China’s elite power structure.

The application was specifically designed for the iPad and is based on data, text, photos and videos from the international news agency Reuters.

China’s Urban Billion: Why does it matter? – first in a series of posts on TheCityFix from Xiaomei Tan, the Deputy China Country Director and Director of China Sustainable & Livable Cities Initiative at the World Resources Institute.  The series will talk about urbanization in China and its effect on the private and public sectors, government, and economy.  Via Urban Times

 In March 2013, the People’s Congress of China officially selected the new leadership for the nation, who will drive China’s policy priorities in the coming decade. Unsurprisingly, a central policy theme of the new leadership is urbanization. Urbanization is viewed as a vehicle that will drive China towards three policy goals: maintaining economic growth at 7.5%, improving people’s livelihood, and safeguarding social justice. …

With such ambitious goals, the Chinese leadership has much to expect from a successful urbanization. In order to succeed, China is actively looking out for best practices and lessons learned. Europe’s urbanization seems to present a good example.