[Reposted from Nov 2013] Hammerson's Living Bridge over the North Circular Road at Brent Cross: Handy for the shops.

Link to Bloomberg

"With China’s cities set to swallow another 276 million people by 2030, the nation needs a new strategy for municipal planning that brings residential and other land uses closer together with efficient public transport, said Peter Calthorpe, founder of Berkeley-based urban design firm Calthorpe Associates and author of 'Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change'.

"Under the superblock model [or as we call it, the Barnet model], municipal authorities typically build four- to eight-lane highways [A406] to remote suburbs where they can sell building rights to developers on slabs of land about 500 meters square. The construction companies then erect apartment towers on the block separated from the rest of the community by fences and security guards [and the A406].

"Housing, industry and shopping districts are often zoned for different parts of the city, making long commutes the norm."