China is the capital of supertall skyscrapers. Why is it banning them?

Presented by   After years of hyperspeed growth, China’s architecture is about to look a lot different. New rules just laid down by the central government are calling for an end to the massively tall skyscrapers that have popped up all over mainland China. The regulations prohibit any new buildings taller than 500 meters, or about 1,640 feet, and put strict limitations on buildings taller than 250 meters, or 820 feet. The rules signal the end of China’s supertall building boom. But according to one skyscraper expert and one architect whose firm has built some of China’s tallest buildings, the rules are about much more than shrinking city skylines. Read my story here. — Nate Berg   China is the capital of supertall skyscrapers. Why is it banning them? One feature of the country’s hyper-speed urbanization may be changing.   READ MORE   This company is building a carbon calculator for every product in the world Carbonfact is impossibly ambitious. But impossible ambition is just what the environment needs right now.   READ MORE   How the Olympics ruin cities The Olympics are no longer compatible with modern, sustainable development. Even the IOC recognizes this.   READ MORE

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These wild shoes are designed to weather floods and extreme heat Climate change is already here. Will the shoes of the future help us get through floods and extreme heat?   READ MORE   What if our home electronics were made from fruit, not plastic? Italian designers have made a lamp from discarded orange peels. It even smells like citrus.   READ MORE     Japan’s quest to create beautiful places to pee The Tokyo Toilet project aims to let residents off their “urinary leash.”   READ MORE     Support strength in journalism Join Fast Company Premium for $1   If you don’t want to receive Compass anymore, unsubscribe here. If you were forwarded Compass and like it, subscribe here. View this newsletter online. 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10007-2195