No need to point out that he Chinese are still destroying the environment relentlessly, and most Chinese cities make Los Angeles seem like Switzerland in terms of air pollution (Capital cities have twice its rate of air pollution). The world may be surprised that that Beijing is keeping its anti-pollution regulation in place (license plate restrictions and such) because the inhabitants actually like their air a little cleaner… who would have thought.

What is really interesting though is that some of the world’s boldest architectural experiments in terms of green building are currently taking place in China.

Steven Holl is building linked hybrid , one of the largest green residential projects in the world. Here rich Beijing locals can ignore the outside air quality for a bit by focusing on their nicely sculptured green gardens, while proudly tapping their geothermal walls. It even has a Montessori school… does it get any greener than that?

One step up is Arup’s (of Sidney Opera Hall fame) geo city, at the mouth of the heavily polluted Yangtze river: zero vehicle emissions, organic farming methods, advanced waste recycling. And no less than 10.000 inhabitants will be able to enjoy this lush green lifestyle. Only one billion to go… but nonetheless, it is hard to find any such project anywhere in the world.