If you had asked me where the tallest residential building in Southeast Asia is as of 2018 I would have guessed Bangkok or KL. Having got those two wrong, I’m not sure that Johor Bahru would have figured into my top 10 guesses. Indeed, Johor Bahru doesn’t figure much in people’s thoughts in general, but […]
The Green Corridor – Singapore’s former railway line that’s now a walking path
I’m a big fan of urban walking, and Singapore – being the urban planning masters that they are – are planning to create one of the world’s greatest walks along a former railway. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were once connected by a direct railway, which ran from Keppel Road near Downtown Singapore to the Kuala […]
Rebuilding the new Beirut
Sometimes you get a good feeling about a place even before you step foot on its soil. This was the case for Beirut when I first caught a glimpse of the city. The airport is close to the city centre, and if the flights are arriving from the north the flightpath goes over the old […]
Urban regeneration projects of Seoul that other cities should copy
Every city makes planning and development mistakes in the course of its history. No city is perfect, but a good city will at least try to rectify the err of its urban planning ways. The city of Seoul is a modern city that has razed most of its heritage buildings. The highlight for most visitors […]
In Pictures: Downtown Los Angeles
I have been to Los Angeles a number of times yet I had never been to the downtown area. When I first came to LA, in 1996, the Downtown area was still off the map for tourists. It was the America that you heard on the news, with crime riddled streets and Americas largest skid […]
Walking the High Line – New York City
New York now has two walks in my good walks section (New York is that kind of place) with The High Line Park now added to my collection. While not as epic as the Broadway Walk, this walk is far more relaxing, with no traffic to contend with and a length of just one mile. […]
The five foot way of Georgetown, Penang
Georgetown in Malaysia is one of best preserved colonial cities in Southeast Asia. The streets of Georgetown are lined with shophouses from the 19th and early 20th century in varying states of conservation. [Georgetown Covered Walkway] Every shophouse has a five foot way (kaki-lima), which is a sheltered walkway in front of each shop front. […]
Notes on Dubai – old and new
Notes from my trip to Dubai in October 2007. Dubai Weather… …is hot. Damn hot! At the end of September the forecast maximum is 40 deg C and a minimum of 29 deg C. Step out of the air conditioned comfort of the airport and it hits you in the face and fills your lungs. […]
