Speaking earlier this week at a sustainable development forum at Tongji University, the director of city urban planning and land resource administration announced a plan to cover half of Shanghai with green space by 2020 . According to Shanghai Daily, “nature reserves, wetlands, forests and farmland will cover half the city's 6,787- square-kilometer area.” more ›

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• Ugh, you thought shanghai weather was hot already? Apparently its supposed to have entered the hottest part of summer just yesterday. Also, there will be thunderstorms. Fun. [Shanghai Daily]
• Paul French decries the destruction of old buildings in Hongkou thanks to the World Expo. Sigh, not everybody can have the semi-fabulous fate of Taikang Lu and Xintiandi we guess. [China Rhyming]
• On the upside, 13 of the city's parks are going to be upgraded this year (most likely for the same reason old buildings are being destroyed). On the list are Changfeng Park, Shanghai Botanical Garden and Shanghai Zoo. [Shanghai Daily]