The rapid and uncontrolled expansion of today’s cities is causing anxiety not only among urban planners and architects, but also experts in the field of public health. They are alarmed that the disorder of the urban expansion is robbing the population of its basic health and well-being through environmental pollution, inadequate housing and the increasing numbers of neighbors who do not know neighbors.

Beijing, a city of over 21 million residents, is an example of this social isolation. Until the early 1980s, the Chinese capital, was constructed as quantities of Siheyuan. This open structure greatly strengthened contact between neighbors, encouraged the sharing of resources, and formed close relations between families. Because of these characteristics, these structures were described as “collections of small rural villages”. Until the mid-1980s, only a few skyscrapers disrupted the harmony of the landscape. Today Beijing has the look and feel of a modern city, where these “small rural villages” have been replaced by towering skyscrapers. This striking change is not limited to outer structures; it has also dramatically changed the closeness of human relations.

Physical isolation has destroyed the local sense of solidarity (团结), and contributed to the destruction of what were once united family groups. As the distance between home and the workplace has also increased considerably, workers now find themselves devoting what was once valuable family time to exhausting commutes in overcrowded buses or subways.

The disordered growth of today’s cities can no longer be ignored. The great challenge is how to improve the quality of urban life by ensuring harmonious growth. Skyscrapers should not be the only view people can see in a city. Old-fashioned but unique architecture reflects history, character — even the culture of a city. Cities should learn from the experiences of other cities with similar characteristics. This effort requires not only the participation of urban planners but public health and environmental experts, politicians, and fundamentally, the communities themselves.

The Shanghai Disneyland theme park officially reopens to the public on May 11, 2020. During the initial reopening period, the majority of Shanghai Disneyland’s attractions, rides, shows and shopping, accommodation and dining locations will resume operations, with controlled attendance. Some interactive attractions and experiences, such as children play areas, and theater shows will remain closed.

Guests shall obey the following requirements when Shanghai Disneyland reopens:

1. Purchase dated admission tickets for Shanghai Disneyland online, as on-site sales will not be available. Annual Pass holders must make a reservation for their visit date and time on-line before their visit to the park.

2. Provide basic personal information for each guest visiting the park, including name, phone number and ID number via Shanghai Disney’s official website after purchasing a ticket and before arriving at the park. A Shanghai Disneyland Reservation QR Code will be provided after the success submission of the required identification information, and guests will be required to present the code before entering the theme park.

3. Undergo temperature screening procedures upon arrival.

4. Wear a mask during the entire visit to the park except when dining.

From virtual tours to e-learning tools, museums and art galleries have been sharing resources using digital platforms to continue to connect with the public, share collections and stories, and support those who are vulnerable（脆弱的）during closures and the COVID-19 crisis.

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery is a family friendly museum in Hastings with a diverse collection of 97,000 objects of local history, fine a d decorative arts and natural sciences. To deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, we have launched a digital museum via the Twitter hashtag #HastingsDigitalMuseum as well as via out Facebook and Instagram pages.

The British Library

Over the past two years, our imaging specialists have been trying to digitise the globes, which form one of the most beautiful parts in the British Library’s vast maps collection. The virtual globes will be made available for up close interaction on the British Library’s website throughout 2020, with the first seven due for release on 26 March.

Art UK

Art UK is the online home for every public art collection in the UK. Art UK is a charity, which features almost digitised 250,000 artworks available online. Through our work, we make art available for everyone--for enjoyment, learning and research. From May we will offer users the opportunity to create and share albums of artworks as well as”digital surrogate（替代的）exhibitions”.

Leeds Art Gallery Online

The displays at Leeds City Art Gallery have been selected by the staff to reflect the richness and variety of the collections. Established masterpieces are presented alongside lesser known works. It includes recent acquisitions and long term works from the collection. The collection is quite large--only a fraction（部分）is on display at any one time. When not on show, these may be seen by appointment at the Gallery.