During my five days in Kunming it was constantly overcast and frequently raining. I never use umbrellas, so tree-covered streets such as this one were welcome when I could find them. There are a number of streets that resemble this one, with healthy trees and bicyclists and autos peacefully coexisting. It resembles what many cities in America are striving for, encouraging people to commute by more eco-friendly means and planting more foliage. Quality of life enhancements seem to be the mantra of the day. However, Kunming will probably in the near future lose these kinds of scenes. There are voices calling for preservation of trees and municipal character, but unfortunately these voices are primarily in academia. The people who weild the real power are the businesspeople, and they are calling for more development. But as in America and other Western cities, there is sure to be a cycle--economic development followed by civic depression and an eventual movement towards quality of life issues.