The governorate refused to grant permission to trade unions and youth groups for demonstrations in Taksim Square due to a large scale construction project in the area.

CNN: Turkish police tear gas Labor Day protesters

In terms of floor area, property construction starts increased 16% to 1.9 billion square meters in 2011, a growth rate down sharply from 42% in 2010, data released Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

WSJ: China Construction Starts Slowed in 2011