Beijing has announced plans to combat “urban diseases” by capping its population and shrinking its footprint, wreaking havoc on the small businesses and migrants that throng its bustling streets, according to the Financial Times. The Chinese capital will cap its population at 23m “long-term residents” by 2020 “and keep it at that level for the long term,” a city government notice said. The permanent population of Beijing’s central districts dropped by 353,000 last year, according to municipal data released last week. The capital’s official population is now close to 22m. Within the capital, the campaign has translated into the destruction of small shops and businesses that make up 35% of the city’s economy but only 7.5% of its tax revenues, according to 2011 figures, the most recent available.