Beijing is embarking on a radical plan to rein in its population by kicking people out of the city center. Despite the city’s efforts to keep a lid on population growth, greater Beijing now has almost 22 million people, an increase of some 6 million in a decade, according to The Wall Street Journal. Beijing’s government is shutting down businesses and moving others out of the central part of the metropolis in the hope that people will follow. Entire markets deemed unfit for the capital have been closed or moved and services shut down. The heavy-handed approach is a response to years of rapid urban growth that has brought worsening congestion, pollution and water-supply problems.
Categories