Beijing authorities have been reminded of the pressing need for town planning, following a trend for people to move out of the city to larger, better equipped suburban housing after the SARS crisis.

The SARS panic has left a deep impression on urban residents, as shown by profound changes in their housing preferences.

According to a survey of Beijing's apartment buyers conducted by the Market-Expert (Shanghai) Co Ltd, 64.5 per cent have become more concerned with ventilation conditions, 44.4 per cent expect a healthier ecological environment in their residential areas and 13.4 per cent prefer to choose housing in or near city outskirts.

The disease has weakened the urbanits' faith in cheaper apartment buildings in the densely-populated downtown areas, which risked quicker and easier epidemic spreads similar to Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens, noted the survey company.

One man who has long aspired and planned to move to the elegant Cuihu villa community in Changping district in Beijing's northern outskirts said he is still worried about taking the elevator in his apartment building for fear of infection.

Housing estates developed on the city's outskirt areas, usually much more spacious and with better ventilation and more greenery, have seen sales peak post-SARS.

However, the rapid development of such estates accelerated by the epidemic has placed great pressure on local traffic as a growing number of suburban residents rush to downtown areas for work every day, experts say.

The suburban Huilongguan residential area is nearing its planned 300,000 population capacity, but the delay in the construction of the related commercial and trading facilities provides no employment opportunities for its residents, who still flock to the city's central areas for jobs.

As a result, traffic jams often occur at the toll stations along the expressway linking the community to the downtown areas.

Professor Wu Liangyong, an academician with both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, considers the emergence of such suburban areas and urban traffic problems as an early warning sign for the outdated, improper town planning, which is no longer able to keep pace with the city's development.

"The employment function in the city of Beijing was originally focused in the central areas as confined to a multiring-road pattern closing in the urban centre, circle by circle. The layout has hindered the city's overall balanced development and will aggravate the present social problems if not revised,'' said Wu, who is also a noted architect professor at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He called for a prompt adjustment in town planning in a bid to disperse the city's social functions and stop further increases in building density in the central city.

"It will not only benefit the protection of the ancient capital with a wealth of relics of historical and cultural value, but also ease population and traffic pressures over the downtown areas in Beijing,'' Wu said.

He also noted the revised planning should take into full account the population capacity as well as the balance between habitation and employment.

Moreover, Wu said: "Special town corridors should be designed and built to link suburban residential areas.''

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