Strong winds in recent days have caused a lot of trouble in Beijing. Blowing down trees and billboards, the mighty winds for a brief time had a peak force of 7 - enough to push cars around on the highway. Even worse, the city now has to worry about the "Pipe Effect" produced by even stronger winds in narrow zones between high buildings. Now, Beijing is undertaking research on how to control the winds through urban planning.

Beijing is not the only big city to face the problem of the "Pipe Effect," also called the "Valley Effect." Relevant international organizations have listed this among the 20 new disasters faced by metropolises. The wind in the valley is always stronger than the wind in the plain, therefore, the wind in the narrow zones between high buildings of a city is also much stronger, capable of producing a disaster.

Beijingers have a love-hate feeling towards the winds. Concerned departments know it is difficult to get rid off pollutants if there is no wind in winter. But if the wind is too strong, it can result in a disaster through the Pipe Effect.

The Municipal Meteorological Bureau and the Municipal Planning and Designing Institute of Construction are carrying out research on the relationship between winds and construction in the city, according to reports. They are considering how city construction can help reduce the effect of natural winds by controlling the height and distance between buildings in a way that will reduce the potential disaster brought about by the Pipe Wind while allowing winds to blow into the city to reduce heat and pollution.

(北京晨报 [Beijing Morning Post], translated by Wang Qian for china.org.cn, April 24, 2002)