Following the launch of the Beijing International Trade Center's 330-meter-high phase III project last week, Beijing's urban planning authority said it would not sanction further construction of high-rise buildings.

China has been building skyscrapers since its opening-up in 1978. More and more buildings are being constructed every year, and they are becoming higher and higher. This has given rise to major safety concerns, in particular, safety in the event of fire.

In an experiment conducted by the city's urban security department, it took a strong able-bodied fire fighter 10 minutes to run down from the 33rd to the ground floor of a high-rise building. An average person would take far longer, not to mention the old and infirm or weak. In addition, a typical fire can spread from the ground floor to the 33rd in approximately 30 seconds, giving people trapped in skyscrapers little hope of escape in emergencies.

Apart from safety, there are also economic concerns the authorities have considered. For example, a high-rise building costs a lot of money not just to build, but also to maintain.

The presence of high-rise buildings has also been blamed for the negative impact on the eco-environment. Because Beijing has not developed specific rules relating to the construction of skyscrapers, whether in relation to their design or location, their construction has been fairly random and uncontrolled.

A problem that has been highlighted is that of wind tunnels. Depending on the design of the skyscrapers, having two side by side can give rise to a gale effect in the space in between. Local media has previously reported cases of pedestrians battling with and even being knocked to the ground by strong winds near the 200-meter-high Jingguang Center along the East Third Ring Road in Chaoyang District.

High-rise buildings can also accentuate a city's "heat island" effect. Air conditioning and illuminating facilities consume huge amounts of energy, which in turn generate massive heat emissions thereby breaking a city's heat balance.

Skyscrapers also block out sunlight and obstruct a person's view of the sky. These do have a psychological impact on people living in cities dotted with skyscrapers.

As most of Beijing's high-rise buildings are in the downtown area, it is very crucial to study their impact on the surrounding eco-environment to ensure sustainable urban development.

In recent years, people have gradually come to realize that urbanization is more than just increasing the number of skyscrapers.

The protection and promotion of a city's unique cultural heritage is equally important. A Beijing without the Forbidden City is inconceivable; so, too, is a New York without the Statue of Liberty or a Paris without the Eiffel Tower. If "skyscrapers" equal "urbanization," it must then mean that urbanization equals the cultural death of a city.

In the last 20-odd years, China's urban development has been characterized by rapid construction. Buildings got bigger, better and higher. But this latest announcement from Beijing's urban planning authority shows that "height" doesn't always matter.

(China.org.cn by Wind Gu, July 11, 2005)