"In 2002, 5.05 million square metres of various urban construction projects will be completed with a total investment of 18 billion yuan (US$2.17 billion). Some 70 per cent of the projects are residential houses with low prices for low-earning residents," said Qiao Zheng, vice-mayor of Xi'an in charge of urban construction.

The local government will lead real estate developers to construct affordable buildings and will further control land use in order to increase the amount of housing for those with low income, Qiao said.

"And we will further implement the measure of housing allowances and ensure the money directly goes to low-earning residents to raise their purchasing capacity," Qiao said.

At present, Xi'an has more than 580,000 people who live in small houses with no indoor plumbing. Floor area per person averages less than 5 square metres.

The local government will also invest another 2.2 billion yuan (US$265 million) in projects focusing on the development of urban water supply, natural gas supply, road construction, sewage treatment and garbage disposal, Qiao said.

"We will pay more attention to the appearance of the city in order to provide a clean and tidy environment for local residents and tourists both at home and abroad," Qiao said.

(China Daily February 7, 2002)