City management departments should give consideration to interests of all social groups, says a signed article in Jinan Times. An excerpt follows:

Beijingers asked in a recent survey about their satisfaction with living in the city gave it a score of 63.8 points out of 100.

The survey, conducted by a team of researchers led by Professor Zhang Wenzhong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed that families with a monthly income in excess of 10,000 yuan (US$1,234) were most satisfied with the situation, while those earning less than 3,000 yuan (US$370) were the least satisfied with life in the capital. This result shows that the city's administrators are failing to pay enough attention to Beijing's poorer residents.

It is a common problem in Chinese cities that city management despises the poor and curries favour with the rich. For example, in the name of upgrading the image of cities, they forcefully eliminate roadside stalls ran by low-income earners, while also moving them out of the city centre through compulsory resettlement to inconvenient suburban areas. In some cities, bicycle lanes are scrapped to make room for cars. In a nutshell, this makes life easier for better-off people but only makes matters worse for poorer residents.

Some city administrators place image at the core of their urban development plans. Such a mindset leads to the disappearance of old communities, street vendors and bicycle lanes. Such behaviour appeals to elite groups, those with a greater influence over government's policy-making.

Urban low-income earners also contribute to the cities, so due respect should be paid to their interests and needs. But their influence on urban construction and management is sadly lacking. Low and medium-income earners have fewer chances to make their voices heard.

The only way to change this situation is to give low-income earners more opportunities of political participation. They should be able to influence policy-making, and urge city management departments to take into account the interests of all people.

(China Daily July 6, 2006)