Comment: CBD expansion neither prevention nor cure

Beijing recently revealed CBD expansion plan to boost its capacity for traffic by creating an intricate network of underground tunnels and terminals. Seven proposals from leading urban planning firms were made in the shadow of reports there would be a predicted four million cars in the capital by the end of this year, and five by 2011.

But this is not just a matter of dissolving congestion on the city's roads - the hard reality is that the municipal government decided in May to double the area of CBD by shifting residents out and turning their homes into office space. In short, this situation has come about from the actions of city planners to squeeze even more money out of an area used largely by pensioners as housing. The project will directly affect tens of thousands of people through relocation, millions more from vehicular pollution, and countless others from the enormous costs required - 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) will come straight from taxpayers' pockets for the 6-year-long ordeal.

Beijing is the capital city of one the most prosperous countries in the world and there has never been any doubt it needs a strong business center. Enhancing trade and finance, both domestically and internationally, adds coffers to the national bank and raises the general standards of the country.

But consider this: If the total amount spent on resolving the CBD dilemma was more than the increased gain, surely few could argue it was all worth it. The problem is, no one really knows.

While great minds ponder over what is happening to the national economy, aging CBD residents find themselves evicted from their homes while countless others breathe in the fumes of a thousand more Beijing cars every day. This is pure financial gain and thinly disguised.

Cities like Amsterdam and London have shown workable solutions of congestion without tightly knit CBD areas by using comprehensive public transport and congestion charges. Beijing, on the other hand, tackles 20 percent of daily cars on the roads (about 700,000 cars annually) by using a number plate limiting system.

As a Londoner in Beijing, I absolutely love the subway system here. There is no spaghetti mess to unravel, but just a blank canvas on which can be painted a precise network of underground railways with the ability to take anyone to within 1km of their chosen destination. A predicted new line every year is music to the ears and the perfect solution for motorcar pollution. Quite how anyone could think it was sensible to hamper trains with basement-level roads is beyond me.

By now you are as confused as me. What's the real issue here, pollution or eviction? Are these changes going to help or hinder? To answer that and summarize this whole dilemma, remember the time-honored motto still used globally in cases of public health which suggests solid improvements will always be made when emphasis is placed on: "Prevention rather than cure."

Forward thinking benefits all, but it is my opinion that the CBD issue not only fails to prevent citizens, it can't even be viewed as a long-term cure. That said, it's all irrelevant anyway - 50 years from now we'll all be underwater.