Beijing: Beijing City Planning

In the Beijing City Planning Exhibition Hall the entire city of Beijing is represented on a miniature scale like an architecture model. I found it pretty amazing because, being the scientist that I am, I'm a huge fan of models. Or maybe, less intellectually, I like 3D city models because they're kind of like dollhouses :p

The Beijing model probably took up about a 20 foot x 20 foot area, and was impressive in its level of detail and completeness of representation. The little buildings and roads even had mini lights and trees. The lights would come on periodically while we looked at the model, but they always seemed to shut off before I could get a good picture of the lighted city.



I suppose when the government regulates all property and buildings, it's possible to know what every street and building looks like and how long it will remain in it's current state. If an American government agency tried to model a major American city, it would be nearly impossible to stay abreast of the ever hanging landscape let alone model it.







Looking at the Beijing model was a very educational lesson on how the city is organized. I did not know before visiting the exhibition hall that the entire city of Beijing is centered around the Forbidden City . Also, Beijing consists of four loops. The innermost loop sections off the Forbidden City plus some more land that is a mix of residential and commercial. 9 large, pagoda looking gates mark the perimeter of this loop. The Beijing model only displayed the buildings in this innerloop as this is the section that contains the most significant historic, cultural, and business centers.

I appreciate the romantic ideology of the Beijing city planning that placed the thousands-year-old imperial palace at the heart of the city. The layout of the city itself speaks of the emphasis the culture places on it's history. This sentimentality is absent in the American cities that I've lived in, so to see Beijing's pride in its past is both refreshing and impressive. However, it seems not everybody shares my appreciation. Later on in the evening while speaking with a Beijing local, she shakes her head when I mention Beijing city planning. She doesn't elaborate too much on her displeasure but she mentions that the roads are too congested with traffic and the city continues to grow in population but not physical size. I can see how I might find the Forbidden City inner loop less than awe-inspiring if I had to spend hours in traffic each morning as well.