GUANGZHOU: The Guangzhou urban planning bureau will soon make use of high technology to monitor illegal structures and make urban planning more transparent.

In a report to the city's people's congress yesterday, Pan An, head of the bureau, said Guangzhou will use a satellite system for the monitoring of existing and future illegal structures throughout the city.

It will also be used in the establishment of a three-dimensional electronic urban planning map.

"The monitoring system will survey the whole city eight times a day. Existing illegal structures will be identified and dealt with, while those under construction will be nipped in the bud," he said.

Pan said the planning map will initially cover a downtown area of 40 sq km by the end of this year and will be extended later.

The map will be open to public scrutiny.

"People will be able to see very clearly the planning of each building and its surroundings in the new map," Pan said.

Information on urban planning ranging from permits for land use and construction, detailed planning, approval and acceptance will all be available in the e-map, he said.

Chen Xiaoxiao, a deputy to the city's people's congress, praised the efforts of the urban planning authority.

She called on the authority to do more to integrate urban planning information with property projects under construction or on sale.

"If this can be done, property developers' marketing tricks can be minimized," she said.

(China Daily 06/20/2007 page4)