Beijing's future arrives early

The rapidity of the changes around us means plans are forever playing catch up.

Changes in Beijing's demographic statistics have occurred so rapidly that the city's 2005 plan to be prepared for a 20-million population by 2020 is already obsolete 10 years ahead of time. Though change is arguably the defining characteristic of the country, a 10-year discrepancy between reality and the plan is conspicuous by any standard. By Nov 1, 2010, the city's resident population had surpassed 19.6 million, according to the sixth national census, so the corresponding urban development blueprint needs to be redrawn to accommodate this state of affairs.

A central task - and also pressure - on the shoulders of local development planners is to deal with the outstanding mismatch between the ever-expanding size of the metropolis and tightening resource supplies. A shortage of water, for instance, is emerging as a real restraint on the city's development ambitions. Per capita water reserves in Beijing are reportedly one-tenth of the internationally accepted alert level. And each and every one of its traditional and potential water suppliers is now suffering from drought.