(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-17 07:23

Scientific planning is important for the construction of new roads and buildings, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Recently, a new expressway connecting Guizhou and Zunyi was put into use. This expressway is a major link between the seaside city of Zhanjiang and the southwestern mountainous region of Chongqing.

It reminds us of the former road which also connected Guizhou and Zunyi. The road was 85 km in length and cost 1.76 billion yuan. It was open to traffic in 1997. But only three years later, it had to be renovated. In 2004, the current expressway construction was launched to completely rebuild the old road, leaving 40 percent of it in disuse.

In recent years, it is common to see newly-completed buildings being demolished and rebuilt. Many of these buildings have only been erected for less than 10 years. The life span of buildings in the world is usually between 80 and 100 years, but in China, it is only about 30 years on average. The short life of these buildings involves heavy expenditure - demolition and reconstruction, processing of garbage, waste of personnel, and natural resources.

The waste of money is blamed on too fast development that was not initially foreseen. But fast development must be based on sound development and it should not be used as a pretext for overlapping construction.

By sound development we mean there should be long-term scientific planning which not only satisfies current needs, but also leaves room for future growth. Scientific planning cuts down on expenditure.

The planning of some local governments shows a lack of knowledge, and their arbitrary interference leads to financial loss and scars in cities. Scientific planning requires sound development and a strict legal system.

(China Daily 01/17/2008 page8)