Newsweek has the transformation of Beijing for the 2008 Olympics as its main story in the next issue and the verdict is, by and large, give or take, very favorable.

‘The silhouettes of the spectacular new stadium and swimming center are already familiar worldwide, but they are set in a rebuilt urban core that startles return visitors. Lush new green spaces, swirling expressways, shopping arcades roofed with giant LED screens, a new downtown financial center plus a vastly expanded public transport system have all rapidly appeared. To some, the Olympic-driven metamorphosis evokes the remaking of Paris by Baron Haussmann between 1865 and 1887—a complete redesign of the city center, including the creation of the grand boulevards for which Paris is famous today.’

That is quite an amazing statement.

Paris is the city it is because of Hausmann (he was not responsible for the quite appalling Eiffel Tower) and his architecture took a poor and badly designed city and turned it into something the world often thinks of as approaching perfection.

There is also some reference to Hitler’s architect Albert Speer whose son recently redesigned a central eight-kilometer-long strip running from the center of the Forbidden City north to the new Olympic green. This was mandated by imperial feng shui masters which is not a typical Germanic move.

‘Many of the new taboo-busting constructions are stunning gravity-defying structures designed by some of the world’s top architects, as well as China’s own young guns.’

This is all strong stuff and pretty damn complimentary. Beijing should be very proud that one year before the Olympics the world is already sitting up and taking notice.
Source: Newsweek

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has published the preliminary program for the upcoming 7th World Conference on Sport and the Environment. People from within and outside the Olympic Movement will meet and contribute to this event which will be hosted in Beijing from October 25 to 27.

This seventh edition of the Conference is being staged jointly by the IOC and the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee, in close partnership with the United Nations Environment Program.

The IOC considers the environment as the third dimension of the Olympic Movement, alongside sport and culture. The objective is to ensure that the Games do not have a negative impact on the environment, but instead develop and enhance it and leave a green legacy, as well as promoting awareness of the importance of a healthy environment.

Thus a complete session will be devoted to Beijing’s environment partners, who will present a progress report on the preparations for the 2008 Games. They promise to be the Games that started the greening of China.

In a sense what is happening has a resonance in the old Scottish proverb about business. ‘First you get on, then you get honest, finally you get honor.’ China is moving firmly into the third phase.
Source: Beijing 2008

According to the city’s development and reform commission thirty more parks will be built on the outskirts of Beijing by 2008 as part of a green belt construction plan. The new parks, with a combined space of 1,340 hectares, will be built every three kilometers along the northeast section of the 5th Ring Road and the southwest section of the 4th Ring Road.

A spokesman for the commission said. ‘We plan to set up another 30 parks by 2008. By then, these parks in the city will make up more than 4,000 hectares.’

Adding that the parks on the outskirts will have more green areas with fewer entertainment facilities he promised the parks will not charge an entrance fee. These parks will come from the urban forestation division. Twenty of the new parks will be in the city proper covering a total 100 hectares. The remaining parks will be in the suburbs and total about 667 hectares. All part of China’s promised ‘Green Olympics’.

Lian Guozhao, chief of the bureau’s urban forestation division, said, ‘The capital city has made it a goal to create a situation in which every citizen is never more than 500 meters from a city park by 2010. In order to achieve this goal, Beijing will be building 10 to 20 new city parks every year from now on.’

The new parks will be planned with conservation in mind. For example, Rainwater Park being built in Changping District will feature a special system of rainwater collection and recirculation. The system will supply water to a musical fountain, park toilets and cleaning facilities.

‘There will be no artificial lakes and less garden sculptures, but more plants. More than 70% of the plants should be tall trees,’ said Lan Bingcai, another bureau official.

Source: China Daily