China must take care of its city-dwellers As people grow richer, they will demand a pleasant living environment, writes Tom Miller Beijingers experienced a rare pleasure last week: blue skies. Blustery spring winds delivered fresh air to 20m pairs of blackened lungs. But the denizens of China's capital know that when the winds die down, the toxic smog will return. The horrific air pollution and chronic traffic congestion are driving expatriates and even hardened locals away. At the height of January's "airpocalypse," readings of the most harmful types of pollutant were 40 times the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. Moving hundreds of millions of people off the farm has delivered enormous economic growth. But urbanisation has also brought foul air, clogged roads, cultural destruction and streets of soul-sapping ugliness. The swelling middle class, armed with daily pollution updates on their smartphones and memories of trips to cleaner foreign climes, are demanding better. Local governments are trying to make many cities more livable but the speed and scale of urbanisation make this almost impossible. In 1980 barely 200m lived in cities. In the past three decades, the urban population has grown by 500m. By 2030, it is projected to hit 1bn. One in every eight people on earth will live in a Chinese city. Many are grim places. As planners race to house an urban population growing by the size of Australia every year, they are obliterating the past. The ancient courtyards and alleyways around Beijing's historic Drum and Bell towers await the wrecking ball, as officials create an ersatz tourist experience. Developers are rolling out millions of cookie-cutter apartment blocks, so that every city looks the same. Perhaps most damaging, cities are playthings for local officials who are rewarded for boosting economic growth rather than providing public goods. There is a clear incentive to push for more development at any cost. The result is unhealthy competition between cities, over-investment and endless construction: more roads, new industrial parks, unnecessary airports, bigger government offices. Every city aspires to be a mini-Beijing rather than respond to local needs. The environmental impact is devastating. China is already the biggest greenhouse gas emitter, and emissions will grow along with urbanisation. Fewer than 20 per cent of China's cities meet World Health Organisation standards for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide levels; barely any for particulate matter. The country's leaders are trying to cut the amount of energy used to produce each unit of gross domestic product growth, which is high for a country with a moderate level of GDP per head. Almost 200 cities, about one in four, have low-carbon targets. But China will struggle to improve air quality as long as its power stations remain predominantly coal-fired and car ownership soars. Premier Li Keqiang believes more urbanisation will boost household consumption, helping to rebalance an economy too reliant on heavy industry and construction. Within a few months, China will release a plan expected to address how growing cities can avoid the "big city disease" afflicting Beijing. Central planners agree that dense, compact, energy-efficient cities must be built. "Urbanisation is not about sprawling cities," Mr Li said at last month's annual meeting of parliament. Yet plans to promote the growth of small cities are hardly the most efficient way of managing urban development. Also needed is a redesign of the dysfunctional fiscal system that requires local governments to pay for more social services than they can afford, forcing cash-strapped cities to sell farmland for development and encouraging wasteful land use. This matters: the shape of cities built today will help determine energy demand and consumer behaviour for years to come. Just look at choked-up Beijing, with its multiplying ring roads. As city-dwellers grow richer, they will demand a pleasant living environment. In Beijing, that process has already begun. If China's capital is to be globally and nationally competitive, it cannot rely on economic heft alone to attract and retain talented, creative residents. Planners and officials must work harder to keep the urban dream intact, purifying the air, investing in public transport, restricting sprawl and respecting cultural heritage. Until that happens, China's cities will continue to shock and awe but struggle to inspire hearts and minds. The writer is author of "China's Urban Billion"