The rapid and uncontrolled expansion of today's cities is causing anxiety not only among urban planners and architects, but also experts in the field of public health. They are alarmed that the disorder of the urban expansion is robbing the population of its basic health and well-being through environmental pollution, inadequate housing and the increasing numbers of neighbors who do not know neighbors.
Beijing, a city of over 21 million residents, is an example of this social isolation. Until the early 1980s, the Chinese capital, was constructed as quantities of Siheyuan. This open structure greatly strengthened contact between neighbors, encouraged the sharing of resources, and formed close relations between families. Because of these characteristics, these structures were described as "collections of small rural villages". Until the mid-1980s, only a few skyscrapers disrupted the harmony of the landscape. Today Beijing has the look and feel of a modern city, where these "small rural villages" have been replaced by towering skyscrapers. This striking change is not limited to outer structures; it has also dramatically changed the closeness of human relations.
Physical isolation has destroyed the local sense of solidarity (团结), and contributed to the destruction of what were once united family groups. As the distance between home and the workplace has also increased considerably, workers now find themselves devoting what was once valuable family time to exhausting commutes in overcrowded buses or subways.
The disordered growth of today's cities can no longer be ignored. The great challenge is how to improve the quality of urban life by ensuring harmonious growth. Skyscrapers should not be the only view people can see in a city. Old-fashioned but unique architecture reflects history, character — even the culture of a city. Cities should learn from the experiences of other cities with similar characteristics. This effort requires not only the participation of urban planners but public health and environmental experts, politicians, and fundamentally, the communities themselves.
