Why has indifference made China cities not livable?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-26 10:38

Xu Zongwei, vice-director of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said at a recent forum that Chinese cities are not livable because of a high density in flats, inferior environment, lack of human interaction and estrangement between man and nature.

He made an interesting point, especially when he cited "lack of human interaction" as one reason why Chinese cities are not livable. While high-rises flourish, residents become more distant from one another. When they walk into their homes and close their doors, they lose the opportunity to interact with their neighbors.

In a city where people are indifferent to each other, humanity is also fading away as the city becomes plagued by such problems as a worship of money, profit-based orientation and general mistrust.

The public is mostly exhausted by the pressures of existence and has no energy left for human interaction.

Two years ago, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences set the benchmark white-collar salary at 5,000 yuan. Currently 40 percent of people surveyed say the benchmark salary should be more than 5,000 yuan. Another 18 percent said it should be at least 8,000 yuan. With high housing prices, medical and living costs, nobody believes 5,000 yuan is enough for a decent white-collar life.

For example, a flat can take a complete working life to pay off.

To survive city life, one has to use a large chunk of the monthly income to pay housing mortgage loans, with little left for other consumptions. In addition, one must overcome obstacles and inequalities in residency rights, income distribution and education.

It seems the elite has become more exclusive due to a difficulty for those at the bottom of society to change their status quo. As upward social mobility gets harder, many have found their efforts wasteful.

Urban people are therefore in no mood to appreciate the after-work life in the city and when they go home, they shut off interaction with neighbors. But without a sense of security, they might never feel that they belong to the city.

Chen Yizhou

(Excerpts of a commentary that appeared on xinhuanet.com on Nov 25)