Beijing:

This World Cities Series volume is a major work on the nature of the Chinese city and the traditional concept of Chinese city planning. It uses Beijing as the case study, and its theme is how the traditional Chinese world view has influenced the function and layout of the traditional Chinese city and in particular, the capital city. The influence of Communist planning since 1949 is also traced and discussed to show how socialist principles have come to overlay and modify ancient structure. Further chapters cover city planning, housing, urban transport, urban environment, social areas, and economic and non-economic functions of the city. Beijing provides an historical perspective of over 5000 years in its first three chapters, but the remainder focuses is on the present-day role, layout and problems of one of the world?s greatest and most complex historic cities and the capital of the most populous nation. This book will be essential reading for planners, historians, geographers and Sinologists as well as providing ?background? both for tourists and armchair travellers.