http://ww3/large/681521d1jw1eqs555a0y9j20dw08cq39.jpg【 罗亚蒙答《环球时报》英文版）记者问要点】

1，从纯粹规划技术和区域经济的角度，北京二机场选址是合适的，有利于促进京津冀协同发展，也将带动京津冀比邻地区第三产业的繁荣。

2，从地理学和人居环境科学的角度，我一直反对修建北京二机场。地理条件决定城市终极承载能力，北京城市规模已经超出区域生态环境承载力，二机场将进一步增强首都“虹吸”“黑洞”效应，加剧北京城市病，是一个错误的决策。

3，从城市科学的角度，中国应当寻找新的宜居地区，建设新的中国行政中心。这也是根治北京城市病的最终选择方案。

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Area around new south Beijing airport set to house a million people from city, neighbors

Construction of a new Beijing airport in Daxing, a district in the south of the city, began in December, 2014. Within that short period of time some of the project's effects on the surrouding area have been readily apparent. Housing prices have gone up, and industries have begun laying plans to move into the area, in line with the government's blueprint for developing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area. At the same time, some have complained the project will only make an already-crowded city more

Hundreds of people looked on as airport construction finally got underway in Daxing district, in the south of Beijing.

Talk of a new airport at the site has been going on for more than two years, but on December 15, 2014, the project was officially given the go-ahead by the National Development and Reform Commission. The airport is being built in Daxing district, in between townships of Yufa, Lixian and Langfang in Hebei Province. It is reported that when built, the airport will be able to handle 72 million passengers and 620,000 flights per year.

A new airport subway line will also be built connecting the airport to the city, with transfers to other existing subway lines as well. There are plans to construct highways and railways to accommodate the projects.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the new airport railway will come online in 2019. The construction of highways and inter-city railways will make it possible for Beijing residents to travel to other major cities within two hours.

The construction of the airport is in line with governmental policies to develop the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province area as a whole. As the rest of Beijing becomes saturated, the government hopes to divert more population and industries towards the south of the city. 

Rising demand

The most immediate effects of the projects, however, lie with real estate. Even though airport construction only started a few months ago, housing prices in the area have soared.

Local media reported that in 2013, houses in the area went for 5,000 yuan per square meter. But right now, an Internet search shows that housing prices have almost doubled.

Housing agencies have started advertising online as well, many trying to persuade potential buyers with slogans such as "Living next to the airport, enjoying high-end living styles," but also noting on the ads that the expected move-in date will be somewhere from 2015 to 2017.

Mike Ma, a 26-year-old Beijing resident, recently bought a house in a newly developed apartment compound in Suncun, Daxing district. The compound is one of many that have sprung up since the government started pushing development in the district. He expects to move in by the end of 2015.

The house owners in his compound are a mixture of locals and people from outside of Beijing. While he bought the house because he might be transferred to work at the new airport later on, he suspects many bought their houses as an investment.

Personally, he feels Daxing isn't the most ideal place to live, because right now it still lags behind the rest of the city in education and healthcare resources, but he believes it was a good investment nonetheless.

"The government's policy is leaning towards developing the south part of Beijing, so in the future either renting or selling my apartment would be a good choice too," he said.

The airport is predicted to bring economic benefits for Beijing, as part of a bigger scheme to unite the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province areas.

As construction started with the new airport, the Beijing Capital International Airport company and Beijing Jiaotong University co-published a report in which experts predict the construction and initial operation phases of the airport could create more than a million jobs. In the next 30 years, the airport will contribute more than 2.2 billion yuan to Beijing's GDP, the report said.

Media reported that the new area, centered on the new airport, will at least hold 1.5 million people. It will be a factor in reducing the economic gap between south and north Beijing, observers said.

The bigger picture

Luo Yameng, a Beijing-based urbanization expert, said site for the airport was chosen in south Beijing, close to Hebei Province, with the specific goal of diverting population there.

"From experience around the world, we know that building airports pushes economic development in the area," he said. "So when the site is chosen close to Hebei and Tianjin, these governments will plan the arrangements of their industries and population accordingly."

The most apparent changes will be in the service industry, with many hotels springing up. Then tourism and entertainment industries will follow, he said.

The airport construction fits into the greater plan of developing south Beijing. Even though demolition of the houses around the airport site has yet to start, urbanization projects in the Daxing district as a whole have been developing for years and local residents have seen changes.

Starting from 15 years ago, development projects started at Huangcun township, the center of urbanization in Daxing, and gradually radiated to other villages around.

The demolition of Huangcun is now completed, with many new residential compounds built. Some of the surrounding villages were built to support projects from various industries. Residents from these areas, who once farmed for a living, have found jobs working for these projects.

Wang Lin, a resident from Daxing district, said the changes started in Daxing a long time ago. Commercial residential compounds sprang up, with many middle or high-end developments by big developers such as Vanke.

People like her started coming back home for jobs. Wang used to work and live in the city center, around the Chongwenmen area. Squeezing on the subway was the most difficult part of her day every day.

But after she heard about the projects in her hometown, she moved back and found a job there, cutting huge amounts of time from her commute every day.

The new development plan is also beneficial for Hebei Province, which relies on Beijing to power its development. The China Business News reported that the provincial government is planning an economic zone near the new airport that's five times the size of Beijing's city center.

The city of Langfang, which borders Beijing directly to the south, is a good example. It plans to build a new district 115 square kilometers in size to the east of the new airport, with two additional sub-centers to the south of the airport that are planned to be 105 square kilometers in size. The new districts are slated to hold one million people in total. 

Drawbacks of development

The development isn't necessarily good news for everyone. Gong Jian, a resident who lives near the new airport, said he has seen a lot of construction near his home since 2008.

He enjoys the newly built shopping centers and other living facilities, and says more people travel to Daxing for vacations as well since a new ski slope was built. However, living there has started to be tiring. He says the roads are more traffic-jammed than before.

"There was a report last year saying the district with the most population is Chaoyang district, but the district with most cars is Daxing," he said.

Housing prices have risen crazily in just a couple of years, from a few thousand to almost 20,000 yuan per square meter.

The Party secretary of Daxing district, Li Changyou, said construction of the new airport needs coordination from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, according to the Beijing Morning Post.

He also said the government won't be pushing for real estate development around the new airport. It will only be to satisfy the workers in the area and local residents whose houses were demolished in the move. 

"I don't recommend people inside the city come to the new airport area to buy houses, otherwise there'd be problems with traffic in the future as well," Li told the Beijing Morning Post.

Luo, the urbanization expert, is skeptical of the new airport as well.

"Beijing is already full and is running over its capacity," he said. "Building a new airport will only add to the pressure."

He recommends moving Beijing's industries to more suitable cities, such as those with better environment, and establish a new political center outside of Beijing. But he notes that's just an idea that may never be realized, because in reality the government still plans according to need.

Even though Luo notes the need for Beijing residents to have another airport, he thinks the government should take more into consideration when doing planning.

"There will always be the need for development, as Beijing is China's political center," he said. "But the scale of urban development depends on geographical conditions and capability. It can't be decided by need only."

But there is no stopping the development at this stage. Many are already rushing to buy houses before prices rise yet again, and many villagers, whose houses will be demolished to make way for the airport, believe that lives will get better.

"The demolition hasn't started, but we are ready," villagers told local media.

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