"We can infer the future of the central Olympic district from the current conditions of the Yayuncun neighbourhood," Yin told China Daily. Yayuncun was the site of the 1990 Asian Games and it is now a major residential area adjacent to the Olympic district. Yayuncun ranked third in the livability survey.

"Yayuncun before 1990 was almost the same as the Olympic district today," Yin said. "Hosting the Asian Games brought tremendous opportunities to the development of Yayuncun, and the effect of the Olympic Games would be even greater."

However, Yin admitted that the real upgrading of living conditions in the Olympic district also depends on overall improvements in the quality of life all over the city.

Beijing's streets are clogged with traffic as the number of cars keeps soaring day after day. Air quality, after years of steady improvement, faces the risk of worsening in some categories and Beijing continues to rank among the worst cities in the world for clean air. The city's water supply is so stressed that neighbouring provinces have to send millions of cubic metres of water to the thirsty city.

"Promoting a healthy environment is one of the goals of the Olympic Movement," Yin said. "I hope the 2008 Games will bring Beijing a more efficient traffic network, a higher living quality and a greener environment."

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