Urban planners need their due respect

Local policymakers should heed the opinions of urban planning experts in city planning discussions, says a China Youth Daily article (excerpts below):

Many traditional buildings are disappearing day by day in many Chinese cities, which have been replaced by skyscrapers. Many cities in China have been losing their landmark buildings that represent their city's characteristics.

At a real estate design meeting recently, an official of the National Development and Reform Commission said to the media the reason that many cities look more and more similar is because urban construction in many areas is decided by mayors rather than urban planners.

It's true that in many areas, local governments and real estate developers, who don't know much about city planning, have the final say on the cities' overall design and construction. They don't have enough knowledge about city planning and they always make irrational decisions. Policymakers don't have to be urban planning experts, but they should respect the opinions of experts and actively adopt them. Ma Yun, the founder of Taobao, doesn't know much about the technology of e-business. But he listens to and respects the technical experts' professional views and eventually built China's biggest e-business website.

Local governmental officials don't have to be architects themselves, but they should fully consider urban planners' views on city planning.