Walls Surrounding Beijing Universities Set to Be Torn Down; Heated Debate About Traffic Ensues

Aside from opening young minds with lessons and text books, Beijing's top universities will also soon offer wide open spaces.

The campuses of Renmin University, Beihang University, and the Beijing Institute of Technology are about to undergo rezoning that will tear down many of the walls that have long sectioned them off. The changes are part of a municipal government "optimize the road networks," an initiative that they called for this past February, to open up gated communities and allow for more direct roadways and eased traffic.

Proponents of the plan welcomed the potential relief from gridlock traffic jams, according to a July 27 China.org.cn article, while others praised the plan's potential to "facilitate the integration of universities into the surrounding city life."

However, the initiative is not without its detractors. The China.org.cn noted critics who worry that "many school campuses are already very crowded and that a further opening up will make the traffic even worse and add to safety concerns." Those criticisms echo that of gated community residents, who first complained about the plan when the municipal government called for it in February. Those citizens worry that removal of walls will allow traffic to infringe on their living space, turning their once safe and quiet courtyards into hazardous roadways clogged with speeding vehicles.

Photos: tkhunt.com, samstroy.com