There is a placard beside Tiananmen Square that counts the days until the 2008 Summer Olympics, and every one of them would seem precious: Beijing must build or renovate 72 sports stadiums and training facilities, lay asphalt for 59 new roads and complete three new bridges by the opening ceremony.
It is a task that would overwhelm most cities, but Beijing is so efficient at pouring concrete that the International Olympic Committee has asked it to slow down rather than finish construction too soon. Far more difficult will be fulfilling Beijing’s promise of playing host to a “green” Olympics as well as meeting a new goal in the city’s revised master plan – to become “a city suitable for living.”
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