(ECNS) -- Beijing has adopted two major methods - population control and function dispersal - to realize its population control target of 23 million by 2020, China Radio International reported.
The goal also includes cutting the number of people living within the six downtown areas by 15 percent by this time, according to a latest development guideline.
The guide aims to promote regional integration between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.
Liu Yun, who grew up in Beijing, said she misses her childhood when Beijing had less population pressure and much better air quality.
"Who needed to register to enter kindergarten? Now you have to be there early to queue," she said.
Sun Tong, a white-collar worker, is also concerned about traffic jams and difficulties seeing a doctor.
The problems Liu and Sun face are just part of so-called "big city malaises," which also includes a worsening environment and strained public resources in the capital city. Beijing's total population stood at 21.5 million in 2014.
Zhao Hong, the vice president of Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said the capital city has an oversized population and its functions need to be clearly defined, with priority placed on its role as the capital.
Zhao added that Beijing's spatial population distribution needs to be improved since the its density in downtown areas is high.
Population expert Yi Fuxian also urged the capital to reconsider its functions and relocate sectors in industry, medicine, and education to surrounding areas.
Beijing has decided to move out industries that are not related to its "capital functions"－its role as the capital and the national center of politics, culture, international exchange and technical innovation. The city has released a list of industries whose development will be restricted.
At the same time, Tongzhou district in the southeast is emerging as the city's "subsidiary administrative center."
