A modern British city planner once said that "perhaps the greatest single work of mankind is Beijing." Beijing and Chang'an are the basis of the Chinese claim to fame in urban planning, because even in the imperial era they understood that it is necessary to consider the practical requirements of the lives of the residents.
英國現代城市計畫家愛得蒙．培根曾說，「也許地球上人類最偉大的單項作品就是北京」，過去的北京、長安能讓中國人在世界都城規劃擁有一席地位，因為帝王時代的規劃，一樣需要考量人民實際生活的需要。