The planned "ventilation corridors" would range from less than 80 meters to more than 500 meters wide and – hopefully – do what their name suggests, providing a conduit for wind to blow away pollutants like particulate matter.

Five major corridors are planned for the Chinese capital, running primarily from the northern suburbs to the south of the city. One will cross Beijing's central axis, running from Taiping Suburban park down through the Olympic Park and the Temple of Heaven before finally intersecting with the Beijing-Shanghai Highway.

Ventilation corridors have already been carved out of other Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan. In Wuhan, planners believe that the corridors have lowered temperatures by as much as 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (urban temperatures and pollution levels correlate).

Beijing has struggled with its pollution problem for many years now, with only marginal improvements following the closure of the city's worst polluting factories. China has also significantly cut down on coal burning as well as the production levels of high-polluting commodities like cement, steel and paper.

For more on Beijing's efforts to clear its skies, take a look at some past Archinect coverage:

• China hopes to improve its cities with newly released urban planning vision
• 'Cool roofs' substantially reduce temperatures during a heat wave, according to new study
• Beijing's latest "airpocalypse" is bad enough for city to issue first ever red alert
• Beijing mayor says air pollution makes his city "unlivable"
• China considering drastic ban on coal