Wholesale markets should not be regarded as lower-level businesses that must be moved out of downtown areas. Transforming them may be a better choice, says an article in the Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:?

Some cities are planning to move big wholesale markets from city locations to other areas.

These markets, mostly built in suburban areas in the early 1980s, have played, and are still playing, important roles in the cities. However, traffic congestion, migrant populations and potential fire risks make these markets a headache for local governments and residents.

Moving the markets to new areas will just shift the problem.

With the development of electronic commerce and relevant technologies, the governments need to upgrade these markets from wholesale style to e-commerce centers, or research and design centers.

Logistics, financial industries and service sectors could prosper in the upgrade.