Transportation, workforce training, new housing and commercial development would be directed to the busiest parts of the city, while minimal services would be maintained in less populated areas.

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But as towns and cities have grown, new housing estates and commercial zones have been built on ever more flood-prone areas.

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As the chart shows, new orders for private housing and commercial buildings increased in the last quarter of 2009.

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With his trusty notebook computer, the new CEO of South Korea's Housing and Commercial Bank is going around the country monitoring the performance of HCB's 446 branches and 54 offices.

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