For the first time, population controls are expected to reduce the number of residents living in Beijing’s six downtown core areas.

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To reduce the strain on city services, the municipal governments of Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan are removing non-essential functions from the Beijing central core, China Daily reports.

As part of the City’s five-year economic and social development plan, local authorities are also cracking down on illegal residencies to further reduce the population. Municipal authorities had previously refuted rumors that Beijing residents would be forcibly removed from the city.

The six districts will be implementing crackdowns on the subletting of residential and commercial property, the illegal use of underground space for residence, the illegal transformation of homes into shops, and the closure of wholesale markets.

Such measures have already taken place in some parts of the city.

In Dongcheng district, closures have already affected the Donghuamen snacks market. Other areas targeted in Dongcheng include Nanluoguxiang Lane, Gui Jie, and areas surrounding the Palace Museum.

Through these measures, Dongcheng aims to reduce its permanent resident population by 32,000.

By 2020, Beijing hopes to cap its population at 23 million. Last year, the total number of residents of the capital was estimated at 21.7 million.

Meanwhile, plans to merge Beijing with Tianjin and parts of Hebei into a megacity continue to roll on. Twenty-three new subway lines connecting the three areas are expected to be completed by 2020. The 3,400 kilometer-long network that spans 3 main lines will allow commuter to travel between cities in one to two hours.

As the 42 trillion yuan “legacy” project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the future megacity will be made up of 130 million residents.