Sustainable practices in China
GE2240 Sustainable Development in China and its Global Impact
Instructor: YANG Xiaojing
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City in China
Student Name: Leung Ching Man, Mandy
Student No.: 53372270
Date: 19/11/2013
Review of the Issue and Situation
Facing tremendous pressure like rapid population growth, soaring energy consumption and environmental degradation, China has to facilitate urbanization in a more sustainable way. Creating individual green buildings is not scarce in China nowadays, but an entire green city is the newest trend. In 2008, China started to develop a low-carbon green city, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city (SSTEC), which is a joint venture project with Singaporean government. The eco-city of total area is 34.2 square kilometers now serves to be a model for sustainable development for other cities. Through SSTEC, Chinese government hopes to enhance the well-being of citizens, protect the ecological systems and eventually facilitate economic growth. In order to examine the effectiveness of this sustainable urban plan, the government practices will be analyzed by three aspects- environmental, social, economic.
Critical View of Government Practices
Environmental
Before the project began, the site chosen was a wasteland for industrial toxic waste and barren salt pan. The soil and water were contaminated over years and made the lands non-arable. China nonetheless demonstrated its determination on cleaning up the polluted areas. The government took three years to remove the heavy metals by using advanced technologies, turning an inhibiting area into livable. Now, the Tianjin Eco-City is arable and contains more green public areas than most of the other cities in China. The clean-up helps to beautify the natural environment and constitutes environmental sustainability.
Apart from the interspersed green spaces, the governments put lots of effort on the water issues. For example, water will be conserved
Instructor: YANG Xiaojing
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City in China
Student Name: Leung Ching Man, Mandy
Student No.: 53372270
Date: 19/11/2013
Review of the Issue and Situation
Facing tremendous pressure like rapid population growth, soaring energy consumption and environmental degradation, China has to facilitate urbanization in a more sustainable way. Creating individual green buildings is not scarce in China nowadays, but an entire green city is the newest trend. In 2008, China started to develop a low-carbon green city, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city (SSTEC), which is a joint venture project with Singaporean government. The eco-city of total area is 34.2 square kilometers now serves to be a model for sustainable development for other cities. Through SSTEC, Chinese government hopes to enhance the well-being of citizens, protect the ecological systems and eventually facilitate economic growth. In order to examine the effectiveness of this sustainable urban plan, the government practices will be analyzed by three aspects- environmental, social, economic.
Critical View of Government Practices
Environmental
Before the project began, the site chosen was a wasteland for industrial toxic waste and barren salt pan. The soil and water were contaminated over years and made the lands non-arable. China nonetheless demonstrated its determination on cleaning up the polluted areas. The government took three years to remove the heavy metals by using advanced technologies, turning an inhibiting area into livable. Now, the Tianjin Eco-City is arable and contains more green public areas than most of the other cities in China. The clean-up helps to beautify the natural environment and constitutes environmental sustainability.
Apart from the interspersed green spaces, the governments put lots of effort on the water issues. For example, water will be conserved