If 2007 was a year of exploration to find a feasible sustainable mode of development, 2008 will mark the start of practicing that considerable promise.

In less than two months, construction will begin on the 30 sq km Sino-Singaporean Tianjin Eco-city demonstration project, a joint effort between the two countries' governments.

Forty km from Tianjin city and 150 km from Beijing, the eco-city will be located along the Jiyun River in Hangu District of Tianjin Municipality, the largest northern port city of China. When finished in 10 to 15 years, it will include residences, commercial space and factories meeting high international standards for energy use and environmental protection.

"The Jiyun River was a golden waterway in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). More than 40 kinds of fish lived in the river at that time," said Cui Guangzhi, vice-director of the Sino-Singaporean Eco-city Administrative Committee.

"But hundreds of years later the environment in the region has been destroyed," he said.

The eco-city will cover 10 sq km of salt pan, 10 sq km of desert and 10 sq km of land with water - but of poor quality.

High standards, a long perspective on sustainable growth, more efficient energy use and environmental protection will all provide a city of wealth in the future, said Premier Wen Jiabao.

Environmental repair

Improving the environment, both its water and land, is the core work for local officials.

Cui said that in the next five years, technicians will focus on improving water quality. "You will see no dirty river water or overgrowth of grass. You will see clear water and a growing population of fish," he said. "Beside the water, heavily polluted land is a core challenge in the first phase of the project," Cui said.

The eco-city will also be developed on three natural swamps where thousands of birds migrate every spring. "We will protect the three areas and they will become shining points when the project is completed," Cui said.

Renewable energy

In addition to aiding the environment, renewable energy is also crucial to the eco-city, the director said.

According to the project's master plan, it will use 15 percent more renewable energy by promoting solar, wind and geothermal energy, as well as renewable construction materials. "It is a bold target even from a global perspective," said an official, noting that a city's usual mix of renewable energy is around only 2 percent on average.

Developers say the Tianjin eco-city will save 70 percent of energy used in buildings. With more advanced technologies employed through the partnership between China and Singapore, the eco-city will also be an excellent example of saving water.

"For a country with limited supplies of water like China, especially in its northern provinces, rainwater collection and seawater desalination are both necessary and feasible," said Cui.

Rainwater collection solutions are wholly based on longer experience and technologies from Singapore.

Regional growth

Because only a small part of the development relies on the Tianjin Binhai New Area, the project's economic growth has to come from the entire region. Lower energy consumption is the core idea for its growth, with high-value, hi-tech and high-revenue the projected results.

When completed, the eco-city will become a national center for environmental technology research and development, Cui said.

"With the country's growing demand for green urban construction, we plan to attract large designing companies and organizations to form a designing center," he said.

(China Daily May 30, 2008)