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 (reprinted from Positive News HK)
Dongtan, an island off the western coast of China, is set to be claim the title of the world’s first eco-city. According to a plan initiated in 1995 by the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC), its inhabitants will lead eco-conscious lifestyles, with zero greenhouse gas emissions, and complete self sufficiency in water and energy.
Wind, solar, bio-fuel and recycled city waste will fuel the city’s energy needs. Clean technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells will power public transport. A network of cycle and footpaths will help the city achieve close to zero vehicle emissions. Whilst much of the coastline will largely be pedestrianised, with vehicles limited to bicycles and sustainable public transport vehicles. Farmland within the Dongtan site will use organic farming methods to grow food. All vehicles will be powered by either electricity or hydrogen.
The third largest island in China at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Dongtan is 8,600 hectare (86 square kilometers) and adjacent to a wetland of global importance. Mainly agricultural land, it is connected to the Shanghai mainland by road. The urban area will occupy just one third of the site while the remaining land will be retained for agriculture and used to create a buffer zone of ‘managed’ wetland between the city and the ‘natural’ wetland.
The urban area will be divided into three villages, with the demonstrator phase for up to 10 000 people completed by 2010. It will be a vibrant city with green ‘corridors’ of public space ensuring a high quality of life for residents. The city is designed to attract employment across all social and economic demographics in the hope that people will choose to live and work there.
This phase will include a wide range of developments with urban parks, ecological parks and world class leisure facilities. Priority projects include the process of capturing and purifying water in the landscape to support life in the city. Community waste management recycling will generate clean energy from organic waste, reducing landfills that damage the environment. Combined heat and power systems will provide the technology to source clean and reliable energy.
As China’s environmental footprint comes under scrutiny in the run up to the Beijing Olympics, it is hoped that the developments in Dongtan will prove to the world that the mainland is indeed serious about providing sustainable living solutions well into the future.
http://www.ecocity-programme.org/
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28th July - 30th August 
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