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FEATURE STORY: Green Shoots Sprout in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City
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The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) is a project that aims to act as both an experiment and a trendsetter in changing the face of how cities are built in China. The city is a high-level project between the Chinese and Singapore Governments, and had its origins in the 11th Five Year Plan which called for ‘building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society’. The ground breaking ceremony took place in September 2008 with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Singaporean Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in attendance.
 
altTEC aims to have a long-term population of 350,000 people when construction is finished in the early 2020’s. The eco-city’s 30 sq km site is situated 150km from Beijing, 45km from the Tianjin city centre and 10km from the core district of the Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) with a primary focus on providing a sustainable work, live and play environment . The 4km start-up area is close to completion, with about 4,000 people living and working in TEC, and more than 5,000 homes already sold. 
 
There have already been many eco-city projects in China. Some, such as Chengdu Tianfu District Great City, are still in the planning stage, whilst other places like Dongtan Eco city have been mired in delays and setbacks. Although they are located in different parts of China many miles apart, they all try to articulate a possible future for what a Chinese city should be. 
 
TEC’s goal is to create a realistic city that can be a model for future development in China. This will be achieved through three main principles: ‘Practicability, Scalability and Replicability’. The core structure of TEC is based on a master plan jointly developed by experts from China and Singapore. The master developer of the Eco City is the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (SSTEC), a 50-50 joint venture between a Chinese Consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co. Ltd and a Singapore Consortium led by the Keppel Group. 
 
altThe project is underpinned by strong government support, overseen by a Joint Steering Council (JSC), co-chaired at the Deputy Prime Minister-Vice Premier level. Finally, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City Administrative Committee oversees day-to-day administration of the TEC. This government to government project utilises Singapore’s wealth of expertise in water efficiency and environmentally friendly city development, and builds on the success of the Suzhou Industrial Park, a joint venture between China and Singapore.
 
Comparison with Eco-Cities World-Wide:
“A key emphasis of the Tianjin Eco City is practicality. We do not intend to build  a utopian model that is not viable, or can only be financed with extensive government subsidies.” Mr. Ho Tong Yen, the CEO of SSTEC, summed up the philosophy for the TEC. 
 
altMany eco cities in Europe, like Freiburg in Germany, were established in relatively favourable environmental conditions. TEC on the other hand started life in a polluted and barren wasteland. 
 
The Chinese government stipulated that the TEC must be built on non-arable land, and in an area that faces water shortage. These are keys issues in China; especially water shortage which has been a major source of concern. The average amount of water resources per capita is only 2,100 cubic metres annually, or about 28% of the world's average level. About two third's of Chinese cities are water needy, while nearly 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water, leading to a national water shortage of over 50 billion cubic metres on average every year.
 
In order to solve this problem, TECID, together with Keppel Integrated Engineering Ltd (KIE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Ltd,  constructed a water reclamation plant that includes a wastewater effluent polishing unit and a water recycling facility which will produce 20,000 m3 per day, with the possibility to increase the capacity of recycled water to 42,000 m3 per day.
 
altTEC also aims to have a 50 percent share of water from non-traditional water sources. This is in line with standards in Singapore and shows how international best practices have been adopted and applied to TEC. 
 
Another aspect of TEC that ticks the practicability box is the many incentive schemes offered for companies willing to invest in TEC. The Chinese government has offered generous support in the form of tax rebates, subsidies for rental and purchase and funds to support green tech industries. The Singapore government has also put in place attractive incentives for Singapore-based companies investing in the Eco-City.
  
New Green Technologies:
The TEC is as much an experiment as a fully functioning town. Innovative approaches to solving environmental problems are being utilised, such as the pneumatic waste collection system (PWCS). SSTEC has engaged ST Environmental Services & Technologies to install PWCS in the Eco-Business Park, a system which sucks refuse from offices and transports it via vacuum, thus reducing the need for garbage trucks. GM is introducing their EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) in the Tianjin Eco-City. Philips is using the Tianjin Eco-City to test new and energy efficient lighting solutions, while Siemens has set up a joint venture company; Siemens Eco-City Innovation Technologies (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. to consult, research, develop, incubate and commercialise technology solutions that can be applied in urban infrastructure development and construction.
 
The main industries in TEC will be centred on clean-tech, low polluting industries- one of which is animation.   The National Animation Industrial Park is in operation and has already attracted more than 800 companies.  
 
Eco-Friendly Lifestyles
altThe progress of TEC is measured by 26 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These 22 quantitative and 4 qualitative KPIs stipulate goals and the timeframe for those goals to be achieved. They are meant as guidelines and are not in general legally binding. Some of the KPI’s are relatively easy to monitor and implement, such as a KPI  requiring all buildings to be Green buildings; based on the TEC Green Building Evaluation Standard (GBES). This standard was developed differently from the national Green Star Standard. It combines China’s Green Star standard with Singapore’s Green Mark standard, as well as more stringent requirements for renewable energy use, green coverage, use of water from non-conventional water resources and higher standards of building material usage. 
 
Other KPIs are more difficult to achieve as they require persistent follow-through from the residents of TEC, or are affected by outside factors. Examples of these are KPIs like 90 percent of trips are to be Green Trips (Walking, cycling, and riding public transport) by 2020, or another KPI requiring 60 percent overall solid recycling rate, or domestic water consumption per capita not to exceed 120 litres per day. 
 
Inhabitants of TEC are not required to adhere to any green living rules, so if inhabitants do not choose to adhere to the spirit of the KPIs the TEC may very well not achieve its some of its goals of creating a successful eco-city. Obviously there is an element of self-selection, the SSTEC is hoping families who are more amenable to adopting green lifestyles will move in. There will also be campaigns to promote eco ways of life. However, the current program of campaigns to promote sustainability as a way of life, such as cycling activities, promotion of transport etc, may not be enough to change mindsets in the near future.
 
Another issue that may be a problem was shown in a World Bank report published in 2009. The report highlighted the lack of non-motorised mobility between eco-cells, which are 400m x 400m. The TEC is divided into four eco-districts which are composed of between 12 and 15 eco-cells. The road design, particularly the six-lane roads, built around the current national standard, favour motorised transport. Whilst this may be a response to the predicted increase in motorisation in China, this does mean that public transport must be effectively developed or the KPI of green transport may not be realised.
 
The SSTEC also aims to create a mixed social environment, rather than simply creating an enclave for the rich. To that end one KPI requires 20% of housing to be public housing for relatively low income families. The approximate price for public housing is around CNY 7000 per square metre, compared to around CNY 9000 per square metre in the rest of the TEC. Only those working in the TEC and with an annual family income not exceeding CNY 180,000 are eligible to apply. The first phase of public housing units are furnished, unlike commercial units, and save residents a significant amount of money. However, one point to note is the per capita annual income of urban households in Tianjin is CNY 29,916, a third of the TEC limit. This shows that the SSTEC will attract quite affluent workers, even amongst the lower-income bracket, to live and work in TEC.
 
The TEC is taking an adaptive approach to construction, as was seen in the case of Curitiba, in Brazil. The similarity with these two cities lies in the method of gradual development. TEC will be constantly developing over the next 10 years, and there will be many opportunities to reappraise the efficacy of particular decisions. As a result it is difficult to predict the future of the TEC, but whatever happens it will stand out as an attempt to show one vision for city development in China. 
 
Further information:
SSTEC website (Eng)
http://sstec.dashilan.cn/en/
Tianjin Eco-City Website (Eng) 
http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg
 

by Matthew Baum

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