Abstract
The dual challenges and complexities of global climate change and rapid urbanization have prompted international engagement in the promotion of sustainable cities around the world. In recent years, China has shined on the international stage thanks to its commitment to ecological sustainability and the strategies it has deployed to ensure that this commitment would not only remain ink on a chapter of its latest (12th) Five Year Plan. Besides its insistence on subsidizing the national production of solar panels, China is particularly commended for its work on eco-cities. The Beijing Urban Planning Museum explains that eco-cities are a way for China to further its urban development whilst creating more ecological opportunities for its population, and helping out the country with its commitment to cleaning and restoring its environment and diminishing its global environmental footprint. Despite this, the eco-city in China still remains at an experimental stage, and displays weaknesses that may leave an observer doubtful of the future of urban ecology in China. In an attempt to contribute to the limited literature on Chinese eco-cities, this research investigates three eco-urban megastructures—Tianjin Eco-city, Dongtan Eco-city, and Qingdao Eco-park—and compares them in their successes and observable limitations in urban ecology. The study finds that although China’s effort at promoting ecological urban development is commendable, there are major challenges that threaten the success of these projects which can be attributed to the particular relationship between China’s political and bureaucratic systems and the practice of urban ecology.
Highlights
On August 14, 2011, CNN's Nadia Bilchik reported on American national television that “around a hundred miles outside of Beijing”the first eco-city “of its kind”was being built (Note 1)
The presence of quantitative and the qualitative standards set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) suggest that eco-city projects are well conceived as far as urban ecology is concerned, but the difficulties of Huangbaiyu or Dongtan eco-projects, for example, present a major problematic situation that one needs to clearly understand before any judgment on Chinese eco-cities may be formulated
With regard to this particular detail, Sino- German Qingdao Eco-Park (SGQEP)’s ecological agenda starts to look unfocused and inadequate: in contrast with Dongtan Eco-city and Tianjin Eco-City, Qingdao Eco-park fails at containing cars and seems to give them free access to the downtown and to every part of the city (GMP, 2011, p. 47)
Summary
On August 14, 2011, CNN's Nadia Bilchik reported on American national television that “around a hundred miles outside of Beijing”the first eco-city “of its kind”was being built (Note 1). Eco-aware blogs such as Treehuggers.com, or more highbrow media such as the BBC, the New York Times, France 2, or ABC, to name a few, have all, in recent years, introduced their audience to the topic of the People’s Republic’s green urban revolution: “The gain for us is not monetary; it’s about building a new socialist rural society.” (Note 2) Both citizens and observers seem to respond rather well to such eco-projects, and China’s popularity is soaring as a result: one observer commented “...excellent effort there China This project will create a chain effect for more green cities around the world.” (Note 3). This paper seeks to answer these questions (via the use of three case studies) by providing the reader with a clear understanding of the way Chinese eco-cities come to life, the challenges they face, and the solutions that one may want to consider to make the eco-city an agent of change for China’s sustainable development
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