Urban planning and low-carbon cities: a comparison of german and chinese initiatives

Abstract

The world is becoming more urbanized. The estimates made by the UnitedNations (UN, 2014) shows a trend of migration from rural to urban areas:As of 2014, 52% of the global population lives in urban areas, and thispercentage is likely to increase up to 66.4%, with an expectation that theglobal population reaches 9.55 billion until 2050. This urbanization trend isrelevant, since most GHG emissions that contribute to global climate changecome from urban areas. Urban areas are associated with around 70% ofglobal energy consumption and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.China and Germany are two key players into mitigating the effect of climatechange, and both countries have already managed to implement severalinitiatives towards the development of a low-carbon city. This paper presentthe results of a research whose objective was to compare cities in China(Tianjin, Hangzhou and Beijing) and Germany (Munich and Berlin), andfocuses on the role that urban policymaking plays on getting towardscarbon neutral targets. Results indicate that, despite clear demographicsand economic differences, there are several best practices in the field ofurban planning that can be shared and transferred to cities in bothcountries, helping them to achieve their respective GHG reductions goals.The world is becoming more urbanized. The estimates made by the UnitedNations (UN, 2014) shows a trend of migration from rural to urban areas:As of 2014, 52% of the global population lives in urban areas, and thispercentage is likely to increase up to 66.4%, with an expectation that theglobal population reaches 9.55 billion until 2050. This urbanization trend isrelevant, since most GHG emissions that contribute to global climate changecome from urban areas. Urban areas are associated with around 70% ofglobal energy consumption and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.China and Germany are two key players into mitigating the effect of climatechange, and both countries have already managed to implement severalinitiatives towards the development of a low-carbon city. This paper presentthe results of a research whose objective was to compare cities in China(Tianjin, Hangzhou and Beijing) and Germany (Munich and Berlin), andfocuses on the role that urban policymaking plays on getting towardscarbon neutral targets. Results indicate that, despite clear demographicsand economic differences, there are several best practices in the field ofurban planning that can be shared and transferred to cities in bothcountries, helping them to achieve their respective GHG reductions goals.