ECO-CITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA: LESSONS FOR AN URBANISING WORLD? PHIL MCMANUS SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Forum on Urbanization and Health.

ECO-CITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA: LESSONS FOR AN URBANISING WORLD?

PHIL MCMANUSSCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Forum on Urbanization and Health

China’s Changing Demographics

Phil McManus November 2013

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http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_population.htm

http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/2030.htm

Phil McManus November 2013 3

http://www.china-profile.com/data/fig_urban_2.htm

“The number of people living in China's cities for the first time exceeded those living in the country's rural areas as of the end of 2011, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

The number of urban dwellers increased by 21 million to hit 690.79 million as of the end of 2011, accounting for 51.27 percent of the country's total population, the NBS said.

Meanwhile, the rural population fell by 14.56 million to 656.56 million as of the end of 2011, the NBS noted.

The nation's total population increased by 6.44 million over the past year to 1.34 billion, it said.”

Source: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-01/17/content_24427969.htmEmphasis added in red to highlight material for later in this presentation.


1 Shanghai14,608,512

2Zhumadian

8,263,100

3 Beijing 7,480,601

4 Nanchong 7,150,000

5 Tai'an 5,499,000

6 Yueyang 5,000,000

7 Kaifeng 4,800,000

8 Wuhan 4,184,206

9 Chongqing 3,967,028

10 Chengdu 3,950,437

11 Tianjin 3,766,207

12 Puyang 3,590,000

13 Shenyang 3,512,192

14 Tianshui 3,500,000

China has 59 cities with a population of over 1 million people.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/china-population/major-cities-in-china/ http://www.china-mike.com/china-travel-tips/

tourist-maps/major-chinese-cities-map/

There are over 160 cities in China with a population over one million

City Built-up Area

Urban Area

Admin-istrative Area

Guangzhou

44,294,245

11,070,654

12,700,800

Shanghai 27,965,403

22,265,426

23,019,148

Beijing 19,785,051

19,295,000

19,612,368

Tianjin 10,290,987

11,090,314

12,937,954

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_China_by_population


Clockwise from top left:China’s population density, 1949

China’s population density, 2000

China’s population density, 2020 (projected).

Source: http://cgge.aag.org/PopulationandNaturalResources1e/CS_China_July09/CS_China_July09_print.html


Linfen, Chinahttp://www.topsixlist.com/2013/10/24/top-6-polluted-cities-world/

Beijing, Chinahttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/14/beijing-smog-continues-media-action

Urban History and Health:Early Reformers

Phil McManus March 2013

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Early urban reformers were capitalist factory owners who may have been altruistic, or wanting controlled and productive workers. Robert Owen (New Lanark, 1800, - near Glasgow,

UNESCO World Heritage Listed in 2001) Titus Salt (Saltaire, 1853 - near Bradford, UNESCO

World Heritage Listed in 2001) George Cadbury (Bourneville, 1879 - near

Birmingham) William Lever (Port Sunlight, 1888 - near

Birkenhead, opposite Liverpool)

Saltaire


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Justification for Inscription:

Criterion (ii) Saltaire is an outstanding and well preserved example of a mid 19th century industrial town, the layout of which was to exert a major influence on the development of the "garden city" movement.

Criterion (iv) The layout and architecture of Saltaire admirably reflect mid 19th century philanthropic paternalism, as well as the important role played by the textile industry in economic and social development.

Phil McManus August 2012

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New Lanark

Originally David Dale and Robert Owen, early 19th century.

Located below the Falls of the Clyde, east of Glasgow.

Built a new factory complex and housing for the workers, including a school, nursery, store and New Institution for the Formation of Character.

There was no pub.


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12


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Garden Cities


14Ebenezer Howard (1850-

1928)

In 1898 he introduced the Three Magnets: Town, Country, Town/Country.

“Neither the Town magnet nor the country magnet represents the full plan and purpose of nature. Human society and the beauty of nature are meant to be enjoyed together. The two magnets must be made one.”

Howard, 1898 in LeGates & Stout, 1996, 348

Source: http://www.tomorrowsgardencity.com/system/files/images/3_MAGNETS.jpg

Le Corbusier


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Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (1887-1969).

Grew up in Switzerland – changed his name when he moved to Paris.

Designed houses as “machines for living”.

“We must build in the open: both within the city and around it” Le Corbusier, 1929 in LeGates & Stout, 1996, 375

Source: http://www.aboodalamoudi.com/architecture_images

Source: http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com

continued


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The Contemporary City attempted to achieve sunlight, open space (about 95% of the land), mobility, technological innovation, a transport hierarchy and control.

All of the above examples (Early Reformers, Garden Cities, The Contemporary City) link urban planning and health (physical, moral and emotional) concerns.

Source: http://www.aboodalamoudi.com/architecture_images

Eco-Cities: Definitions of Eco-Cities


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“We are a non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping cities, towns and villages for long term health of human and natural systems. Our goals include returning healthy biodiversity to the heart of our cities, agriculture to gardens and the streets, and convenience and pleasure to walking, bicycling and transit. We visualize a future in which waterways in neighborhood environments and prosperous downtown centers are opened for curious children, fish, frogs and dragonflies. We work to build thriving neighborhood centers while reversing sprawl development, to build whole cities based on human needs and “access by proximity” rather than cities built in the current pattern of automobile driven excess, wasteful consumption and the destruction of the biosphere.”

An ecocity is a human settlement that enables its residents to live a good quality of life while using minimal natural resources. http://www.ecocitybuilders.org/


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The shortest definition I know is by US-based ecocity pioneer Richard Register who says it’s ‘an ecologically healthy city’. He also says no such city exists. Paul Downton in www.ecovoice.com.au/issues/issue%25207

A sustainable city, or eco-city is a city designed with consideration of environmental impact, inhabited by people dedicated to minimisation of required inputs of energy, water and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution - CO2,methane, and water pollution. Wikipedia definition of Sustainable City

Eco-cities are likely to develop in rapidly urbanising locations of high population growth, eg. China, India or in wealthy locations (Masdar in the UAE).

1st example Dongtan near Shanghai

Arup Partners, is behind schedule. Questionable about whether it was really a genuine effort or simply trying to do too much too soon (Hald, 2009).

2nd, and more successful start is Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, near Tianjin and Beijing

China and Singapore (Keppel Corporation leading the consortium) When completed around 2020, it will accommodate about 350,000 residents.

In other words, China will need to build the equivalent of 18.4 cities the size of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city each year to accommodate the expected population growth, not allowing for rural-urban migration. (6.44m/350 000)


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Eco-cities - China

http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/

The following four slides are excerpts from the presentation by the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project team at the inaugural World Cities Summit (WCS), 24-26 June 2008 in Singapore.


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Tianjin Eco-city

- - Strategic Strategic location in the location in the Bohai Bay regionBohai Bay region

- Accessibility - Accessibility

- Economic Economic fundamentalsfundamentals

Selection of Tianjin as Site of Eco-CitySelection of Tianjin as Site of Eco-City

Bohai BaBohai Bayy

150km

40km

BeijingBeijing

Tianjin CityTianjin City

Eco-cityEco-city

Location of Eco-Location of Eco-City City

- - Non-arable landNon-arable land

- Lack water Lack water resourcesresources


Original SiteOriginal Site

Transformation of barren, non-arable land Transformation of barren, non-arable land into a into a thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable

developmentdevelopment


Development in ProgressDevelopment in Progress

February 2008:February 2008: Land Land reclamation work in reclamation work in

progressprogress

May 2008:May 2008: Eco-City Admin Eco-City Admin Building being constructedBuilding being constructed

Transformation of barren, non-arable land Transformation of barren, non-arable land into a into a thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable

developmentdevelopment


Thank You

Our Vision of the Eco-CityOur Vision of the Eco-City

Progress at Tianjin Eco-city


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“Tianjin Eco-city– A model for Sustainable Development”

Tianjin Eco-city 2007 and 2011.http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/bg_intro.htm

Tianjin Eco-city 2013http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/steep-challenges-for-a-chinese-eco-city/

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Tianjin’s eco-industrial park

http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/gal_2012.htm


Questions


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Is the location suitable? 1/3 barren land, 1/3 salt pan and 1/3 polluted

water bodies; Avoided loss of agricultural land. What does it mean for wetlands?

Is the timeframe suitable?Is the vision likely to be achieved?Can this vision be reproduced elsewhere, or does it

require certain political conditions or other cultural, demographic, historical or physical factors to succeed?


It’s no secret that eco-cities are popping up all over China. Hot on the heels of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is the Jingwu Eco Town, an eco-city inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Milan and the Forbidden City in Beijing. Unsurprisingly, an Italian consortium is at the helm of the project. Perhaps coinciding with the construction boom in China, eco-cities are going up around the country and in the Middle East as well. The Tianjin Eco-City is designed to set the standard for sustainability with all buildings complying with strict green building standards. The city will be powered by clean and renewable fuel sources. Additionally, everything in the town will be accessible by foot, bicycle or public transport.

Jingwu Eco TownThe Jingwu Eco Town will incorporate 15th century urban design with the modern green technologies available. The city blocks will be designed as large courtyards with the buildings along the edges of the landscape. Overall the city will be divided into five zones with each having its own center.Khanh Phuong ( baoxaydung.com.vn )

Jingwu Eco-Town

http://www.baoxaydung.com.vn/news/en/construction-world/when-the-jingwu-eco-town-is-complete-china-will-be-home-to-several-growing-eco-cities.html

Conclusion


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China’s experience of eco-cities is part of a long engagement by philanthropic factory owners, urban planners, architects and governments aimed to improve cities.

One area for improvement is health – variously emphasizing physical, emotional and moral health.

Population increase, rural-urban migration and health concerns in the cities mean that the current generation of Chinese Eco-city development is warranted.

China’s recent experience offers lessons for many other countries with rapid population growth, and the likelihood of rural-urban migration (eg. India).


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While the Tianjin Eco-City is situated in a growth area of the Bohai Sea, around the world new locations for cities may be generated by climate change impacts – notably rising sea levels.

Templates from Chinese eco-cities cannot be simply relocated to other cultural and political-economic contexts.

What is needed are “vernacular models” based on local conditions and needs, inspired by meaningful actions such as the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city.

Thank you.

ECO-CITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA: LESSONS FOR AN URBANISING WORLD? PHIL MCMANUS SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Forum on Urbanization and Health.

Documents

china http

saltaire phil mcmanus

chinas population density

demographics phil mcmanus

chinas cities

rural population

early reformers phil

health slide