First Eco-City Planned for China
June 13th, 2007
Submitted By: Meghan Girvin
Here is an interesting article from Land Development Today on sustainable development in China. It talks about a zero-waste city that is planned for development in 2010. If China is successful with this development it could create a model for other cities around the world to become more sustainable. This initiative is good to see especially since China has some of the most polluted cities in the world.
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
4 Comments Add your own
1. James Towers | June 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I agree. This is a big step forward for China and the world. By being the first in the world, China is setting a great precedent. It would be interesting to see if other countries could make this into a competition like the perennial “tallest building in the world” contest that China hates so much to lose. For example, if there was a “largest green city in the world” distinction, China’s competitive nature would take over and force them to continue along this path. All in all, a city of 500,000 does not erase the sins of a country of 1.1 billion, but it does start them along the right path.
2. Kristin Moran | June 13th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
What a great example for the rest of the world to follow. If successful, Dontang will prove that we can and should do things differently. I noticed the article didn’t mention how much it was going to cost to build the city, and the article seemed a bit one-sided. With that said, I like what Dr. Swartz said in our marketing class when someone said that they couldn’t afford a hybrid vehicle. She immediately responded with, “Can you afford not to?” We have all heard again and again about the repercussions of our actions, and that we can’t continue to live the way we do. I also liked Dr. Morris (speaker from fall quarter) who spoke of China being angry that the U.S. was telling them how they should handle their pollution and other environmental problems because of the way we treated the environment for so many years. We seem very hypocritical. I think China deserves recognition for committing to make a difference.
3. Stacey Westenberger | June 13th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I received this same article from a friend today via email. It is good to see China taking some steps toward sustainability. Dongtan will be an example not only for the many more cities developing in China but also for the rest of the world. As I read this article, I also thought of a few more questions:
How easy will some of these issues (such as electric motor cars) be able to regulate?
How educated will the new residents of this city need to be in order to support the eco-friendly approach?
Considering this is the first eco-city there are many logistics to work out, however what opportunities are there for the future by implementing such an extreme approach?
It seems they are taking a Cal Poly’s approach of “Learn by Doing”. Recently, in class the professor mentioned that although you don’t have the right answer, sometimes it is better to do something rather than nothing at all and you can figure out more as you go along. I think this lesson applies here and it is better to start somewhere than not start at all.
4. Andrew Gardner | June 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Dongtan really sounds like a great place. It is a positive and optimistic step towards a cleaner China and World. If anyone could make this city a reality, I believe that it is China. The country has more than enough power to force citizens to comply with the increased environmental regulations. If America attempted to design a city like Dongtan, it would be stopped by opposition.
I am very curious about how China plans to attract a half million people to move into Dongtan. With all of the regulations I would think that the cost of living would be much higher. Also where would everyone work? I would assume that most factories would not meet the strict environmental requirements.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed