11 - Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city: Features of a Model of Sustainable Living

Summary

BACKGROUND

Environmental considerations are assuming greater importance in the planning processes of an increasing number of governments around the world. One aspect of this increasing mainstreaming of environmental needs is the development of eco-cities that seeks to reduce the amount of resource inputs and keep waste outputs to a minimum.

There are presently many experiments and developments related to eco- cities. The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, mooted by Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong when he met China's Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing in April 2007, is one such example. This chapter will highlight the key features of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city vis-à-vis other eco-cities in terms of the purpose, the framework of cooperation and distinctive characteristics of the project. The comparison will be made with two other well-known eco-cities in China, namely the Huangbaiyu village in Liaoning and the Dongtan project in Shanghai. The Masdar Eco-city in Abu Dhabi will also be mentioned as it purports to be the world's first carbon-neutral, car-free city to rely entirely on renewable energy.

This chapter will show that the purpose of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project goes beyond a commercial undertaking to include strategic and political objectives. The project offers a platform where leaders, officials and businessmen from both sides can interact and get to know each other better. This would lay the basis for stronger political and economic ties. In terms of the framework of cooperation, the project comes under a supervisory mechanism that involves senior leaders and officials from both sides. This is to facilitate the progress of the project which in turn will add substance to bilateral relations. In terms of its key features, the Sino- Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is practical-oriented with realistic targets set. More importantly, and unlike other eco-cities, it is strong in its emphasis on the social considerations of an Eco-city project.