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A Greener City - China Turns over a New Leaf

By Francesca McGlone on 19th January, 2011

By its nature a city usually spreads like a virus, consuming everything in its path by sprawling across a landscape. Without green belts in place to hem in their energy, little else prevents the rampage of an insatiable appetite for land, from a growing city.

China is not known for its eco-friendly credentials but rather its problems with overcrowding and pollution. However, Tianjin, a north east city, the sixth largest in the republic of China, is bucking the trend. Paving the way for a greener future, a new section of the city has been designed, where each building contributes towards conserving the environment, whether it is through solar energy on roof top panels or by supporting oxygen through vines that use a building as a trellis.

Not only will Tianjin be an environmentally friendly city, it will also be a prettier urban space, rather than continuous concrete, the city will be interspersed with natural beauty, which will positively enhance the lives of its inhabitants.

The new eco-design, which will take shape in 2020 by the Surbana Urban Group will be filled with cutting edge green technologies that will appeal to both naturalists and pragmatists, as energy costs are addressed, together with the knowledge that the environment’s best interests are at the heart of its creation.

Energy generated from solar and wind sources, together with rainwater recycling, sea water desalination and the provision of ample public green spaces all help to reduce the impact upon the environment. The Chinese government has also promised to reserve ninety per cent of the traffic within the eco-city for public transport, which will dramatically cut carbon emissions.

Each building will be connected to the city through bridges that link the structures together to resemble a unique multi-layered honey-comb. The city will be divided into distinct sections that all have an eco-friendly character:-

Earthscape - This area will utilise as much public green space as possible.

Solarscape – This area is located on the water and is the location of the administrative and civic centre.

Lifescape – This is an area of soil and natural growth, which is specifically designed to offset the larger buildings and other districts, as an area of organic beauty.

The city will have to abide by a set of twenty six key performance indicators that include maintaining China’s national ambient air quality, meeting green building standards and generating at least fifty per cent of jobs within the city, so that people do not have to commute large distances. With all these controls in place, Tianjin’s eco-city will be a shining example of how cities should be made for generations to come.

When completed the new green section of Tianjin will house 350,000 people. It looks as though China has reconsidered its position and is willing to use its inventive proclivity for good.
 


Category:  Architecture and Design

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