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Doubts rise over economics of ecological city

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-24 09:40

Arup has declined to disclose the cost of the eco-city project, but an official at its partner, the State-owned Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC), said the construction costs could be at least 30 or 40 percent more than for a typical property development of the same size.

Those costs would be offset in the long term, Arup's Wood argued, when the city becomes self-sufficient in energy.

Environmental friendliness must be practical, he said, not just an image to splash over a "business-as-usual" development. "We don't want 'green-wash'. It's got to be real."

Construction of the first phase of the eco-city has been postponed to the beginning of 2009 from 2006, while the projected population for that phase was reduced to 5,000 and the primary focus narrowed to building an environment-related research institute.

The project's supporters applaud it for combining existing energy-saving technologies. "Dongtan is exploring a new way of urbanization," said Zheng Shiling, a professor at the architecture department of Tongji University in Shanghai. "It would not be realistic if we continued to build cities the way we've been doing."

New model

Hailed as a new model of urbanization, Dongtan Eco-city would occupy 30 sq km - half the size of Manhattan - and house 400,000 residents by the time it is completed in 2050.

Arup envisions farmers and fishermen living outside the city, providing fresh produce and seafood to city dwellers.

But at the fisherman's wharf, where dozens of fishing boats ere at anchor on a windy afternoon, fishermen and shopkeepers were not enthused about the project.

Today a trip to Chongming takes at least 40 minutes by ferry from the outskirts of Shanghai, and storms can halt traffic entirely. A tunnel and bridge, scheduled for completion in 2009, will make trips to the island faster and more reliable.

Some experts predicted the improved access would turn Dongtan into a community for wealthy commuters, drawn to its marinas and its clean air and water.

"It will therefore be characterized by high levels of personal consumption and large per capita eco-footprints," said William Rees, a professor at the University of British Columbia.

Rees is a pioneer in ecological footprint analysis, which estimates how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it needs.

Arup's goal is to ensure the city's ecological footprint is 40 percent less than a typical development model.

The eco-city plan took on a high international profile after Britain's then Prime Minister Tony Blair graced the signing ceremony for the Dongtan planning and development contract between SIIC and Arup at Number 10 Downing Street in 2005.

Blair's successor Gordon Brown has hailed the project as a successful example of cooperation between Britain and China.

While debate rages over the environmental value of the project, some experts see such eco-cities as the future of urban development.

"Accepting that urbanization in the developing world is inevitable, it is probably better to build nominal eco-cities than standard low-efficiency buildings and urban infrastructure," said Rees.

Agencies

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