Inhabitat Staging » WORLD’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE CITY?

September 11, 2005

WORLD’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE CITY?

British engineering and design consultancy Arup has signed a contract with Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) to plan the world’s first sustainable “eco-city” - at Dongtan, outside of Shanghai. The new city, which will be three-quarters the size of Manhattan, will be built on the eastern end of Chongming, a large island that sits in the mouth of the Yangtze river delta a few miles northeast of the city centre, close to Shanghai?s new airport.

At the moment the site is mostly agricultural land, bordering on wetlands. The Eco-city aims to develop a comprehensive energy strategy incorporating large-scale renewable energy technologies, which will reduce damaging emissions, and bring the city as close to carbon-neutral as possible. Other environmentally sensitive aspects include the development of a process to capture and purify water in the landscape to support life in the city. Community waste management recycling will generate clean energy from organic waste, reducing landfills that damage the environment.

Arup expects to have its master plan approved by October 2006, and anticipates that construction will start immediately after. The first phase will be completed by 2010, just in time for Shanghai?s hosting of the World Expo.

If this project ends up being as eco-friendly as is currently outlined, it will be a model of urban design.

Sustainble, Green
What Dongtan currently looks like.

Via The Times Online

3 Responses to “WORLD’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE CITY?”

LeslieM Says:

September 12th, 2005 at 2:05 pm

This project might be sustainable for *people* but certainly not for the rest of the inhabitants (animals, plants, bugs, etc.) of the island. The photo of what Dongtan looks like now is absolutely stunning and I think it would be a crime to build human habitats on it.

kr Says:

September 12th, 2005 at 10:48 pm

With regards to the previous comment - Shanghai is one of the largest, fastest-growing cities in the world. Expansion onto Dongtan seems like a very natural (and somewhat inevitable) extension of that development. Your point about the effect of urban expansion on the local environment is well taken, but it’s far out weighed by the benefits a development like this could reap for China and the world at large.

I think the Chinese Govt. deserves serious praise for taking up a project like this. The design and production of a city that functions in a sustainable way and minimizes environmental impact is a massive step forward, especially in the country which will be experiencing tremendous urban expansion in the coming century.

peter Says:

September 13th, 2005 at 5:19 pm

I would love to see this technological step taken here in the US, but alas, much like a mega-corporation that beats down the entrepreneurial spirit of innovation, our country is paralyzed by short-sightedness. I applaud China for taking such a wonderfully, long-sighted step towards true stewardship of our world.

Our goal as humans should not be to preserve all lands, air, and water on this planet, as elluded to in the first posting. This expectation is completely deluded, and fails to grasp that by our very existence, we alter our surroundings, as does every other organism on this planet. No, our goal should be to take responsibility for our impact, and understand that we are the most massive force on this planet, and as such, must act with care and maturity, for the entire globe is indeed our home.

One aspect of globalization that has yet to be considered widely is how innovative and forward-thinking some of the less industrialized countries will be, and being less invested in the current-state, will also be much better positioned to leap forward.

The next revolution of innovation will not be an American one, but hopefully we can all embrace it as a human one.

That is my greatest hope for the new millenium. Peace.

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