How to Build a Green City – Steven Cherry

In a special issue focusing in “The Megacity,” IEEE Spectrum includes two articles about Dongtan, the eco-city being built outside Shanghai:

Mshan01China has embarked on a bold, expensive experiment to see whether pollution and waste”of all forms, not just the kind that taints the air”can be drastically reduced or even eliminated. In March it broke ground on what it calls the world’s first eco-city. Designed by the London-based global consulting firm Arup Group, Dongtan (as the new city will be called) is to be built on an island that is just a ferry ride away from central Shanghai. The government expects that by the time of the Expo this new enclave will be a showcase city of 8000 and that it will have half a million residents by 2050.

Dongtan will ban all polluting cars, even the most advanced hybrids. It will dig canals for waterways. On its streets, people will get around using electric cars, bicycles, or just their legs. “Cities today are built around the automobile,” says Malcolm Smith, an urban-design team leader at Arup. “You build a very different type of city if you know the automobile isn’t the central form of transportation.” [Full text]

See also “Eco-city Now!” which shows how Dongtan could be a model for future city planning. Read also a profile of the architect who created the plans for Dongtan. Listen also to a podcast about the Dongtan project from Ethical Corporation (via Virtual China), which calls it a “a badly concieved showcase project.”

CDT EBOOKS

Subscribe to CDT

SUPPORT CDT

Browsers Unbounded by Lantern

Now, you can combat internet censorship in a new way: by toggling the switch below while browsing China Digital Times, you can provide a secure "bridge" for people who want to freely access information. This open-source project is powered by Lantern, know more about this project.

Google Ads 1

Giving Assistant

Google Ads 2

Anti-censorship Tools

Life Without Walls

Click on the image to download Firefly for circumvention

Open popup
X

Welcome back!

CDT is a non-profit media site, and we need your support. Your contribution will help us provide more translations, breaking news, and other content you love.