Forum on Urbanization and
Health
ECO-CITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA:
LESSONS FOR AN URBANISING WORLD?
PHIL MCMANUS
SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
China’s Changing Demographics
2
http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/2030.htm
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_population.htm
Phil McManus November 2013
“The number of people living in China's
cities for the first time exceeded those
living in the country's rural areas as of
the end of 2011, the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.
The number of urban dwellers
increased by 21 million to hit 690.79
million as of the end of 2011,
accounting for 51.27 percent of the
country's total population, the NBS
said.
Meanwhile, the rural population fell by
14.56 million to 656.56 million as of
the end of 2011, the NBS noted.
The nation's total population increased
by 6.44 million over the past year to
1.34 billion, it said.”
http://www.china-profile.com/data/fig_urban_2.htm
Source: http://www.china.org.cn/china/201201/17/content_24427969.htm
Emphasis added in red to highlight material for later in this
presentation.
Phil McManus November 2013
3
China has 59 cities with a
population of over 1 million people.
1
Shanghai
14,608,512
2
Zhumadian
8,263,100
There are over 160 cities in China with
a population over one million
City
Built-up
Area
Urban
Area
Administrative
Area
Guangzhou
44,294,245
11,070,654
12,700,800
Shanghai
27,965,403
22,265,426
23,019,148
3
Beijing
7,480,601
4
Nanchong
7,150,000
5
Tai'an
5,499,000
Beijing
19,785,051
19,295,000
19,612,368
6
Yueyang
5,000,000
Tianjin
10,290,987
11,090,314
12,937,954
7
Kaifeng
4,800,000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_China_by_population
8
Wuhan
4,184,206
9
Chongqing
3,967,028
10
Chengdu
3,950,437
11
Tianjin
3,766,207
12
Puyang
3,590,000
13
Shenyang
3,512,192
14
Tianshui
3,500,000
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/chinapopulation/major-cities-in-china/
Phil McManus November 2013
http://www.china-mike.com/china-travel-tips/touristmaps/major-chinese-cities-map/
4
Clockwise from top left:
China’s population density, 1949
China’s population density, 2000
China’s population density, 2020
(projected).
Source:
http://cgge.aag.org/PopulationandNaturalResources1e/CS_China_July09/
CS_China_July09_print.html
Phil McManus November 2013
5
Linfen, China
http://www.topsixlist.com/2013/10/24/top-6-polluted-cities-world/
Beijing, China
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/14/beijing-smogcontinues-media-action
Phil McManus November 2013
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Urban History and Health:
Early Reformers
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 Early urban reformers were capitalist factory owners
who may have been altruistic, or wanting controlled
and productive workers.
 Robert Owen (New Lanark, 1800, - near Glasgow,
UNESCO World Heritage Listed in 2001)
 Titus Salt (Saltaire, 1853 - near Bradford, UNESCO World
Heritage Listed in 2001)
 George Cadbury (Bourneville, 1879 - near Birmingham)
 William Lever (Port Sunlight, 1888 - near Birkenhead,
opposite Liverpool)
Phil McManus March 2013
Saltaire
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 Justification for Inscription:
Criterion (ii) Saltaire is an outstanding and well preserved
example of a mid 19th century industrial town, the layout
of which was to exert a major influence on the development
of the "garden city" movement.
 Criterion (iv) The layout and architecture of Saltaire
admirably reflect mid 19th century philanthropic
paternalism, as well as the important role played by the
textile industry in economic and social development.
Phil McManus March 2013
New Lanark
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 Originally David Dale and Robert Owen, early 19th century.
 Located below the Falls of the Clyde, east of Glasgow.
 Built a new factory complex and housing for the workers,
including a school, nursery, store and New Institution for
the Formation of Character.
 There was no pub.
Phil McManus August 2012
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Phil McManus August 2012
Garden Cities
 Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928)
 In 1898 he introduced the
Three Magnets: Town, Country,
Town/Country.
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 “Neither the Town
magnet nor the country
magnet represents the
full plan and purpose of
nature. Human society
and the beauty of nature
are meant to be enjoyed
together. The two
magnets must be made
one.”
Howard, 1898 in LeGates
& Stout, 1996, 348
Source: http://www.tomorrowsgardencity.com/system/files/images/3_MAGNETS.jpg
Phil McManus March 2013
Le Corbusier
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 Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret
(1887-1969).
 Grew up in Switzerland –
changed his name when
he moved to Paris.
 Designed houses as
“machines for living”.
 “We must build in the open:
both within the city and around it”
Le Corbusier, 1929 in LeGates & Stout, 1996, 375
Phil McManus March 2013
Source:
http://www.aboodalamoudi.com/
architecture_images
Source:
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?im
gurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com
continued
16
 The Contemporary City attempted to achieve sunlight, open
space (about 95% of the land), mobility, technological
innovation, a transport hierarchy and control.
Source: http://www.aboodalamoudi.com/architecture_images
 All of the above examples (Early Reformers, Garden Cities, The
Contemporary City) link urban planning and health (physical,
moral and emotional) concerns.
Phil McManus March 2013
Eco-Cities: Definitions of Eco-Cities
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 “We are a non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping cities, towns
and villages for long term health of human and natural systems. Our
goals include returning healthy biodiversity to the heart of our cities,
agriculture to gardens and the streets, and convenience and pleasure to
walking, bicycling and transit. We visualize a future in which waterways
in neighborhood environments and prosperous downtown centers are
opened for curious children, fish, frogs and dragonflies. We work to
build thriving neighborhood centers while reversing sprawl
development, to build whole cities based on human needs and “access
by proximity” rather than cities built in the current pattern of
automobile driven excess, wasteful consumption and the destruction of
the biosphere.”
 An ecocity is a human settlement that enables its residents to live a
good quality of life while using minimal natural resources.
 http://www.ecocitybuilders.org/
Phil McManus November 2013
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 The shortest definition I know is by US-based ecocity
pioneer Richard Register who says it’s ‘an ecologically
healthy city’. He also says no such city exists.

Paul Downton in www.ecovoice.com.au/issues/issue%25207
 A sustainable city, or eco-city is a city designed with
consideration of environmental impact, inhabited by people
dedicated to minimisation of required inputs of energy,
water and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution CO2,methane, and water pollution.

Wikipedia definition of Sustainable City
Phil McManus November 2013
Eco-cities - China
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
Eco-cities are likely to develop in rapidly urbanising locations of high population growth,
eg. China, India or in wealthy locations (Masdar in the UAE).

1st example

Dongtan near Shanghai


Arup Partners, is behind schedule. Questionable about whether it was really a
genuine effort or simply trying to do too much too soon (Hald, 2009).
2nd, and more successful start is


Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, near Tianjin and Beijing

China and Singapore (Keppel Corporation leading the consortium)

When completed around 2020, it will accommodate about 350,000 residents.
In other words, China will need to build the equivalent of 18.4 cities the size of the
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city each year to accommodate the expected population
growth, not allowing for rural-urban migration. (6.44m/350 000)
Phil McManus November 2013
Tianjin Eco-city
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 http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/
 The following four slides are excerpts from the
presentation by the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city
project team at the inaugural World Cities Summit
(WCS), 24-26 June 2008 in Singapore.
Phil McManus November 2013
Selection of Tianjin as Site of Eco-City
-
Strategic
location in the
Bohai Bay region
- Accessibility
- Economic
fundamentals
Location of Eco-City
- Non-arable land
- Lack water
resources
Beijing
Tianjin City
40km
150km
Eco-city
Bohai Bay
Transformation of barren, non-arable land into a
thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable
development
Original Site
Phil McManus November 2013
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Transformation of barren, non-arable land into a
thriving and vibrant model city for sustainable
development
February 2008: Land
reclamation work in progress
May 2008: Eco-City Admin
Building being constructed
Development in Progress
Phil McManus November 2013
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Our Vision of the Eco-City
Thank You
Phil McManus November 2013
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Progress at Tianjin Eco-city
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 “Tianjin Eco-city– A model for Sustainable Development”
Tianjin Eco-city 2007 and 2011.
Tianjin Eco-city 2013
http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/bg_intro.htm
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/steepchallenges-for-a-chinese-eco-city/
Phil McManus November 2013
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http://www.tianjinecocit
y.gov.sg/gal_2012.htm
Tianjin’s eco-industrial park
Phil McManus November 2013
Questions
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 Is the location suitable?
 1/3 barren land, 1/3 salt pan and 1/3 polluted water
bodies;
 Avoided loss of agricultural land.
 What does it mean for wetlands?
 Is the timeframe suitable?
 Is the vision likely to be achieved?
 Can this vision be reproduced elsewhere, or does it require
certain political conditions or other cultural, demographic,
historical or physical factors to succeed?
Phil McManus November 2013
It’s no secret that eco-cities are popping up all over China. Hot
on the heels of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is the
Jingwu Eco Town, an eco-city inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s
Milan and the Forbidden City in Beijing. Unsurprisingly, an
Italian consortium is at the helm of the project.
Perhaps coinciding with the construction boom in China, ecocities are going up around the country and in the Middle East
as well. The Tianjin Eco-City is designed to set the standard for
sustainability with all buildings complying with strict green
building standards. The city will be powered by clean and
renewable fuel sources. Additionally, everything in the town will
be accessible by foot, bicycle or public transport.
Jingwu Eco Town
The Jingwu Eco Town will incorporate 15th century urban
design with the modern green technologies available. The city
blocks will be designed as large courtyards with the buildings
along the edges of the landscape. Overall the city will be
divided into five zones with each having its own center.
Khanh Phuong ( baoxaydung.com.vn )
Phil McManus November 2013
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Jingwu Eco-Town
http://www.baoxaydung.com.vn/news/e
n/construction-world/when-the-jingwueco-town-is-complete-china-will-behome-to-several-growing-eco-cities.html
Conclusion
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 China’s experience of eco-cities is part of a long
engagement by philanthropic factory owners, urban
planners, architects and governments aimed to improve
cities.
 One area for improvement is health – variously
emphasizing physical, emotional and moral health.
 Population increase, rural-urban migration and health
concerns in the cities mean that the current generation of
Chinese Eco-city development is warranted.
 China’s recent experience offers lessons for many other
countries with rapid population growth, and the
likelihood of rural-urban migration (eg. India).
Phil McManus November 2013
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 While the Tianjin Eco-City is situated in a growth area of
the Bohai Sea, around the world new locations for cities
may be generated by climate change impacts – notably
rising sea levels.
 Templates from Chinese eco-cities cannot be simply
relocated to other cultural and political-economic
contexts.
 What is needed are “vernacular models” based on local
conditions and needs, inspired by meaningful actions
such as the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city.
 Thank you.
Phil McManus November 2013