This document provides an overview of four presentations on the characteristics of eco-districts: 1. Alison Lu introduces the characteristics of eco-districts such as eco-cities, eco-villages, and low-carbon communities, which typically include high-tech development parks, abundant housing, public transportation systems, and pollution remediation and eco-tourism. 2. James Connelly discusses policy indicators and energy consumption in eco-cities, focusing on national indicator systems and factors that influence energy consumption such as sector energy use and urban form. 3. Cecilia Springer presents a case study of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, examining its key performance indicators and the

1. Introduction
¨ Alison Lu: Introduction to characteristics of eco-
districts
¨ James Connelly: Policy, indicators and energy
consumption
¨ Cecilia Springer: Case study of Sino-Singaporean
Tianjin Eco-City and residential demographic
¨ Gavin Lohry: Urban form and the environment: how
China’s eco-cities stack up

2. OVERVIEW OF ECO-DISTRICT
CHARACTERISTICS:
WHAT DOES THE “ECO-” LABEL MEAN?
Alison Lu Fulbright Research Scholar, Tsinghua University

3. Eco-District Characteristics
¨ Eco-districts: Eco-cities,
Eco-villages, Eco-parks,
Low-carbon communities
¨ Sustainable
development
1. High-Tech
Development Parks
2. Abundant Housing
3. Public Transportation
Systems
4. Pollution Remediation
and Eco-Tourism

4. 1. High-Tech Development Parks
¨ Research and Development Centers
¨ Promotion of Silicon Valley-type of atmosphere
¨ Partnerships with other countries: Attraction of
foreign investment in China

5. DeZhou “Solar Valley” 德州
2007: 800,000 people employed in solar
panel industry (1 out of 3 working-age)
2020 projection: 1,500,000
Home to Himin Group, world’s largest
solar hot water heater manufacturer
The Micro Emission Sun-Moon Mansion
50,000 square feet of solar paneling
Hotel, research facilities, offices,
exhibition areas

6. 1. High-Tech Development Parks
¨ Further Questions
¤ SiliconValley comparisons
¤ Can every district have the same success?
¤ Financial support must be given as an incentive

7. 2. Abundant Housing
¨ Potential for huge Planned Population
populations 1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
¨ Empty Housing: 1,000,000
800,000
¤ Misalignment of 600,000
interests between
400,000
200,000
citizens, government, 0
city planners, and
designers

8. ChengGong 呈贡
Branch district off of KunMing
Construction began in 2003
Currently: 100,000+ uninhabited apartments
Empty government buildings, shopping malls,
offices, etc.
New effort in 2010: Calthorpe Associates to
improve sustainability

9. HuangBaiYu 黄柏峪
William McDonough + China-US Center for
Sustainable Development
“Cradle-to-Cradle” Eco-village
Since 2006: 42 out of 400 houses built
Designs were not fit for farming lifestyle
Too expensive
.

10. 2. Abundant Housing
¨ Further Questions
¤ Something that only the rich can afford or only the poor
want to move into?
¤ How to incentivize people to move out of cities?
n Is this even a good idea in the first place?

11. 3. Public Transportation
¨ Low-carbon claims
¨ Ease of mobility
¨ Outside of city centers: must consider transportation
of people and goods in and out of districts
¨ Hard to predict success in planning stages

12. 4. Pollution Remediation and Eco-Tourism
¨ Ecological aspect of urban planning
¨ Remediation: Conflict between agricultural land and
land for development
¨ Eco-Tourism

13. MeiXi Lake 梅溪湖
Designed by Kohn Pendersen Fox
Associates, developed by Gale
International
MeiXi lake:
Tourism and transportation: boat
transport linkages .
“creates conditions for edge gardens
and makes places for cultural venues.”
Man-made lake

14. Summary
¨ “Eco-” can be interpreted in a thousand different
ways.
¨ Four Characteristics: thorough planning to make sure
that each characteristic is developed in the way that
they were intended
¨ The “eco-“ label is something that must be earned,
and not given automatically.

15. EVALUATING ECO-CITIES:
POLICIES INDICATORS AND
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
James Connelly LEED AP, Fulbright Research Scholar, Tsinghua University

16. The Challenge
¨ 12th Five year Plan (by 2015):
¤ 17% Reduction GDP GHG Emissions
¤ 7% Economic Growth
¤ 53% Urbanization Rate
n More than 100 million to urban residents
n Urban residents consume 3.5 – 4 times more energy than
rural
¤ Compete and win in the green tech race

17. The Solution?
¨ Eco-Cities and Low Carbon Zones
¤ Eco-City’s generally brand new cities
¤ Low-Carbon Zones for existing cities
¤ All but 2 of China 287 municipalities have established
eco-city or low carbon goals, half have begun
construction
¨ National Green Building Action Plan (April, 2012)
¤ New construction 30% green buildings by 2020
¤ 45 Yuan for 2-Star, 80 for 3-Star (20% extra cost)

18. National Indicator Systems
¨ MoHURD “Eco-Garden City Index”
¤ Revised 2005
¤ Focused on urban form, ratio of green spaces, green
buildings, infrastructure
¨ MEP “Indices for Eco-County, Eco-City and Eco-Province”
¤ Revised 2008
¤ Focus on overall environmental performance: energy intensity
and emissions per unit of GDP
¨ Local regulation draw from national models but
are determined by the local governments
¤ Large degree of variation => difficult to compare

19. 3 Factors in Energy Consumption
¨ Sector energy consumption is determined by a city’s
state of industrialization
Worldwide Sector Energy Consumption (2005)

20. 3 Good Indicators
1) Proportion of energy-efficient buildings and green buildings ≥50
3-Star Building Energy Consumption
3-Star Building Energy Consumption
US CBECS Average 287

300.0
24% Savings

250.0
LEED Average 217

Energy Usage Intensity (kwh/m2a)
200.0
150.0
China Large Public Building Average 114

30%
100.0
Savings

3-Star Average 79.4

50.0
0.0
Shanghai Building
Shandong Shanghai Power Plant Shangai Eco-Home
Technology Institute Shanghai Expo Shenzhen Building
Transportation and Chimney World Expo Best
Green Engineering Center Technology Tower
College Library Renovation (City Hall) Practices Area
Research Center
40.0 38.0 146.4 164.6 45.7 44.4

21. 3-Good Indicators
2) Proportion of Green Trips ≥20% in big cities
≥15% in medium cities
• Transportation energy rises as urban areas
develop and GDP increases
• Energy determined by vehicle use
• Vehicle use related to density/urban form
• Urban form is determined before indicators
can be measured
Tianjin Eco-City
~110 p/ha

22. 3 Good Indicators
3) Energy consumption (ton SCE per 10,000 RMB GDP) ≤0.9
12 FYP GDP V Energy Intensity (planned and actual)
45
1.5
GDP
Energy
Intensity
(Tce/
40
1.4
GDP
(2005
price
trillion)
35
1.3
10,000
RMB)
30
1.2
Planned
GDP
25
1.1
Actual
GDP
20
1
15
0.9
Planned
Energy
Intensity
10
0.8
ActualEnergy
Intensity
5
0.7
0
0.6
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Energy Intensity of Chinese Provinces and Municipalities (2006)
4.5
GDP Energy Intensiity (Tsce/
4 50% Cut (1.42)
3.5
10,000 RMB)
3
2.5
2 40% Cut (.90)
1.5 30% Cut (.65)
12th FYP
1 Goal (.88)
0.5
0
2015

23. 2 Poor Indicators (绿化率)
1) Urban public green space per capita >12 m2
2) Forestation coverage in built-up area > 45%
Tianjin: Decreased Density & Qingdao: Too many trees!
Landscape not adapted to Climate

24. Conclusion
¨ Indicators must be tailored to a city’s state of
industrialization and economic structure
¨ Indicators have both good and bad impacts
¨ Definitions must be clear and measureable
¨ More useful as evaluative and comparative metrics
than design blueprints

25. DIRECTING THE DEMOGRAPHIC
OF THE SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN
ECO-CITY (SSTEC)
Cecilia Springer Fulbright Research Scholar, Nankai University

26. SSTEC: Background and Basic Facts
• Development type: Local eco-city program (项目) with
international collaboration
• Estimated construction duration: 2008-2020
• Projected population: 350,000
• Projected total area: 30 km2
• Location: 40 km east of Tianjin city center

27. SSTEC Key Performance Indicators
• Complex relationship between planning
and operation that partially depends on
residents’ behavior
• Residents’ behavior affects key
performance indicators, both directly and
indirectly
Qualitative Indicators
KPI Area KPI
Coordinated Natural Ecological health and safety, green
Integrated Regional Coordination
Ecology consumption, low carbon operation
Coordinated Regional Advance innovative policies, coordinate
Policies anti-pollution policies
Social and Cultural Give prominence to preserving the
Coordination character of local wetlands and culture
through planning and design
Regional Coordinated Supplement the recycling economy
Economy

28. Understanding the Eco-City Demographic
¨ Importance of understanding SSTEC residents
¤ Achieving indicators
¤ Building a diverse population
¨ Housing
¤ Commercial real estate (80%)
¤ Public housing (20%)

29. Commercial Eco-City Housing Advertising
¨ Media
¤ Promotional Materials
¤ Sales Centers
¤ Sales Pitches
¨ Appeals
¤ Technology
¤ Green Lifestyle
¤ Luxury

30. Commercial Eco-City Housing Advertising:
Sales Centers

31. Promotional Materials: Technology

32. Sales Pitches: Expanding the Green
Lifestyle Concept
¨ “像垃圾车，像回收车，不会进入咱们的社区，
像蟑螂、老鼠什么的，都会有力地减少。这个
是对生态比较帮助一些。” (“Garbage trucks,
recycling trucks won’t need to enter our community,
cockroaches, mice, and so on will be fully eliminated.
This helps out the ecology. ”)
¨ “在中国别的小区不会派追求绿化。这边的话，
就必须得达到一个绿化的保证，有舒适度的”
¨ (“Other communities in China wouldn’t emphasize this
green space. Here, green space security must be
achieved, it’s a level of comfort”)

33. Promotional Materials: Green Lifestyles

34. Promotional Materials: Luxury

35. Is the Eco-City Actually a Luxury Development?
Housing Price Comparison (RMB/m2)
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Average Eco- Average Eco- Average Eco- Farglory Public Housing in Luxury Housing Luxury Housing Average Housing
City Low Rise City High Rise City Housing (Highest-end the Eco-City in TBNA/TEDA in Tianjin City Price in China's
(Int'l Company) (Int'l Company) (Domestic Eco-City real Center Top 10 Cities
Company) estate)

36. Who Lives in the Eco-City Right Now?
¨ Commercial housing: 60 families (~100 people)
¤ Retirees
¤ Eco-City
workers
¤ TBNA/TEDA workers
¨ Public housing: ~50 applicants for public housing
lottery system
¤ Eco-Cityworkers
¤ Displaced former residents
¨ Laborers

37. Conclusions
¨ Residential behavior determines the outcomes of
several key indicators
¤ Implications for liveability of the Eco-City
¤ City diversity
¤ Will residents adhere to green standards?
¨ Indicators will be assessed in 2013

38. URBAN FORM AND THE
ENVIRONMENT:
HOW CHINA’S ECO-CITIES
STACK UP
Gavin Lohry MPA Candidate, International Development, Tsinghua University

39. What Urban Form has the least
Inherent impact on the Environment?
• As Countries develop building
and transportation emission
become more important (larger
percent of overall emissions)
• Hong Kong’s per capita level
of building and transportation
emissions are lower than major
Chinese cities and just above the
Chinese National
• What does Hong Kong do
right?

40. Density is Important (What do we know about Density)
¨ Reduces Transport Emissions
¤ Makes public transport more cost effective and convenient
¤ Increased number of services within walking/biking distance
¤ Makes driving less convenient and more expensive
¨ Building Emissions
¤ Decreases building energy use through shared walls
¤ Reduces floor space and increases communal space
¨ Other Effects
¤ Increases infrastructure efficiencies and service efficiencies
¤ Reduces the total amount of land used (more land for farms & forests)
¨ Negative Effects
¤ Pollution is concentrated
¤ Heat Island effect, Peak Flow Volume increase, etc.

41. Spatial Form is Important
Path #1
Walking Distance=0.6km 8.4min
Actual Distance= 0.15km
Path #2
Walking Distance= 1.1km 15.3min
NYC Manhattan Actual Distance= 0.55km
East Side
Wangjing
Path #1
Walking Distance=0.3km 4.3min
Beijing
Actual Distance= 0.15km
Path #2
Walking Distance= 0.7km 10min
Actual Distance= 0.55km

42. Comparison of Chinese Urban Areas
(All Images are set to the same scale)
Tangshan Bay Eco-city Hong Kong Island
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Shanghai Nanjing Road Area

43. New Songdo- South Korea
¨ High density mixed use city scale
development- Current pop+35,000
¨ LEED Neighborhood Development
project- pedestrian & cyclist friendly
¨ Bike-Transit Oriented Development with
small block sizes

44. Comparison- New Songdo and Tianjin Eco-city
Tianjin Eco-city
¨ Large blocks (2 to 4 time the size)
¨ Fenced off communities
¨ Two and three lane divided roads
¨ Large separated bike and walking lanes
New Songdo, South Korea Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city
Neighborhood
Through Path
470m
170m
200m Fenced Off Blocks
350m
No Through Traffic
350m

45. Conclusion
¨ Density and Spatial Form are both important and
work best together
¨ Neighborhoods need to be built for pedestrians
and cyclists not with highways for cars
¨ It is easier to add new technologies to existing
developments for environmental improvements than
to change a developments Density and Urban form

46. Three Takeways
1. ‘Eco’ has many connotations in China that may
differ from Western conceptions of the term (e.g.
luxury, low density)
2. Current eco-city developments face challenges in
achieving their green goals due to their urban
form
3. China is a testing a new green urban model in
eco-city ‘laboratories’ across the country

47. For More Information: ecocitynotes.com