In October 2008 I was invited to pay a visit to the
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city. The construction site is located out in the Binhai New Area, very close to the coast and the Bohai Gulf. Groundbreaking had just been done some weeks earlier, with a ceremony that saw China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao picking up the tools himself. The entire project is very ambitious and competitive. A so-called
Start-up Area SUA will first be developed, with the intention of housing ca. 80.000 residents. "When fully developed, the 30 km2 large Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city will have about 350,000 residents, living in inclusive, close-knit communities with strong social support networks." 20% of the housing space is reserved for lower-income residents.
"The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is envisioned as a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city. It aims to be a model for sustainable development for other cities in China and the world."
This image gallery is a mix of
1. My own images, taken on site;
2. Images taken by me of the explanation boards displayed in the Eco-city Service Center;
3. Official 3D renderings from the project's web site;
4. Photographs of the area model on display in the Service Center's main hall.
The project's official web site can be accessed here. Thomas H. Hahn
Ithaca, NY
November 20, 2008
