Sino-Singapore eco-city project starts with planning KPIs

Lynette Khoo, Business Times 1 Feb 08;

THE Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project got off to a good start yesterday as the committee overseeing the development met for the first time, hammering out key performance indicators (KPIs) to guide the planning of the project.

The KPIs emphasised preserving and restoring the natural ecology, recycling and efficient use of resources, social cohesion, green consumption and low carbon emission. This is in line with the vision for the project to become a model of sustainable development that is socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource efficient.

The meeting in the northern port city of Tianjin was hosted by the co-chairmen of the Joint Working Committee (JWC) - Singapore's Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan and China's Minister of Construction Wang Guangtao.

Issuing congratulatory letters to the JWC for initiating the meeting, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi pointed out the importance of the KPIs in laying the foundation to achieve the developmental goals of the eco-city.

One KPI is aimed at shortening the travelling distance of the residents through green transportation planning. This is to achieve a long-term target of at least 90 per cent of the residents walking, using public transport or cycling when they commute within the eco-city. Sufficient jobs also need to be generated within the eco-city to fulfil the employment-housing equilibrium index. This will ensure that the economy is vibrant and reduce the need for residents to travel beyond the city daily.

To develop a cohesive community, there will be public housing with social amenities and facilities, as well as 100 per cent barrier-free access in the Eco-city.

This project is the second instance of key bilateral cooperation between Singapore and China after the Suzhou Industrial Park. Since the signing of the framework agreement last year, both countries began formulating the KPIs, related technical standards, as well as the master plan.

Undertaking this development will be the Eco-city Administrative Committee and the joint venture company, which are in the process of being formed. The joint venture company will comprise a Singapore consortium led by Keppel Corp and a Chinese consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holdings Co.

The master plan is slated to be completed by the end of March and detailed plans of the start-up area will be unveiled by the end of May. The ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled to take place in Tianjin in July.


'In 5 years, there'll be houses, offices, roads, parks here'
Tracy Quek, Straits Times 1 Feb 08;

S'pore-China flagship eco-city in Tianjin will house 30,000 people for a start, Mah Bow Tan reveals

IN TIANJIN - SINGAPORE and China will break ground for their flagship eco-city venture in July, and expect to have the first 3 sq km of the project ready within five years.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday broke official silence on the project's specifics and gave a sneak preview of what life in the city will be like.

He also outlined the green targets, policies and planning involved in shaping the city.

Its master plan will be completed by March and detailed plans of the start-up plot will be ready by May.

Built from scratch and spread over 30 sq km in Tianjin municipality's eastern corner, the eco-city will be greener and less built-up than Singapore, Mr Mah told reporters.

The site may be 'desolate' now, but in three to five years, 'there will be housing, offices, roads, parks and greenery', and some 30,000 people living in the first 3 sq km area to be developed, he said.

Over time, 'you will see railway lines going through, heavy rail, MRT-type lines, light rail, electric and gas-powered buses, bicycle tracks', he said.

'You see people walking, you'll have trees, tree-lined roads, little parks near housing estates, waterways, and a lake in the middle.'

Roads will be laid out in ways that cut down commuting distances. A long-term target is for at least 90 per cent of the expected 300,000 residents to walk, use public transport or cycle. The city will also have '100 per cent barrier-free access' for the disabled.

In addition, jobs - possibly in the training and education sectors and research and development - will be generated within the city so that residents will not need to commute daily for work outside.

Public housing will be offered, and policies will be in place to keep their prices reasonable, Mr Mah said.

These plans come under 18 broad categories of standards, or 'key performance indicators', that the city should meet in order to be considered a successful model of sustainable development.

This would be a city which is 'economically vibrant, environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and socially harmonious', Mr Mah said.

The key performance indicators include targets - set at the 'high end of Chinese national standards' - for air and water quality, transport, recycling, green buildings and energy use.

A draft set of indicators was discussed and agreed upon at a meeting of the project's Joint Working Committee yesterday. It was the committee's first meeting after the signing of agreements last November which put the project in motion.

Mr Mah co-chaired the meeting with Mr Wang Guangtao, China's Minister of Construction.

Mr Mah also met top Tianjin leaders, including party boss Zhang Gaoli and Mayor Huang Xingguo.

Apart from environmental standards, what will set the Tianjin eco-city apart from similar projects in China is its emphasis on social harmony, Mr Mah said in an hour-long interview after his meetings.

The People's Association, which oversees grassroots and community organisations in Singapore, will be involved in developing the eco-city's social fabric, a source told The Straits Times.

Mr Mah said one big challenge is to attract residents who share the vision of an eco-city and who are prepared to live according to its principles.

'You can build, plan...but if the people living in the green buildings, for example, don't accept the responsibilities... then the benefits of having them, the energy savings, resource conservation will not be realised,' he said.

Looking ahead, work is being done now on how to 'strategically position the city, create jobs and decide who should be living in it' in order to ensure it is financially viable.

A Singapore consortium led by Keppel Corporation and a Chinese consortium, which form the project's joint-venture company, are also working on the project's investment structure.

Yesterday, Keppel signed a memorandum of understanding with the Qatar Investment Authority in Doha, inviting the sovereign wealth fund to be the Singapore consortium's first partner in the venture.

Singapore, China hold first meeting on Sino-Singapore Eco-City project
Channel NewsAsia 31 Jan 08;

TIANJIN: Singapore and China officials have held their first joint working meeting on the mega Sino-Singapore Eco-City project.

Besides preservation and restoration of natural ecology, green consumption and low carbon emissions, it is social cohesion that tops the list of features in the eco-city, said Singapore's Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan.

Grand plans are in store for the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city.

When completed, there will be some 300,000 residents living and working in energy-efficient buildings in Tianjin's Binhai New Area.

90 percent of them will make "green trips" by walking, cycling or using public transportation to ensure the city lives up to its eco-friendly premise.

There will be 100 percent barrier-free access and clusters of inclusive, close-knit communities cutting across demographics.

Mr Mah said: "This means that while the eco-city is clean and green, it is also equally important to create an environment, a place where people feel that they belong, with strong community bonds."

He added that while the China-Singapore joint-venture does not aim for the ultimate goal of zero carbon emission or 100 percent recycling, both have set high, yet realistic, targets.

The eco-city is the second project endorsed by both governments after the landmark Suzhou Industrial Park.

The partners hope the new venture will become a model of sustainable development for other cities in China.

"If the people who live in the green buildings do not accept the responsibilities of living there then I think the benefits of having the green buildings, the energy saving and the resource conservation will not be realised," Mr Mah said.

Next step is to develop a strategic positioning for the eco-city, which includes defining the city's target residents and the types of jobs and industries to be developed.

To understand the Tianjin community's needs, Mr Mah visited some housing estates and checked out the local community services as these will be incorporated into the new eco-city.

Mr Mah co-chairs the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Joint Working Committee with Mr Wang Guangtao, China's construction minister.

Groundbreaking for the eco-city is due to take place in July.

It is to be developed by a joint venture company formed by a Singapore consortium that is led by Keppel Corporation, and a China consortium that is led by Tianjin's TEDA Investment Holdings.


- CNA/so