New housing guidelines developed for Tianjin Eco-city

East Asia Bureau Chief Maria Siow Channel NewsAsia 25 Jan 11;

TIANJIN, China: New housing guidelines have been developed for the Tianjin Eco-city, which is a joint collaboration between China and Singapore.

Under the new framework, at least 20 per cent of residential units will be set aside for public housing.

On a visit Tianjin, Singapore's Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, said the new model of public housing will tap on Singapore's housing experience.

These include home ownership, with emphasis on affordability, subsidies for eligible families, and centralised management and maintenance of housing estates.

The construction of the first public housing project in the Eco-city is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

Apart from energy saving features, it will include community malls and common areas for social integration.

Mr Mah said: "What we would like to see in the Tianjin Eco-city is not just physical development, not just environmental development, in terms of energy efficiency, but in terms of the social harmony aspect.

"I think this is what will make Tianjin Eco-city stand out from the many other eco-cities that are developed not just in China but also in other parts of the world."

The city's water management will also be based on the Singapore experience.

It was recently announced that Singapore would set up a Ministerial Committee on the Tianjin Eco-city Project.

Mr Mah said this would strengthen and coordinate efforts among various ministries.

He said: "I think it is important to renew the signal of commitment to this project and to make sure that the next phase of development will go beyond the traditional hardware aspects, such as buildings, roads, and so on, into the softer - not necessarily easier - parts of the project."

Mr Mah also witnessed the signing of agreements to develop an integrated logistics distribution centre, water treatment projects, and an innovation centre.

Even though the development of the start-up area is said to be well on track, analysts have expressed concerns that getting people to move in will be highly dependent on the completion of the public transport network, as well as the creation of jobs.

- CNA/ms

Tianjin Eco-City approves transport masterplan
Grace Ng Straits Times 26 Jan 11;

BEIJING: The Tianjin Eco-City has kicked off the new year with newly revamped plans for a green transport system, as well as fresh progress in its goal to create a more harmonious social environment.

It has approved a new masterplan to combine rail and tram services in a transport system aimed at making 'green' trips a predominant way of life for 350,000 residents in the 30 sq km city.

Begun about two years ago and expected to be completed in 10 to 15 years, the project is jointly developed by China and Singapore.

The joint venture has also created two frameworks - one for public housing policy and another for waste water management - that draw on Singapore's experience in these areas.

These fit into the joint venture's progress from rapid construction of buildings and infrastructure to the intangible aspects of creating a sustainable city, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told reporters during a visit to the 4 sq km start-up area yesterday.

'The Tianjin Eco-City is not just (about) the physical development or... energy efficiency,' he noted. 'It is also the 'social harmony' aspect that I think will make it stand out from the other eco-cities being developed, not just in China but also in other parts of the world.'

Mr Mah was speaking after visiting the showflat for a new 569-unit public housing estate, as well as other developments such as a waste water treatment area and a neighbouring industrial park.

The 60 sq m units, which are slightly smaller than three-bedroom Housing Board flats, are 'an adaptation of the Singapore model to the needs of young families here', said Mr Mah.

They feature smaller kitchens but bigger bathrooms compared with Singapore flats, and only lower-income, married couples are eligible to buy them.

Buyers must live in their flat for a minimum period before they can sell it to other eligible applicants. Such a system is unprecedented in China, where resale public housing units join the stock of private units and can be sold to richer people.

The completed eco-city is expected to have about 25,000 public housing units, equivalent to 'one Toa Payoh, if you reference it to Singapore', Mr Mah said.

He was accompanied by five other ministers, including Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua and Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu. They are part of a new ministerial committee set up to enhance support and coordination for the eco-city, and were here on a three-day trip ending today.