总览
与许环森先生交流有感 A Walk Along Tianjin’s Eco-City 以包容心接受不同文化思维 到中国经商之路陡峭、崎岖、到处是墙 北京大学突击记 Attitude Matters 2010 回顾通商中国冬令营 我对中国高等教育的反思 Chinese Constitutionalism and Political Structure 给世界的一份中国情谊 The Increasing Economic Importance of Banks in China 关系与围墙 炽热的心 新加坡年轻人应有的自我定位 缘分 豆汁驴打滚那些事儿 2010冬游北京有感 Kudos to Hanban(汉办)A Walk Along Tianjin’s Eco-City
Taking the lead or following the trend
Tianjin Eco-City, the second high-level government-to-government project between Singapore and China, might not be the first-Eco City that has ever existed. Coined by Richard Register in his book Ecocity Berkeley: building cities for a healthy future, eco-city can be defined, in our terms, as a city which is made self-sufficient and environment-friendly through its deployment of green technology. With so many existing Eco-cities in its world, is Tianjin following the trend of being green, or is it taking the lead in sustainable development?
Developed by Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC), Tianjin Eco-city is a 50/50 joint venture between the Chinese Consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co., Ltd (Tianjin TEDA) and the Singapore Consortium led by the Keppel Group. The project aims to tap on the technology and expertise from both parties, drawing on the past experiences shared by the two governments in the developing of the Suzhou Industrial Park. According to the Assistant Manager of SSSTEC, Pok Heok, it is attempting to take the lead to position itself, to fulfill its primary yet ambitious objective, to sow the seeds of a mindset change to sustainable green living, work and play, which are the crucial ingredients to a liveable city.
Challenges that lie ahead
As mentioned in a study# conducted by RAND research#, SSTEC is seen as intended pilot project, seeking to lead efforts in addressing some of China’s most pressing nation-wide issues (Placeholder1). Concerns over the scarcity of water, rising energy costs, and intensifying pollution levels in the country have raised the alarm for immediate actions to be taken. Apart from the traditional industrial economic development, China needs to think beyond and support its economy using an alternative approach. Indeed, from the development of the SSTEC, we see concrete attempts in solving the issues by implementing technologies that are sustainable and eco-friendly. However, is SSTEC able to overcome the challenges facing them ahead?
The SSTEC project is a complex partnership between private and public entities across geographical boundaries, like China, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, etc. With strong commercial pressures from the private sector and the economic & real estate developments, how will the SSTEC address the pressing issues of meeting public interests? This constitutes an ongoing concern that needs to be addressed at every developmental phase. It is of primary and essential concern for the team to balance the commercial and social aspects of the development in order to meet its prevailing eco-objectives and the basic interests of its multiple stakeholders. Trade-offs are bound to exist and the crucial question to ask is how do you strike a balance.
It is heartwarming to see that SSTEC is striving to be more than just a commercial development project. Besides the private real estate developments, certain areas are set aside for public housing to provide affordable accommodation for locals working in the city. Instead of contending to be the leader for cutting-edge eco-technology, SSTEC serves to provide practical and cost-effective eco-solutions for its residents. Their primary objective, to create a vibrant city and a community that embraces green sustainable living, is inspiring yet ambitious.
Nonetheless, the efforts are laudable and we anticipate the unraveling of the Tianjin Eco-city in the later years of development. During our trip to the Eco-city, we witnessed some of the amazing developments off the blueprint, like the wind energy generating turbines. With residents at the heart of its development strategies, we look forward to seeing how the Tianjin Eco-city will emerge and spearhead a new era of a green lifestyle. Is there a Culture Invasion?
Without doubt, we see definite actions devoted at solving the upcoming environmental and social issues in China. However, we need to be aware of diluting the rich cultural heritage that Tianjin boasts of.
Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB), which has introduced the concept of HDB flats in Singapore, can be proud in that SSTEC is bringing in experts to guide in the development of similar HDB apartments of Tianjin Eco-city, according to the General Manager of SSTEC. Looking from another perspective, is there too little of Tianjin’s culture in Tianjin Eco-city? Is the essence of Singapore a tad stronger than the essence of Tianjin? In our views, we believe while the central goal is of achieving sustainable living in the greenest city in Tianjin, we believe cultural roots of Tianjin should be immersed in the soft development of the Eco-city. Injecting life in the city is not just on its technical aspects such as green energy, green transportation, and green environment. To make a city truly liveable, we should not neglect that there are cultural opportunity costs if we were to pursue head-on with the technical areas.
If a Tianjin Eco-city resident forgets that he is living in Tianjin years down the road, but an eco-city, it would be saddening. The cultural ramifications would be enormous. I’ll raise a simple case. A child born in an eco-city would not have the chance to immerse himself in Chinese opera, because he does not know of it. By the time the child matures and is ready to venture out of the city, he might not be interested in the country’s culture. Tianjin Eco-city will become a negative manifestation of another cosmopolitan city, no less. Nevertheless, we would not discount the grandeur development of Tianjin Eco-city so far, as we have heard about the rapid growth of Tianjin’s Start-up Area over the short span of one year. We are simply worried about the creation of another cutout cosmopolitan and sophisticated city and the potential diminishment of cultural lights on the city.
Our final thoughts
Tianjin Eco-city has its green edge and is gradually setting its stone in the cultural city of Tianjin. We will definitely be back soon, for its majestic opening!
Tianjin Eco-City, the second high-level government-to-government project between Singapore and China, might not be the first-Eco City that has ever existed. Coined by Richard Register in his book Ecocity Berkeley: building cities for a healthy future, eco-city can be defined, in our terms, as a city which is made self-sufficient and environment-friendly through its deployment of green technology. With so many existing Eco-cities in its world, is Tianjin following the trend of being green, or is it taking the lead in sustainable development?
Developed by Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC), Tianjin Eco-city is a 50/50 joint venture between the Chinese Consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co., Ltd (Tianjin TEDA) and the Singapore Consortium led by the Keppel Group. The project aims to tap on the technology and expertise from both parties, drawing on the past experiences shared by the two governments in the developing of the Suzhou Industrial Park. According to the Assistant Manager of SSSTEC, Pok Heok, it is attempting to take the lead to position itself, to fulfill its primary yet ambitious objective, to sow the seeds of a mindset change to sustainable green living, work and play, which are the crucial ingredients to a liveable city.
Challenges that lie ahead
As mentioned in a study# conducted by RAND research#, SSTEC is seen as intended pilot project, seeking to lead efforts in addressing some of China’s most pressing nation-wide issues (Placeholder1). Concerns over the scarcity of water, rising energy costs, and intensifying pollution levels in the country have raised the alarm for immediate actions to be taken. Apart from the traditional industrial economic development, China needs to think beyond and support its economy using an alternative approach. Indeed, from the development of the SSTEC, we see concrete attempts in solving the issues by implementing technologies that are sustainable and eco-friendly. However, is SSTEC able to overcome the challenges facing them ahead?
The SSTEC project is a complex partnership between private and public entities across geographical boundaries, like China, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, etc. With strong commercial pressures from the private sector and the economic & real estate developments, how will the SSTEC address the pressing issues of meeting public interests? This constitutes an ongoing concern that needs to be addressed at every developmental phase. It is of primary and essential concern for the team to balance the commercial and social aspects of the development in order to meet its prevailing eco-objectives and the basic interests of its multiple stakeholders. Trade-offs are bound to exist and the crucial question to ask is how do you strike a balance.
It is heartwarming to see that SSTEC is striving to be more than just a commercial development project. Besides the private real estate developments, certain areas are set aside for public housing to provide affordable accommodation for locals working in the city. Instead of contending to be the leader for cutting-edge eco-technology, SSTEC serves to provide practical and cost-effective eco-solutions for its residents. Their primary objective, to create a vibrant city and a community that embraces green sustainable living, is inspiring yet ambitious.
Nonetheless, the efforts are laudable and we anticipate the unraveling of the Tianjin Eco-city in the later years of development. During our trip to the Eco-city, we witnessed some of the amazing developments off the blueprint, like the wind energy generating turbines. With residents at the heart of its development strategies, we look forward to seeing how the Tianjin Eco-city will emerge and spearhead a new era of a green lifestyle. Is there a Culture Invasion?
Without doubt, we see definite actions devoted at solving the upcoming environmental and social issues in China. However, we need to be aware of diluting the rich cultural heritage that Tianjin boasts of.
Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB), which has introduced the concept of HDB flats in Singapore, can be proud in that SSTEC is bringing in experts to guide in the development of similar HDB apartments of Tianjin Eco-city, according to the General Manager of SSTEC. Looking from another perspective, is there too little of Tianjin’s culture in Tianjin Eco-city? Is the essence of Singapore a tad stronger than the essence of Tianjin? In our views, we believe while the central goal is of achieving sustainable living in the greenest city in Tianjin, we believe cultural roots of Tianjin should be immersed in the soft development of the Eco-city. Injecting life in the city is not just on its technical aspects such as green energy, green transportation, and green environment. To make a city truly liveable, we should not neglect that there are cultural opportunity costs if we were to pursue head-on with the technical areas.
If a Tianjin Eco-city resident forgets that he is living in Tianjin years down the road, but an eco-city, it would be saddening. The cultural ramifications would be enormous. I’ll raise a simple case. A child born in an eco-city would not have the chance to immerse himself in Chinese opera, because he does not know of it. By the time the child matures and is ready to venture out of the city, he might not be interested in the country’s culture. Tianjin Eco-city will become a negative manifestation of another cosmopolitan city, no less. Nevertheless, we would not discount the grandeur development of Tianjin Eco-city so far, as we have heard about the rapid growth of Tianjin’s Start-up Area over the short span of one year. We are simply worried about the creation of another cutout cosmopolitan and sophisticated city and the potential diminishment of cultural lights on the city.
Our final thoughts
Tianjin Eco-city has its green edge and is gradually setting its stone in the cultural city of Tianjin. We will definitely be back soon, for its majestic opening!