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The City of Tomorrow, Today: The Tianjin Eco-City Partnership
- Tan Ding Rui and Suhayl Saifudin
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
In this Explainer, find out…
What are the key features of the Tianjin Eco-City Partnership?
How have the Tianjin Eco-City’s features helped to achieve sustainable urban development?
How does the Tianjin Eco-City Partnership contribute to global efforts on sustainable urban development?
Introduction
In April 2007, against the backdrop of rapid urbanisation and global industrial development, then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao raised the prospect of a planned city development initiative.
This concept, which would come into fruition on 18 November 2007, would be formally known as the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City: a joint government-to-government venture that aimed to strengthen both nations’ commitment to sustainable urban development.
In this Policy Explainer, we will explain the key features of the Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) Partnership and evaluate which strategies have helped the city to achieve sustainable urban development. Lastly, we will also cover the successes of the Tianjin Eco-City project, and the areas for improvement, for the future benefit of newer development projects.
Background Of The Tianjin Eco-City
How did the Partnership first come about?
China has been experiencing unprecedented levels of rapid urbanisation since before the Tianjin Eco-City was conceptualised. This has resulted in the hurried and oftentimes convoluted expansion of urban city centres.
This urbanisation has given way to significant environmental challenges such as air and water pollution, rising energy demand and inefficient waste management.
At the turn of the century, the Chinese government recognised the gravity of the issue and sought out Singapore, amongst many other countries, to reconceptualise sustainable urban development. Primarily, the Chinese government consulted Singapore on methods for urban city planning and sustainable urban development mechanisms.
Why was Singapore chosen to partner with China?
Singapore presents itself as a small, resource-constrained island nation. Its push towards environmental sustainability has been hindered by land scarcity and high population density.
However, it is precisely this experience that made Singapore an attractive partner for China in the Tianjin Eco-City project. Singapore has a long and successful track record of tackling these very challenges through innovative urban planning, resource management, and sustainable development policies since independence. During preliminary discussions, these experiences were recognised as valuable tools to be leveraged throughout the building process.
Moreover, it also helped that Singapore had already partnered with China on other high-level urban development projects before, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park. These projects demonstrated the strength of Singapore’s model for sustainable urban and economic development despite its disadvantageous geographic circumstances.
What were the main objectives of the Tianjin Eco-City?
The overall vision for the Tianjin Eco-City was underpinned by the "Three Harmonies” and the ‘Three Abilities’.
Additionally, both countries have outlined 26 indicators (22 quantitative and four qualitative), including guidelines on environmental quality, pollution levels, and employment, to better evaluate the successes of the project.
How Have The Implemented Strategies Helped The Tianjin Eco-City Achieve Sustainable Urban Development?
The Three Key Strategies
The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) project was a remarkable feat of urban planning. It was born from the shared commitment of both nations to address the challenges of sustainable development amidst rapid industrialisation.
This objective was made even more ambitious by the decision to build on a site with challenging environmental conditions, including saltpans and polluted water bodies. This was done to demonstrate that sustainable urban development was possible even in environmentally-degraded areas. By blending Singapore's expertise in urban planning with China's commitment to creating sustainable cities, the project emerged as a model city for sustainable urban development.
Notably, this success was driven by three key strategies: the extensive environmental remediation of the site, a commitment to constructing green buildings, and significant investment in environmentally-friendly transport infrastructure.
Environmental Remediation of the Construction Site
Before the construction of the Tianjin Eco-City, both countries conducted a land survey of the area to best allocate a plot of land for the site. From the initial outset of the surveying phase, the Chinese Government had intentionally specified that the project should be built on non-arable land, in an area with water shortage and limited natural resources.
Eventually, four locations were shortlisted for the project: Tangshan City in Hebei Province, Baotou City in Inner Mongolia, Urumqi in Xinjiang Province, and the Tianjin Municipality. After much debate and consideration from both parties, Tianjin was selected as the site for the development of the eco-city. This decision stemmed from Tianjin’s surrounding infrastructure, commercial viability and ease of accessibility. Additionally, the Chinese Government also had plans to revitalise the surrounding Binhai New Area, with plans to designate a special economic zone in one of the fastest growing regions in China.
In doing so, both nations were committed to magnifying the ‘demonstrative effect’ of the Tianjin Eco-City. China and Singapore hoped to influence other countries to follow suit and initiate sustainable urban development globally. In doing so, this seeks to prove to the international stage that sustainable development can be achieved despite environmentally challenging circumstances.
Before development, the construction site of the Tianjin Eco-City consisted primarily of saltpans, barren land, and polluted water bodies. The site was also riddled with a 2.6km2 wastewater pond, which had to be dealt with during the project.
During the clean-up phase of the project, much of the timeline was spent on landscaping the surrounding infrastructure and sorting out pollution-associated issues. The initial site consisted of saline-alkaline soil that was unsuitable for agriculture or crop cultivation, and limited vegetation that curbed ecosystem development. It was also affected by industrial waste dumping, which had polluted nearby waters. To resolve the issue of polluted water bodies, the developers installed wastewater treatment facilities on site, in an attempt to treat the contaminated water and make it safe for reuse.
Additionally, the developers of the Tianjin Eco-City also adopted holistic yet unorthodox means of water recycling, such as wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting, to mitigate the problems associated with water scarcity in the region.
Constructing Green, Eco-Friendly Buildings
During the early stages of construction, the developers of the Tianjin Eco-City set an ambitious target of 100 per cent green, eco-friendly buildings. Green buildings are those that have been classified to be environmentally and resource-efficient. They seek to maximise the sustainable environmental impact on their area and the occupants.
To reduce carbon emissions in the city whilst maximising the use of clean energy, developers of the Tianjin Eco-City have conceptualised nature-based designs that complement the climate, resources and overall environment.
One prominent instance would be the Low Carbon Living Lab (LCLL), which operates as a space for research and development. The LCLL demonstrates several unique low-carbon features such as natural lighting and ventilation, renewable energy to power operations, green recreational spaces, and a rainwater harvesting system.
Moreover, the developers have also formulated unique benchmarks for green building design standards. Known as the Green Building Evaluation System or GBES, the system is essentially a hybrid of Singapore’s Building Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark, and China’s National Green Building Evaluation Standard (‘Three Star System’). These building evaluation standards apply to the entire construction process, signifying both parties' renewed commitment and their high expectations for environmental sustainability in the buildings.
An Effective Transport System
As part of the updated KPIs of the Tianjin Eco-City, one of the objectives was to achieve a high green-trips rate of no less than 95 per cent by 2035.
To meet these objectives, the developers of the Tianjin Eco-City created plans for a highly comprehensive public transportation system, including the light-rail and the metro system, to improve the connectivity of the area. To further enhance the connectivity of the place, there have also been plans to develop an electric tram system. These would provide citygoers with a diverse range of transportation options. These innovations towards smart transport solutions include autonomous public buses and bike-sharing services.
One prominent instance of effective transport systems in the Tianjin Eco-City is the implementation of the Green Corridors Eco-Valley concept. As part of the Tianjin Eco-City, a 12-kilometer-long no-car zone has been designated. It runs through the city centre, connecting residential districts, community spaces, commercial business zones, and recreational areas.
In doing so, the developers hope to create a green transport network that is capable of effectively moving citygoers from one destination to another whilst minimising carbon emissions. This is also aimed at fostering strong communities by encouraging human interaction through walking and cycling, while building an active and healthy lifestyle.
How Successful Was The Tianjin Eco-City?
Proof-of-Concept?
Overall, the Tianjin Eco-City project received mixed reviews. On the one hand, the project demonstrated the possibilities of using sustainable development to revitalise and give life to a previously barren site. This has also been further exemplified by the Chinese Government’s desire to find a site that has both water shortages and non-arable land. This project, in its entirety, is a tremendous milestone in sustainable urban development.
Even if the project was deemed unsuccessful, the technological developments derived from the Tianjin Eco-City have their own merits. Many technologies and systems used in the development of the eco-city have inspired similar usage in other eco-town projects, such as Punggol. This includes the use of District Cooling Systems in the development of Punggol.
Rather than each building having its own air conditioner, a centralised plant pumps chilled water through a pipe network to multiple buildings, achieving economies of scale and being extremely energy-efficient.
Areas for Improvement
One of the key incapacities of the Tianjin Eco-City was the shortage of residents living within it. Even after 10 to 15 years from its initial development, the Tianjin Eco-City houses only about 100,000 civilians, falling short of its original target population of 350,000.
A multitude of factors contributed to this issue, including the city’s perceived remote location, lack of employment, and the inadequacies of the public transport infrastructure.
The initial focus on building a green city overlooked the need for a vibrant economy and social connectivity. Many residents who made the move commuted to work elsewhere, turning the city into a bedroom community instead of a true-blue city. The lack of jobs and amenities created a vicious cycle of low commercial potential, leading to a dwindling residential population.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Tianjin Eco-City is an international milestone for a cross-border sustainable urban development project. By transforming a non-arable wasteland into a thriving, green community, the project has successfully served as a real-world laboratory for a scalable and replicable model of sustainable urban development.
Looking forward, the future of sustainable urban development seems bright. With strong bilateral partnerships and forward-thinking policies, the Tianjin Eco-City could inspire the urban landscapes of tomorrow.
This Policy Explainer was written by members of MAJU. MAJU is a ground-up, fully youth-led organisation dedicated to empowering Singaporean youths in policy discourse and co-creation.
By promoting constructive dialogue and serving as a bridge between youths and the Government, we hope to drive the keMAJUan (progress!) of Singapore.
The citations to our Policy Explainers can be found in the PDF appended to this webpage.
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