Chapter 4: Analysis
4.5 Housing Situation
Table 5 Comparison of some of the Qualitative Indicators
Indicator SSTEC Targets Domestic Targets International Targets
Ambient Air
Water Quality Second lowest level of Grade I to IV
Not available Most highly industrialized Western countries achieve 100 percent drinkable tap water ratio
Noise Pollution Daytime: <70dB Nighttime: <55 dB
Not available WHO: Daytime <55dB Nighttime: <45 dB Proportion of
Public Housing
≥ 20 percent Not available Not available
Not available: No sufficient data available
4.5 Housing Situation
The housing situation and its development may be controversial, something discussed in the eco-city due to the fact that information about the actual recent situation is rather imprecise. During an inquiry to the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Service Center it was not possible to obtain solid data about the current housing capacity in the eco-city. We were informed that until the end of the year 2013 it shall be assumed that 3000 residents would have moved into the city and stay there, furthermore during that time there were about up to
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7000 in total living in the city, most of them just staying on a short-term, most probably due to short term working agreements.191
The vague answer about the housing capacity and current status of permanent residence in the eco-city shows a contradictory information policy on the one side, but on the other side fits this non-disclosure policy the city and ‘everybody’
in contact with the project is following. Due to the fact that the short- and medium-term workforce is occupied with the development in the city it might in fact not be easy to get a good overview of the housing situation. Nevertheless the registration process and procedure should give a clearer outlook on it.
Comparing the status and outlook of last year 2013 with the current inhabitants’
ratio mentioned recently in the media, information was made public that showed a different estimated view. The Chief Executive Officer of the SSTEC Ho Tong Yen (何東雁) mentioned in an interview for the 21st Century Business Herald in July 2013 that at that time about 4000 residents were living in the eco-city.192 According to report by the Xinhua News Network in December 2013 and Shanghai Daily in January 2014 the eco-city had a total of 6000 inhabitants and about 5000 workers.193 Other media reports are reporting up to 10000
191 Tian, Xian 田冼 Mrs. Tian. interview by Yannick Stamm, August 16, 2013, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.
192Zhongguo pinglun tongxunshe 中國評論通訊社 China Review News. “Tianjin shengtai cheng lun wei
"kongcheng"? zongcai he dong yan: bu hui 天津生態城淪為“空城”？總裁何東雁：不會 [Might Tianjin Eco-City become a "Ghost Town"? Chief Executive Officer Ho Tong Yen: No way].” Accessed June 12, 2014.
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1026/2/7/1/102627108.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=102627108&mdate=0 713101011.
193 Chen, Jipeng陳濟朋. “Qi bu wu nian zai kan Zhong xin tianjin shengtai cheng - Bai Zhong xin tianjin shengtai cheng touzi kaifa youxian gongsi zongcai He Dongyan 起步五年再看中新天津生態城—訪中新 天津生態城投資開發有限公司總裁何東雁.” Accessed June 14, 2014.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-12/19/c_125884786.htm.
Chen, Jipeng. “New Tianjin eco-city boasts 5,000 residents.” Shanghai Daily, January 11, 2014.
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residents194 in the SSTEC, but this number might be a mixture of long-term residents and short-term workers and therefore won’t represent a reliable source. Nonetheless the discrepancy between the transferred information is present. According to Ho Tong Yen the eco-city is selling approximately 400 housing units a month.195
The aforementioned issue raises the question whether or not the given numbers are actual and reliable data and represent the current status or more are used to inflate the housing capacity and number of inhabitants.
During another conducted inquiry with Mr. Bao (包德力格)196, the district project manager of the Jiaming Mangrove Gardens district, which at that time was the most populated district in the whole eco-city, emphasized that many apartments have already been purchased and that duringthe end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 new tenants/residents would be moving into their residences. But he also stated that there is an unequal distribution of inhabitants in the eco-city. Even though a lot of other districts have already sold a remarkable amount of housing units, it doesn’t mean that they are immediately inhabited, due to the fact that there are different phases of settling policy in the eco-city. But it also wasn’t possible to obtain specific numbers of the current population of this district either. Advertising panels in the district just showed already rented out apartments and those who already been purchased, not stating any time date to move in.
194 Channel NewsAsia. “Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city faces increasing competition.” Accessed June 13, 2014. http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/sino-singapore-tianjin-eco-city-faces-increasing-competition.
195 Kaiman, Jonathan. “China's 'eco-cities': empty of hospitals, shopping centres and people.” The Guardian, April 14, 2014.
196 Personal inquiry on site on 16.08.2013, conversational partner 包德力格 (Mr. Bao)
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It was possible to obtain data comparing the public housing prices with the commercial real estate prices. When the first residents moved into their apartments in 2012 public housing prices were about RMB 7000 per square meter and other real estate apartments started at around RMB 10000.197 According to regulations only people working in the eco-city themselves and with an income not surpassing RMB 120000 per year are qualified to apply for public housing. On-site research done in August 2013 revealed that real estate prices for non-public housing complexes have ranges between RMB 11300 and RMB 137000, showing a similar value compared to the beginning of selling almost one and a half years ago.
Research done by Cecilia Springer reveals that even the highest real estate housing prices were still below the prices for housing in Tianjin city center, e.g.
luxury housing in the city center ca. RMB 30000, luxury housing in TBNA/TEDA RMB 25000, at that time highest real estate housing in the SSTEC by Farglory about RMB 14000.198
Later inquiries will reveal housing circumstances and building occupancy in the eco-city, afterwards it might be able to discuss if not the high housing prices shouldn’t be lowered in order to attract people to move into the city.
The residential complex Seasons Park owned and managed by Keppel Land states that at the end of March 2014 82 percent of the 1105 launched units have been sold, not giving any information about the number of inhabited residences or the population. Furthermore Keppel Land indicates that the area
197 Ng, Grace. “Tianjin Eco-City enters 'move in' phase.” The Straits Times, February 15, 2012. Accessed June 30, 2014.
http://www.tianjineco-city.com/en/newscontent.aspx?news_id=12716&column_id=10350.
198 Springer, Cecilia. “Critical Analysis of Eco-Cities in China: Directing the Demographic of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC).” June 01, 2012. Accessed June 22, 2014.
http://de.slideshare.net/seamuscon/ecocitynotescom-critical-analysis-of-ecocities-in-china.
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comprises a total of 1672 residences which would suggest that the remaining ones might be sold at a later and unclear point in time.199
Even though the eco-city doesn’t have a timetable for at which stage of development and at what time the city should meet its intended population, Ho Tong Yen mentioned by and large the current development is in accordance with expectations, saying that the construction of a new eco-city from scratch is a challenging process, as is attracting people to settle down and the result consequentially is not so unexpected.200 Nevertheless, according to official reports it was expected that the city would house about 10000 residents by the end of 2013.201 Just over half of this targeted number was reached at that time.
The project is still under development; the real estate and housing capacity are subject to the continuously growing housing market in China, and benefiting by the ongoing urbanization process in the entire country. Still, the indefinite housing policy and non-disclosure policy might be counterproductive. People who are planning to settle there should have a better public overview of the current housing situation.
The fact that the eco-city’s construction and development is still an ongoing process shouldn’t hinder an information flow of real estate (market) and housing situation. The non-disclosure may be regarded as a barrier, especially considering that this information could encourage people to move into the eco-city, it could represent the concept and idea of the Tianjin Eco-city as a worthy and a viable region combining space of living and work.
199 Keppel Land. “Seasons Park.” Accessed May 15, 2014. http://www.keppelland.com.sg/RE-CN-Seasons-Park.asp.
200 Chen, Qi bu wu nian zai kan Zhong xin tianjin shengtai cheng, 19.12.2013
201 Ho, Aili. “Growing pains for Tianjin Eco-City.” Media Release 13.10.2013 Unpublished manuscript, last modified June 15, 2014. http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg/Media-Centre/News/2013/10/Growing-pains-for-Tianjin-EcoCity.
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Furthermore it would recommendable to offer such information in order to gain more (international) recognition and would promote the idea of the SSTEC as an eco-city which is replicable and scalable, offering their achievements and successes to other projects, regions or companies instead of following a non-disclosure policy.202
This kind of non-disclosure policy could also be found in the following inquiries which were conducted on site of the SSTEC and play a not insignificant role in the information policy and cooperativeness at the Tianjin Eco-city.