Chapter 4: Analysis
4.7 Integration
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Even though this project might be seen as a rather bigger real-estate market project without sufficient “green” incentives to persuade people to move there the city might be one of those ghost towns already. Even if the project is more real-estate project the Chinese government the advantage that with the growing rates of urbanization space in the cities becomes more valuable and space for living is needed.
The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is heavily sponsored and developed by SOE, ministries or companies who are close to the government which allows the government to directly and indirectly control and manage the development progress of the project.
During an inquiry in the eco-city it was said that the requirements and preconditions of the SSTEC were drafted by the central government but the detailed implication and possible changes according to the current status of the project or adjustments are coordinated through the local government and the TECID.203
To obtain a better overview about the daily life and living experience in the eco-city inquiries were conducted. This empirical data shall help to acquire information about the current situation and opinions of the development process.
4.7 Integration
Beforehand I wish to emphasize the difficulties and obstacles which occurred during the research, further limitations will be introduced in a last chapter. I actually planned to conduct inquiries or consultations with firms which are
203 Tian, Xian 田冼 Mrs. Tian. interview by Yannick Stamm, August 16, 2013, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.
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directly involved in the development of the project, but this turned out to be rather difficult, due to the fact that most companies wouldn’t even reply to inquiries, refer and point to their websites as source of information and material or deny any possibility for a talk due to lack of any known contact person (which has granted the opportunity of an interview). These factors lead to the main survey and interview only being conducted with residents in the eco-city and some employees working in the eco-city. The following interview results will mainly introduce and analyze the point of view of the residents in the Tianjin Eco-city.
The following results and figures are generally providing an overview of the living in an eco-city, main reasons why the questioned persons settled down in the eco-city were the environment as well as regarding the eco-city as a working place, thereby implying that the respondent is already working in the eco-city itself. Most interviewees mentioned that they moved to this area due to the clean air, good environment and thus reckon the eco-city as a very livable area.
50 people were questioned for the inquiries, giving the opportunity to reply with several answers, not providing any selection opportunities.
Figure 8 Reasons for Living in the SSTEC
Source: Inquiries conducted on the site in the SSTEC (16.-17.08.2013)
Child: Education and raising of children; Ecology: Green energy, environment-friendly and protective development Environment
43%
Work 41%
Housing 5%
Child 8%
Ecology
3%
Reasons
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It is important to mention that it was possible to give several answers, due to that there was an obvious overlap between the respondents who stated that they moved to the area because of the environment and work. Also it should be mentioned that the term “environment” under these circumstances might have a different scale and scope of interpretation than in for example the Western hemisphere. As deducing from the given answers and reaction of the questioned people it is possible that the answers only implicate the environment as the great living circumstances by means of no or less air pollution, green space and a non-crowded city.
The fact that people who stated that their reasons for moving into the city were the good environmental circumstances does not necessarily exclude the option to simultaneously also work in the eco-city, but the main reason for them to move to the area seems to be the environment.
The housing parameter was added, because 3 interviewees answered that they especially came to the area in order to obtain a house, one among of them saying he had to buy an apartment in the eco-city due to housing problems and no other area to live. China’s enormous housing market seems to support this trend leading people to settle down somewhere only because of the need of a place to stay. Also it was very interesting that 5 people mentioned they were moving to the area because of their children and the educational opportunity , saying that the area for the children to study is a very important choice, whether it’s through the environment or the possibly good educational offers. Low tuition fees which are only almost a third of the fees someone has to pay in the central area of Tianjin might also have played a role in considering this location.
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It is noticeable that only 2 out of 50 indicated that they have moved to the eco-city due to ecological concerns, protecting the environment and in support of the mitigation of the negative impacts on the global ecology and environment.
26 people mentioned that they were working in the eco-city, which could indicate that the indicator for an employment-housing equilibrium might be quite reachable, predicting a balanced ratio of people living and working in the eco-city and possibilities to acquire a work opportunity in the eco-eco-city itself, which at the same time could help to promote the use of green trips in the city by those people, depending on their living and working locations.
The next question was compiled in order to find out the duration of time people had lived in the eco-city, thus finding out how fast people decided to move and settle down in the eco-city whether it was for working or solely for living reasons.
Figure 9 Duration of Living in the SSTEC
Source: Inquiries conducted on the site in the SSTEC (16.-17.08.2013)
The figure above shows that about 50 percent of the residents of the eco-city area had already been living in the eco-city for at least a year or one and half years, representing the first residents who moved into the residential areas in March 2012. Those who have been living for already two or even four years are people who are directly involved in the planning and development of the eco-city and were already settling in the area before the first residents could officially
1-2 months
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move in. One of the two interviewees who stated that they had already been living in the eco-city for explained that her main reason for living in the eco-city is to raise and educate the children in the eco-city, which might indicate that these are her personal reasons and her spouse might actually be in the eco-city because of employment opportunities.
It is also necessary to mention that one respondent wasn’t included in the above figure due to fact that he is visiting and staying in the eco-city on a weekly basis, he mentioned the environment and the eco-friendly city and no commitment to work in the SSTEC thus it is possible to exclude any work connection.
The third question should reveal the residents’ opinions about areas and possibilities for improvements in the SSTEC. Especially laying emphasis on possible environmental protective improvements they have in mind.
Figure 10 Possible Improvements in the SSTEC
Source: Inquiries conducted on the site in the SSTEC (16.-17.08.2013)
Satisfied: No need for improvements; Consumption: Waster and energy consumption; Pollution: Air and water pollution;
Water: Warm water; Public facilities: Schools, kindergartens, hospitals etc.; More: Improvement necessary, no specific answer
Due to the fact that it was possible to give several answers, it was very interesting to see the respondents’ statements. The figure above shows the ratio of multiple responses in relation to each other, some of the factors might
Signs
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have higher single values. Even though there were a lot of overlapping answers it is clear that most interviewees were not satisfied with how the city was handling waste management, 36 percent of the respondents were expressing criticism towards the current waste disposal process. This could have been caused by two different factors: one might be the fact that the waste management in public areas might not be satisfying enough for the people in the city; another reason might be a missing information policy on waste separation in the city. It’s inexplicable, because the city has several signs informing about waste separation and encourages people to follow those instructions. Those signs are also viewable in the eco-cells in the districts;
furthermore the underground vacuum system in the eco-city, which is responsible for the management of the waste disposal, has already been successfully implemented and completed since 2010.
While doing the inquiries I was able to have a closer look at the recycling system which is used in the housing complexes. Even though the Envac system should already have been installed a lot of districts and public areas were using conventional waste disposal system and management through workers. Not making use of the Envac system disposal facilities which also haven’t been spotted in the city.
This raises the question as to why the citizens of the eco-city are not satisfied by the current procedure. After all 3 percent of the residents were directly addressing signs and the information policy and voiced the need for amendments. It is possible that some of the workforce in the eco-city directly involved in the creation of the surrounding environment and constructions may be represented by laborers who are not aware of proper recycling and waste
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disposal processes and thereby causing negative effects and impression on the residents but that is just an assumption and wasn’t backed up by any respondent during the inquiries.
Further improvements are necessary in the sections of water and electricity consumption, but also the heating of warm water, as the heating during the winter period is not optimized and used in an efficient way. Several people mentioned that the solar panels which are used for heating of warm water in the buildings are not sufficient, which might also refer to the problem of renewable energies. About 12 percent would advocate a higher use of renewable energy;
former indicator analysis also showed that the current renewable energy goal for the SSTEC might need a higher basic requirement and target. Due to the fact that only solar power is used for the heating process of water make it an unreliable power source, a mixture of several renewable energies for this procedure could help to satisfy the residents’ concerns.
The factors of public facilities and also transportation don’t just play a minor part;
these are necessary public infrastructure projects which should facilitate a more livable habitat. Especially the missing transportation opportunities might be not suitable for elderly people. The opportunity to rely on public transportation would not only help to improve eco-awareness, but good infrastructure and transportation network would improve the likeliness to move to the eco-city for living. According to press releases the main basic infrastructure is scheduled to be completed in the whole eco-city in 2017.204 However it is questionable why
204 Zhong guo xinwen wang 中國新聞網 China News Service. “Zhong xin tianjin shengtai cheng 2017 nian wancheng quanbu jichusheshi jianshe 中新天津生態城2017年完成全部基礎設施建設 [Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City will accomplish the construction of all basic infrastructure in 2017].” Accessed June 30, 2014. http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/10-24/5422202.shtml.
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for example the eco-city is not providing a rent-a-bike system in order to promote green trips in the city and help to reduce car traffic load.
The factor of transportation might also be important for the people who were saying that the current status of public facilities is inappropriate; with only companies, schools, banks and a single small shopping plaza with a few shops the eco-city is lacking important infrastructural basic requirements. The absence of a hospital or doctor’s practice, fire department, more shopping areas or supermarkets and other places in the city for activities were one of the points of criticism. People mentioned that once the city will have more residents there would be the need not only to include recently inexistent and planned constructions such as the aforementioned ones, but also to extend the existing developments, especially public facilities as kindergartens and schools.
The constructions of a theme park and a second kindergarten have been completed this year, with the opening of the theme park in June 2014 and an uncertain open date for the kindergarten,205 thereby meeting some of the residents’ expectations mentioned during the inquiries.
Furthermore not only people who were questioned raised the issue of inacceptable amounts of stores for food supply; other media reports are mentioning the residents’ discontent, also stating the inconvenient lifestyle due to high prices for groceries.206 Furthermore the hospital, an essential structure for every city, is scheduled to finish construction at the end of this year and
205 Liu, Changhai劉長海. “Shengtai cheng jiancheng diersuo youeryuan 生態城建成 第二所幼兒園 [Eco-city opens second kindergarten].” Bohai zaobao渤海早報 Bohai Morning Post, January 15, 2014.
http://www.tianjineco-city.com/NewsContent.aspx?news_id=13632 (accessed June 14, 2014).
Han, Man韩蔓. “Tianjin fangte huanle shijie liu yuemo kaifang 天津方特歡樂世界6月末開放.” Meiri xinbao 每日新報 Daily News, May 15, 2014. http://www.tianjineco-city.com/NewsContent.aspx?news_id=13733 (accessed June 12, 2014).
206 Ho, Growing pains for Tianjin Eco-City.
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planned to go into operation in 2015207, leaving the residents no other choice than to drive by bus or car to the nearest doctor in Tianjin, which can take about 45 to 60 minutes.
The air (and water) pollution play a rather minor role, many people have been moving to the eco-city because of the great environmental conditions compared to other regions in China. Still some people were not satisfied enough with the current ambient air quality and mentioning that it is still possible that the air quality is negatively affected by the nearby Hangu area. But all things considered the air quality can be categorized as one of the indicators which is definitely a great milestone in the SSTEC’s achievements. In how far the necessary values have been reached and monitored has to be done in further research.
The city is putting much effort to build a green city with a lot of green space in the city, as well as eco-cells and making the residential areas, pathways and public areas greener habitats. Still many people mentioned necessary improvements in further greening the city.
The concept of creating equilibrium between the green and blue network in
“harmony” to the proportion of residential, industrial and commercial areas is a good approach, nevertheless there have been no official numbers about the approximately ratio of the green and blue network. Only the percentage of land proportion for residential, industrial and commercial areas have been revealed, which should account for about 53 percent. Infrastructure constructions like roads, railway systems and similar are not included in the above-mentioned
207 Han, Man韩蔓. “Yikeda shengtai cheng yiyuan jinnian wangong 醫科大生態城醫院今年完工.” 每日新報, April 16, 2014. Accessed June 14, 2014.
http://www.tianjineco-city.com/NewsContent.aspx?news_id=13697.
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ratio, whether it is unclear if public facilities are accounted into one of the three areas earlier mentioned in the section location.99
A high amount of green space and integrating the Ji canal and a water reservoir would help improve the city’s green image. To take the public green space indicator as estimation factor, which would mean 12m2 of public green space per person, assuming a population of 350000 people would result in a space of 4.2 million km2 of green areas in the city, which would account for 14 percent of the whole city. For comparison: the city of Frankfurt in Germany has a ratio of 52 percent of water bodies and green spaces over a total area of 248.3 km2.Only accounting for public green areas and expanses of water still account for 49 percent.208
About 18 percent of the questioned residents couldn’t think of any specific necessary improvements, just said the city would need general improvements and measures to be more environmental-friendly. But some people (6 percent) in the city didn’t think that there is a need for enhancements, thus showing their satisfaction with the current development.
The next questions should give an overview about the possibility to express someone’s opinion or give recommendations towards the projects’ development process, which affects the daily life of the residents or the management of the districts, and other evaluations of the people who are actually living on the site.
208 Those include parks and green spaces, woodland, farmland, orchard meadows, grassland, allotments and hobby gardens, cemeteries, roadside grass verges and bodies of water.
Environment Department Frankfurt am Main. “Environment Frankfurt.” Accessed June 14, 2014.
http://www.frankfurt-greencity.de/en/environment-frankfurt/frankfurt-the-green-city/.
Environment Department Frankfurt am Main. “European Green Capital Award – Frankfurt am Main’s application: Environmental indicator 03 Green urban areas incorporating sustainable land use.”
Accessed June 14, 2014.
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Figure 11 Option to Advance opinion/suggestions
Source: Inquiries conducted on the site in the SSTEC (16.-17.08.2013)
Online: Website support, surveys; Efficiency: Not efficient support or problem solution; Management: facility management, committee meetings
In general 68 percent of the respondents mentioned that it was possible to make suggestions or express their opinions about concerns or the chance to improve the current situation in the eco-city, whether it would affect directly their daily and personal life or in general for the whole social community in the city.
About 8 percent said that it is possible to use the website of the SSTEC or online surveys as a medium of expression; whereas 9 out of 50 mentioned that they could directly contact and inform property management (屋業) or attend the district committees which are held publicly every month. One interviewee also stated that he would directly forward any concerns or suggestions through his
About 8 percent said that it is possible to use the website of the SSTEC or online surveys as a medium of expression; whereas 9 out of 50 mentioned that they could directly contact and inform property management (屋業) or attend the district committees which are held publicly every month. One interviewee also stated that he would directly forward any concerns or suggestions through his