Chapter 4: Analysis
4.4 Summary of Indicator System Analysis
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percent are so-called “clean energies” because it is not possible to identify and select the energy which is obtained from outwards power plants.180 The contribution process is currently unable to make a selection of the chosen energy supply.
4.4 Summary of Indicator System Analysis
To obtain a better overview of the recent development and implementation of the indicator system as well as evaluating its performance on a national and international scale it is necessary to compare and list the indicator systems their current status as well as the target standards and goals for an assessment.
The SSTEC KPI framework was compiled in order to meet certain standards which would be possible to achieve in the eco-city itself as well as making it possible to scale, transform and export its indicators towards other systems.
The following comparison is comparing the quantitative indicators of the eco-city due to the fact they are more detailed and clear. The qualitative indicators are not precise enough to conduct an evaluation of their current and possible impact and influence on the eco-city.
After having a look at all the indicators and aims the Tianjin Eco-city wants to achieve by 2020 it’s clearly possible to make a distinction between indicators which are 100 percent targeting direct environment-friendly objectives and other KPIs which are more focusing social and economic aspects.
Previous analysis of the ambient air quality in the eco-city reveals that the standards which were applied for the eco-city are should at least meet China’s
180 Tian, Xian 田冼 Mrs. Tian. interview by Yannick Stamm, August 14, 2013, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.
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NAAQS Grade I and Grade II for several amount of days/percentage during the year. Those ambitious goals are quite high compared to the situation of air pollution in China. Some areas might meet China’s NAAQS standards for a certain period of time, but meeting the standards perfectly for a whole year is even in Europe often quite impossible (with some exceptions), but standards in Europe are still a little bit lower than in China. According to the law those NAAQS have to be met by cities in the whole of China starting in 2016, however it is doubtful that these standards can be applied to any city in China, home to several of the most polluted cities in the world. Tianjin Eco-City’s ambient air quality indicator points in the right direction, setting a feasible goal, especially by setting requirements for amount of days per year to meet standards. Current China’s NAAQS just prescribes guidelines, but doesn’t include any of the above-mentioned demands or legal actions or financial fines due to nonattainment of regulations and standards.181
Several other indicators such as the water quality standards have to be evaluated and then verified to see if they meet the proposed standards. The biggest threat to this development of the water bodies might the preservation of nearby water bodies and the river which serves as water supply. Special signed agreements and regular controlling mechanisms by governmental and independent organizations and facilities might help to assure the desired outcome.
Some other indicators are probably easier to achieve and maintain, such as the net loss of natural wetland, local/native plants index as well as public green
181 The European Commission recently started legal actions (with possible fines up £300m) against the United Kingdom which is falling short of meeting air quality standards of the EU. For further information:
Vidal, John. “Air pollution: European commission launches legal action against the UK.” The Guardian, February 20, 2014.
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space per capita ratio, also once regulated and controlled the noise pollution levels should be possible to reach, considering that the residential areas are not directly constructed besides businesses or other areas which might raise the noise level. Except for the noise pollution level, the other factors once obtained just have to be overseen and preserved, which shouldn’t be a problem because they are static indicators with low levels of change and interference.
Then there are other indicators which may be both categorized in the environmental and social KPI areas. The domestic waste generation and water consumption per person are factors which are only possible to be improved through continuous education and guidance for environment-friendly behavior, consumption and lifestyle. Two things might jeopardize these two factors: one of them is the elderly generation, for whom it might be quite hard to get used to a new environment with entirely new habits and code of conduct. They might feel threatened through changes which they never learned about and might not suit or fit into this environment. A later on-site conducted analysis of the citizens in the eco-city might clarify this and other aspects. Another point which might counteract the two above-mentioned ambitious goals is the lifestyle of the recent generation in China. With gradually more money to spend it is possible to live a more luxurious life. The people who are trying to leave behind troublesome life in big cities and some of the pollution might be especially attracted by the concept of the eco-city. Those people might want to live in a cleaner environment but at the same time have no understanding for a reduction in their way of living. To transport the idea of an eco-city and at the same time create an understanding of eco-awareness is one of the greatest tasks for the Tianjin Eco-city.
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The factor of China’s increasing amount of cars on the streets has not only caused some special counter-measures (car-free days, e.g. in Beijing) but also illustrates one of China’s new problems. Gradually, more and more Chinese citizens can afford a car, causing immense traffic jams and traffic problems in Beijing and other regions of China. The SSTEC wants to reduce the amount of cars and motivate people to make use of public transportation possibilities.
Whether or not it might be possible to obtain a ratio of 90 percent green trips will mainly depend on the infrastructure and support for public transportation.
Special comforts, once acquired, in our case the achievement and possibility to drive, are rather complicated to induce people to let go of. As already mentioned it will be crucial to increase efforts at persuasion and raising eco-awareness.
Germany’s recycling rate is one of the highest in the whole world, providing a recycling rate of household waste of 63 percent182, while the average recycling rate in the whole EU just reaches about 39 percent.183 The eco-city in Tianjin targets a recycling rate above 60 percent which is a realistic aim and can be achieved by means of special implementation of the Underground Vacuum Recycling System developed and implemented by the Swedish Envac Group which is the global leader in the vacuum waste collection industry.184 By means of waste separation the SSTEC will become China’s first city with segregation at
182 Rate of 60 percent for commercial waste and 90 percent for construction and demolition waste Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. “Waste Management in
Germany 2013: Facts, data diagrams.” Unpublished manuscript, last modified June 11, 2014.
http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Pools/Broschueren/abfallwirtschaft_2013_en_bf.pdf.
183 This includes the country Turkey with a recycling rate of 1 percent.
EEA. Recycling rates in Europe. 2013
184 ref. Envac Group. “Facts and figures.” Accessed June 15, 2014.
http://www.envacgroup.com/about_envac/facts_and_figures_envacgroup.
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the source.185 Such a system hasn’t been used in China before for a whole city, only several buildings in China have made use of this recycling system which would definitely be a significant improvement.
China’s current overall recycling rate is rather low, urban areas are required to obtain a rate of 30 percent, while municipalities and capitals of provinces are urged but not obligated to achieve a 50 percent ratio.186 In a recent statement made by representatives of the plastic industry were emphasizing the recent development of the recycling rates for plastic which have reached about 30 percent in 2013.187 Recent reports revealed false statements by China’s MEP concerning the recycling rate in Hong Kong which lead officials no other choice than admitting those accusations. It turned out that recycling rates of the recent years have been misreported with rates of 52 percent in 2010, 48 percent in 2011 and 39 percent the year 2012.188 Even this data is only concerning recycling rates of Hong Kong it might illustrate that first of all the published data might not represent actual realistic rates and secondly it demonstrates that the actual recycling rates still have a “buffer” for improvements.
The indicators for close-by complimentary recreational and sports facilities, the non-toxic treatment of waste, barrier free accessibility and access to key infrastructure services (e.g. gas, internet, electricity and heating) are desirable or essential factors in order to create a livable environment.
185 Envac Group. “Underground vacuum systems for sustainable waste handling: Corporate and product brochure.” Unpublished manuscript, last modified May 29, 2014.
http://www.envacgroup.com/MediaBinaryLoader.axd?MediaArchive_FileID=5ac3cd8f-292d-453f-ab33-a8eb138bfcc8&FileName=Company-and-Products-13.pdf&MediaArchive_ForceDownload=true.
186 Zhongguo ribao 中國日報 China Daily. “China's waste management market expands.”, April 29, 2011.
187 Sun, Nina Y. “Official outlines the future of China's plastics recycling industry.” Accessed May 29, 2014.
http://www.pnchina.com/en/Detail.aspx?id=1361248752&cat=-1.
188 Recycling International. “Hong Kong recycling rate 'drastically overstated'.” Accessed May 30, 2014.
http://www.recyclinginternational.com/recycling-news/7674/research-and-legislation/china/hong-kong-recycling-rate-039-drastically-overstated-039.
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It should be highlighted that two indicators are quite new for Chinese circumstances; one is the fixed number of housing opportunities by a rate of 20 percent for residents with a low-income, make it possible to provide affordable housing prices and enriching the eco-city’s community, ensuring a diverse social environment. This shows an attempt to achieve equality by trying to provide living space for all sorts of people. This may be compared to other countries’ laws giving citizens the right to have access to adequate housing.
Another factor which may be rarely seen in a city is the employment-housing ratio index. The planner of the eco-city wanted to obtain an employment ratio of at least 50 percent, indicating that half of the possible residents who are able to work should be employed in the eco-city, thus ensuring that most of the people in the eco-city may find a place of employment; another indicator implies that the ratio of R&D scientists should be 50 per every ten thousand workforce, thereby guaranteeing that the location of the eco-city will be able to produce enough output and possible innovations, especially in the field of sustainable development, green energy etc.
A comparison between workforce and the R&D field has been also done for other countries, the SSTEC’s would have 5 R&D scientists and engineers per 1000 workers; compared to countries such as Austria, Germany, France and the USA who have about eight to ten specialists in these fields, whereas countries as Denmark (12) and Finland (16) are on outstanding positions, 189 it already shows that the rate is slowly adjusting to and following Western countries. Analyzing the number of the R&D scientists and engineers compared with China’s whole population shows an immense increase of R&D scientists
189 Pettigrew, Alan G. “Australia's Position in the World of Science, Technology & Innovation.” Australia's Chief Scientist, Issue 2 (May 2012): 1–4, 2.
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and engineers by 2.5 times in just 15 years (1996 to 2011), which illustrates the potential and progress in this field in China.190 The SSTEC’s requirements are a reachable goal and should leave enough scope to attract more researchers to work and settle in the city once the construction is finished. The high amount of international investment and involved companies should ensure that the SSTEC remains attractive as a location for economic and developmental process.
Currently it is only possible to observe and watch the market and development in the eco-city before starting speculations, but the TBNA and TEDA as a location which is able to create high production volumes and attract a lot of investments should be able to create enough attraction for the Tianjin Eco-city.
The lack or rare dissemination of information and available data about the recent acquirements of the KPI framework values make it difficult to evaluate the current status and development of the implementation of the targets set by the indicator system. However the projected targets can be examined and compared and provide an outlook concerning the feasibility of the Tianjin Eco-City at its current location and possibly the development of eco-cities in China.
The following table demonstrates a small comparison between the targeting goals of the SSTEC, possible Chinese aims in general and an international dimension, represented by Western countries.
190 This data is exemplary for the growth in this section. The data is not measuring workforce but instead R&D scientists and engineers per 1 million people. Comparing solely workforce the number might be even higher.
The World Bank. “Researchers in R&D (per million people): 1996-2011.” Unpublished manuscript, last modified June 11, 2014. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.SCIE.RD.P6.
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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