Chapter 4: Analysis
4.8 Personal Impression of the on-site Visit in the Tianjin Eco-City
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acceptance but also create a different atmosphere and attitude towards the SSTEC in general, their developers and the administrative management.
4.8 Personal Impression of the on-site Visit in the Tianjin Eco-City
In August 2013 I was able to organize a field trip to the SSTEC and have a closer look at the then- development of the eco-city. Some impressions might also be included in the previous analysis; this assessment is a pure subject overview and should just give a few impressions of the progress of the development.
Due to the fact that I have lived in Beijing before it is clearly possible to say that the ambient air quality in the Tianjin Eco-City is a great improvement.
Comparing the air quality inside and outside the eco-city or the city center of Tianjin it is unmistakable visible that the city achieved worse air quality which is apparently recognizable through the visual range and smog formation.
The city is well equipped with green spaces; the eco-cells in particular are a greening habitat. On the other side it was obvious that the greening and especially the rehabilitation process of the eco-city and the desire to obtain a green and blue network are not easily achieved. The construction sites are rather a scene of dried out grounds, with no further signs or sighting of (subsurface) irrigation. Due to the fact that the visiting site at that time and residential areas were not directly connected to the old Ji canal it was not possible to make any assumptions about the usage of the canal for water treatment and irrigation purposes in order to preserve the green space areas.
Irrigation at that time was still done by labor forces on the spot.
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Some of the statements of the interviewed residents are congruent with my personal impressions. The districts are rather uninhabited although this observation differs from district to district, but it is possible to say that the eco-city at the current stage is not very crowded, which is also an improvement compared to overcrowded regions which cause social and environmental problems. At the time of the visit there was only one shopping plaza proving an area for food supply and restaurants which is located in the center of the start-up area. For people living in districts rather far away from this area it might become a problem to obtain daily products and supply of food. Of the two-leveled plaza only some of the ground floor’s shops were opened whereas the whole second floor already provided construction completed facilities but not accommodating any shops. According to an article published in the newspaper The Guardian in April 2014 this circumstance hasn’t yet changed.212
During the on-site visit there was one occurrence which left a deeper impression on me. After finishing some inquiries with residents in the eco-city I was eyewitness of a fire at the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Service Center.
This wouldn’t be a happening worth mentioning if it wasn’t significant because of two different reasons. Firstly this demonstrating that the fire-protection measures at that time weren’t working or not efficient enough, thereby causing thick black smoke rising from the building. Second it took almost half an hour until the fire-fighting vehicle from the nearby Hangu area arrived on site. Even though the training of firefighters started in March in 2013, an on-site fire
212 Kaiman, Jonathan. “China's 'eco-cities': empty of hospitals, shopping centres and people.” The Guardian, April 14, 2014.
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department as well as serving firefighter crew wasn’t established and completed until recently in June 2014.213
I was slightly surprised by the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City’s construction and development, a lot of mechanism and approaches are very good fitting for a development in China, but some aspects which were aforementioned by residents I can totally agree with. The basic infrastructure, commercial areas, as well as a greener image in general would help to improve and promote the city’s image, furthermore it might be possible that the high groundwater overexploitation cause some water shortage problems for the eco-city. Thereby causing and shifting more importance towards eco-awareness, responsible use of water, electricity and treatment of the environment. People who mentioned that these factors haven’t been matched to each other it is still a kind of wasteful lifestyle if the indicators are not visible and recognizable by the citizens, e.g.
reduced waste production, water consumption, heating, renewable energy, better waste management etc.
In the last section I want to draw a conclusion and forward reflections on several factors and assessments made during the analysis, commenting and evaluating the hypothesis and giving a possible outlook for the project.
213 Zhongxin tianjin shengtai cheng 中新天津生態城 Sino Singapore Tianjin Eco-City. “Shengtai cheng xiaofang dadui dui qunei zhongdian danwei kaizhan xiaofang zhishi peixun 生態城消防大隊對區內重點 單位開展消防知識培訓 [Fire fighting brigade launchs fire fighting knowledge training for the key unit with attention to districts].”. http://www.eco-city.gov.cn/eco/html/zwzc/gzdt/20130305/8540.html (accessed May 25, 2014).
Han, Man韩蔓. “Binhaixinqu yhou liang AT duogongneng paomo xiaofangche zhongxing tianjin
shengtaicheng touyong濱海新區首輛AT多功能泡沫消防車中新天津生態城投用 [TBNA invest in the first AT multifunctional fire dept pump car in the Sino-Singapore Eco-City ].” Meiri xinbao 每日新報 Daily News. http://www.022net.com/2014/6-12/43536922273380.html (accessed June 13, 2014).
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