Dong Dan - the first non-carbon city in the world

The Chinese government has agreed to build Dong Dan into the world's first non-carbon city. After the Lunar New Year, only a few necessary procedures will be approved. It is expected that in the next 25 years, Dong Dan (Dongtan) will become the first ecological city in the world with 500,000 inhabitants.

Determined from the central

President Hu Jintao supported the Dong Dan project when he visited a Shanghai urban planning exhibition with the Shanghai government's request to build non-carbon cities.

And the Dong Dan project on Trung Minh Island (Chongminh) near Shanghai is the chosen place. Residents will live in a clean, carbon-free environment, car exhaust and a city that uses recycled materials in accordance with sustainable environmental standards.

As forecast, by 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas. The process of urbanization in China is happening rapidly.

Ecological urban is the ideal model for future cities.

There are currently 90 cities with more than 1 million people and 400 million people from rural areas are expected to move to the city in the next 30 years.

Sustainable environmental issues for overcrowding in urban areas are hurting urban planners.

It is in this context that Dong Dan is determined by the Chinese government to invest in a model of urban life with environmental sustainability standards. Dong Dan will be the largest single construction project in the world and in a country with many environmental pollution problems, causing the greatest challenge to the planet's 'green future'.

The project is expected to be completed in 2010, when Expo takes place in Shanghai and by 2030 there will be more than 500,000 people living.

The scheme will be quite expensive with an initial cost of about 1.5 billion pounds, but it is thought that the cost of a project of such a stature will be much higher. Determined for the Dong Dan project, the Chinese government wants to send a signal that they are seriously doing something for the living environment in response to the increasingly deteriorating global environment.

British group Arup, which has built famous buildings such as Sydney Opera House, Museum Pompidou in Paris and Tate Modern in London, has been selected to invest with Shanghai Industrial Investment Group (SIIC).

Model of future ecological cities

Located in China's third largest island, Dong Dan will be developed on an area of ​​630ha, which is expected to attract investments in entertainment and commerce, primarily for companies that can create the environment. Positive ecology like biotech companies.

All buildings in Dong Dan will be designed to be self-powered to use from wind, solar and other alternative energy sources.

Materials for construction of these buildings are local materials, harmoniously coordinating traditional and modern construction technologies. All buildings and apartments in the city will only take about 7 minutes to walk to the public car station. Most citizens in Dong Dan will work in the city.

Architects said Dong Dan will be like in a science fiction movie, and the building principles are an experiment.

Trung Minh Island.

Zhongming Island flourished in the last century because it received fertile alluvium from the Yangtze River. Trung Minh is now considered the largest alluvial island in the world. This natural condition has attracted millions of migratory birds every year, watching Trung Minh Island as a stopover on the migration path.

Developing Dong Dan in Trung Minh island into an ecological city has yet another difficulty because it has to preserve the natural living conditions of migrating birds.

But this also brings advantages for Dong Dan. Dong Dan planners expect wetlands and near the bird sanctuary will not have gasoline or diesel cars, but only battery-powered cars or energy cells.

This will bring a quiet space for residents in Dong Dan, close to nature and every house can catch the sun and wind of the sky without using air conditioning.

Currently, to reach Dong Dan, people have to take a ferry from Shanghai to Trung Minh Island. In the future, when Dong Dan urban center is formed, many new canals and bridges will grow and only take about 20 minutes from Dong Dan to central Shanghai.

Currently, the majority of Trung Minh residents come to Shanghai to work, but when the Dong Dan is completed, the city is expected to provide jobs for all island residents without having to go elsewhere. job.

Dong Dan urban development will account for about 40% of Trung Minh island area. And one of the main perspectives of city design is to prevent light and noise pollution, as well as emissions and wastewater close to wet lands.

Therefore, a canal system will be built to become a transport network in the city. Visitors to Dong Dan will have to park outside the city and use public transport to get around Dong Dan.

With the determination to implement Dong Dan, the Chinese government hopes this is not a model to imitate but will be a pioneer for the global eco-urban movement.

HOAI ANH