In 2005, the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) commissioned Arup engineers to design a demonstration eco-city to be built on Chongming Island across the Yangtze Delta from Shanghai. The island is currently the site of a migratory bird sanctuary. The plan calls for linking the city to the mainland with an 18-mile bridge-tunnel.

According to Arup’s description of the Dongtan Eco-City, it would “produce its own energy from wind, solar, bio-fuel and recycled city waste.” SIIC and Arup hope the city will become a model for similar cities in China and around the world. However, the plan has been criticized based on fears that the housing would be too expensive for local residents, turning the island into a suburb for wealthy citizens of Shanghai. It would also be interesting to determine the environmental impact of the bridge-tunnel and other new construction.

BBC feature: China’s eco-city faces growth challenge

Quoted from “Dongtan: Eco-City” on BBC News: The Chinese are well aware that cities have a massive impact on the environment so they’ve commissioned the British engineering company, Arup to create a model eco-city where half a million people will live and work without damaging the environment. Their electricity will come from wind and wave, their sewage will fertilise the surrounding farmland and their water will be harvested from the skies and recycled.

Reclaiming blighted areas, also known as brownfields, in the Czech Republic has become an attractive business venture. It can also create more attractive  neighborhoods and reduce urban sprawl. Although brownfields often require decontamination, this is an important step toward restoring natural ecosystems and improving public health in cities.

Photo from Czech Business Week (CBW)

Quoted from “A Perfect Mess” by Martina Marečková in Czech Business Week: With opportunities for greenfield development becoming scarce, Czech authorities are increasingly switching their focus to the regeneration of vacant brownfield sites that no longer serve their original purposes.

The Innovate Properties building in Leeds, by Rio Architects and King Shaw Associates, has been rated the greenest office in the UK. This rating was established using BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). The building is a model of innovation in energy efficiency and sustainability.

Quoted: The building that has just been awarded the highest ever BREEAM score – 87.55% – is a developer-owned speculative office in Leeds. You would probably never guess that just by looking at it, particularly as it includes such traditional office features as mechanical ventilation.

Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is a successful “eco-community” built on reclaimed land in Surrey, England. It is mentioned in a World Resources Institute article on environmentally sustainable housing developments, titled Green Acres: Communities Reduce Ecological Footprints.

Quoted: The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is the UK’s largest carbon-neutral eco-community – the first of its kind in this country. BedZED was developed by the Peabody Trust in partnership with Bill Dunster Architects and BioRegional Development Group, environmental consultants.

Carbon-neutral housing in England! These towns look promising, both eliminating emissions and integrating nature into the built environment. They are also planned to be within close proximity to public transportation. I wonder how this compares to refurbishing existing buildings and plots in more densely populated areas, in terms of net ecological impact?

Quoted: The houses will be built using timber, solar thermal panels, double glazing, insulation and biomass boilers that do not use fossil fuels.