Will The Dongtan Development in China Be The World’s First Eco-City?
China, as we have reported recently, is making serious commitments to stemming the environmental damage being caused by their explosive industial revolution. One of the biggest ecological projects taking place in China is that of Dongtan. Last year the British engineering company Arup unveiled it’s proposal to develop Dongtan as the world’s first eco-city on Chongmin Island off Shanghai. Arup is developing their masterplan in partnership with the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC), which is committing billions to the project. The first phase is scheduled to be finished by 2010 in time for Shanghai’s World Expo. This week the excellent BBC 4 radio environmental series, Costing The Earth, reports from London and China on the progress of the Dongtan project. The programme discusses various aspects of this hugely ambitious build including the need to preserve one of China’s last untouched natural habitats. The island is home to some amazing wildlife and is especially well kn
