An unprecedented challenge
It is an unprecedented challenge moving nearly 300 million people -
equal to the total population of the United States - into cities by
2030. China's approach, which it has successfully used to crack every
problem it has encountered during its reform and opening-up, is to
experiment first.
Four years ago, the central government set Hunan province the task of
“killing several birds with one stone”. The province was charged with
improving its ecological and environmental conditions, and upgrading its
polluting and low-end manufacturing sectors into high-tech and green
ones, while speeding up its urbanization and realizing better human
development in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city corridor.
The pilot in Hunan is of great significance for the rest of the
country. Apart from the three big urban clusters, Beijing-Tianjin, the
Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, which are already densely
populated, China has decided to build dozens of medium-scale urban
corridors or clusters in central and Western China, which can each host
millions of residents.
China's capital city Beijing |
So the Changshav - Zhuzhou -Xiangtan urban corridor in Hunan, which
is home to more than 13 million residents and produces more than 40
percent of the province's economic output, needs to set an example for
the rest of the country to realize the goal of building an
environmentally friendly and resource-saving society.
To be frank, it has been a tough challenge for Hunan province and the
three cities. For example, several years ago, Xiangjiang River was so
contaminated by toxic emissions from low-end factories that it could not
be used as drinking water. And in zones with chemical and fertilizer
plants, the air was so polluted the taxi drivers told me that they would
not open their windows when they drove through the zones. Although
low-end manufacturing sectors were the drivers for local development the
quality of life in the cities was poor and there was little
environmental protection awareness among the public.
In May, I led an independent team of experts to assess the initial
outcomes of this pilot project. After visiting villages, urban
communities, schools, factories, industrial zones, and talking with
locals, especially with local residents, I am pleased to report that the
story is now completely different from four years ago. Hunan province
and the three cities have been bold, innovation-minded and pioneering to
break the old traditions and industrial structure.
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, has been awarded a UN award
for its beautiful urban environment.
Zhuzhou, which used to be listed as one of China's top-10 polluted
cities, is on the country's list of most habitable and ecologically
sound cities. And Xiangtan is known as one of the country's gardening
and forest cities.
A bicycle hire system has been set up in Zhuzhou while other cities
have expanded their public transport systems to minimize use of cars.
There are numerous other examples of green communities, schools,
townships and villages.
Most importantly, the local economies have been upgraded. High-tech
know-how and information technologies have improved traditional sectors
such as construction materials, food processing, fireworks production,
textiles, and chemicals.
High-end industries, such as biotechnologies, software development,
environmental protection, space technologies, aviation and cultural
innovation have been made the drivers of the local economy and high-tech
industries now contribute nearly 52 percent of the local economic
growth.
Breakthroughs have been made in wind power technology, aviation, new
energy automobiles, rail transport, super computers and hybrid rice.
Proper and scientific urban planning has been the precondition for
implementing a roadmap of green urbanization. Protecting the environment
and local eco-systems and restructuring the economy have been made
priorities for the local governments.
Institutional oversight has been essential for the success of the
transformation.
Hunan province has set up an office, headed by a top provincial
leader and leading Party and government officials of the three cities,
to coordinate the greening of the urban corridor. They directly report
to the Party Secretary and Governor of Hunan province.
Of course, four years are not enough to finish the task. The central
government has set the deadline of 2020 for Hunan province to complete
its mission of creating an environmentally friendly and resource-saving
society. To meet this deadline, Hunan province will need to be even more
ambitious and decisive.
We should learn from their experiences. Europeans can also share
their advanced technologies for treating pollutants and their
experiences in green finance and taxation, emissions trading, ecological
compensation and other reforms.
By doing so, Hunan can turn its Xiangjiang River into a model for
sustainable urbanization that the rest of the country can follow.
Source: China Daily
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