A Post-fossil-fuel Urban Development Agenda for China: New Concepts of Eco-efficient City and Green Infrastructure at Precinct-Scale

Abstract

The most intensive urbanization process in the Asia-Pacific — characterized by a mobile and growing urban population — is currently happening in China, which makes this country an interesting case study for the future of energy-efficient cities. This article discusses sustainable urban development in the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the need to find alternative resources and models for future urbanization, particularly in the case of China.

Urbanization in China is predicted to rise from 53.7 per cent in 2013 to 70 per cent in 2030. The article outlines the necessity for policy makers in the Asia-Pacific region to identify new ways to fuel future urban growth and highlights the complexities of making the paradigm shift towards ” eco-efficient cities” by considering what is being done with eco-city development in China. Urban transformation requires both strategic guidance and policies from the central government and pilot projects and actions implemented within municipalities. The aim is to build productive landscapes and highly-efficient cities that integrate new concepts of green infrastructure at precinct-scale. Therefore, how energy efficiency is integrated into transformed design practice is important for both large-scale planning and site-scale design.

Rapid urbanization in the Asia-Pacific is likely to continue for at least another two decades. However, the region’s cities urgently need a post-fossil-fuel urban development agenda, one that implements the principles of green urbanism to transform them into sustainable eco-cities.

Keywords

Urbanization / Post-fossil-fuel Urban / China / Eco-efficient City / Air Pollution / Sustainable Urban Development

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2014 Higher Education Press