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Exploring the Relevance of the Eco-City Concept in China: The Case of Shenzhen Sino-Dutch Low Carbon City

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  • Martin de Jong
  • Dong Wang
  • Chang Yu

Abstract

While the original eco-city concept as developed by authors such as Richard Register is based on the ecological carrying capacity of the bio-region and has been fleshed out by others to include Western interpretations of good governance such as having a collaborative platform, constructive dialogue, a systems approach, and integrated policy-making, its practical implementation in China has taken a very different turn. Understanding this gap, the reason for its emergence, and its implications is the core of this article. It first reviews the demanding requirements for eco-city development as formulated in the literature. Then the political and administrative realities in China are discussed to illustrate how Chinese policy-makers incorporate the idea in their policy-making practice. Next, lessons learned from an eco-city project in Shenzhen are presented to compare the theoretical insights with realities on the ground the authors have observed. The authors conclude that an intercultural dialogue on international eco-city frameworks and standards is necessary, and that new, greener standards should be anchored to the institutional system in China for the performance assessment of political leaders responsible for the future of urban development in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin de Jong & Dong Wang & Chang Yu, 2013. "Exploring the Relevance of the Eco-City Concept in China: The Case of Shenzhen Sino-Dutch Low Carbon City," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 95-113, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cjutxx:v:20:y:2013:i:1:p:95-113
    DOI: 10.1080/10630732.2012.756202
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hiroaki Suzuki & Arish Dastur & Sebastian Moffatt & Nanae Yabuki & Hinako Maruyama, . "Eco2 Cities : Ecological Cities as Economic Cities [Ciudades Eco2 : ciudades ecológicas como ciudades económicas]," World Bank Publications, The World Bank, number 2453, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Changjie Zhan & Martin De Jong & Hans De Bruijn, 2018. "Funding Sustainable Cities: A Comparative Study of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and Shenzhen International Low-Carbon City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Margarida Rodrigues & Mário Franco, 2022. "Bibliometric review about eco-cites and urban sustainable development: trend topics," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(12), pages 13683-13704, December.
    3. Outi Luova, 2020. "Local environmental governance and policy implementation: Variegated environmental education in three districts in Tianjin, China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(3), pages 490-507, February.
    4. Elizabeth Rapoport & Anna Hult, 2017. "The travelling business of sustainable urbanism: International consultants as norm-setters," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(8), pages 1779-1796, August.
    5. Federico Cugurullo, 2016. "Urban eco-modernisation and the policy context of new eco-city projects: Where Masdar City fails and why," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(11), pages 2417-2433, August.
    6. Garfield Wayne Hunter & Gideon Sagoe & Daniele Vettorato & Ding Jiayu, 2019. "Sustainability of Low Carbon City Initiatives in China: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-37, August.
    7. Changjie Zhan & Martin De Jong, 2017. "Financing Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City: What Lessons Can Be Drawn for Other Large-Scale Sustainable City-Projects?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Martin de Jong, 2019. "From Eco-Civilization to City Branding: A Neo-Marxist Perspective of Sustainable Urbanization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-14, October.
    9. Tang, Pengcheng & Yang, Shuwang & Shen, Jun & Fu, Shuke, 2018. "Does China's low-carbon pilot programme really take off? Evidence from land transfer of energy-intensive industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 482-491.
    10. Zhanglan Wu & Jie Tang & Dong Wang, 2016. "Low Carbon Urban Transitioning in Shenzhen: A Multi-Level Environmental Governance Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Julianna Crippa & Maicon Gonçalves Silva & Nédio Duarte Ribeiro & Ricardo Ruschel, 2023. "Urban branding and circular economy: a bibliometric analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 2173-2200, March.
    12. Li, Ye & Chen, Yiyan, 2021. "Development of an SBM-ML model for the measurement of green total factor productivity: The case of pearl river delta urban agglomeration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    13. Qingduo Mao & Ben Ma & Hongshuai Wang & Qi Bian, 2019. "Investigating Policy Instrument Adoption in Low-Carbon City Development: A Case Study from China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-17, September.
    14. Fangzhu Zhang & Fulong Wu, 2022. "Performing the ecological fix under state entrepreneurialism: A case study of Taihu New Town, China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(5), pages 1068-1084, April.
    15. Chung-Shing Chan & Lawal M. Marafa, 2018. "Knowledge-Perception Bridge of Green-Smart Integration of Cities: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, January.
    16. Yigitcanlar, Tan & Lee, Sang Ho, 2014. "Korean ubiquitous-eco-city: A smart-sustainable urban form or a branding hoax?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 100-114.
    17. Federico Cugurullo, 2018. "Exposing smart cities and eco-cities: Frankenstein urbanism and the sustainability challenges of the experimental city," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 50(1), pages 73-92, February.
    18. Anna Hult, 2015. "The Circulation of Swedish Urban Sustainability Practices: To China and Back," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(3), pages 537-553, March.
    19. I-Chun Catherine Chang, 2017. "Failure matters: Reassembling eco-urbanism in a globalizing China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(8), pages 1719-1742, August.
    20. Fu, Yang & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2018. "Two faces of an eco-city? Sustainability transition and territorial rescaling of a new town in Zhuhai," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 627-636.
    21. Farhad Mukhtarov & Martin de Jong & Robin Pierce, 2017. "Political and ethical aspects in the ethnography of policy translation: Research experiences from Turkey and China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(3), pages 612-630, March.
    22. Tanya Tsui & David Peck & Bob Geldermans & Arjan van Timmeren, 2020. "The Role of Urban Manufacturing for a Circular Economy in Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-22, December.
    23. Martin De Jong & Helen Stout & Li Sun, 2017. "Seeing the People’s Republic of China through the Eyes of Montesquieu: Why Sino-European Collaboration on Eco City Development Suffers from European Misinterpretations of “Good Governance”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-14, February.
    24. Anna D’Auria & Marco Tregua & Manuel Carlos Vallejo-Martos, 2018. "Modern Conceptions of Cities as Smart and Sustainable and Their Commonalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.

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