City Profiles Dongtan, China Climate Resilient Cities 47800 A Primer on Reducing Vulnerabilities to Disasters I/ CIty DesCrIptIon Dongtan on Chongming Island will be the world's first carbon-neutral city built inten- tionally. Dongtan is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River on Chongming Island, situated on 8,600 hectares (86 square kilometers) of agricultural land (three-fourths the size of Manhattan) adjacent to an internationally important wetland. The city design incorporates a 350 hectare (3.5 square kilometer) wide buffer zone between the city and the wetland to minimize the impact of the development. The city is planned to take up just 40 percent of the total site area with the remaining land to be used for agriculture and energy production or preserved as wetland. Dongtan was presented at the United Nations World Urban Forum by China as an ex- ample of an eco-city. It is the first of four such cities to be designed and built in China.1 The planned cities will be ecologically friendly, with no greenhouse gas (GHG) emis- sions, and completely self-sufficient in water and energy. The city will be completed in 3 phases: n Phase 1. 100 hectares (1 square kilometer) will accommodate up to 10,000 people by 2010. Dongtan on Chongming n Phase 2. 650 hectares ( 6.5 square kilometers) will accommodate 80,000 peo- ple by 2020. Island will be the world's n Phase 3. 3,000 hectares (30 square kilometers) will finally accommodate 500,000 people around 2050. first carbon-neutral city Population built intentionally. The current population, a small community of fishing and agricultural workers, will be integrated into the city design, and no one will be displaced or moved. The plan for attracting the new population and how to help them move into Dongtan is still being developed. Upon completion of Phase 3, the total population is estimated upwards of 500,000 people. Components Dongtan is being designed as three "village neighborhoods" concentrated at the south- ern tip of the site. The infrastructure (roads, public transport, schools, hospitals, com- mercial areas, green spaces) will be designed to encourage inhabitants to travel by bicycle or public transport rather than car. Social, cultural, and commercial activities Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery City Profiles will be concentrated in one of the village neighborhoods, China has witnessed a 0.5-0.8°C increase in temperature the "city center." inthepastcentury(morethantheglobalaveragerise),and most notable in western, eastern, and northern regions; extreme weather (droughts, floods); rise in sea level of 2.5 Only emission-free vehicles will be millimeters per annum (more than global average); and disappearance of glaciers. These trends are expected to allowed to drive within the city worsen by 2050. According to the World Watch Institute, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.2 China has established a National Coordination Commit- Dongtan is designed to have only green mobility along tee on Climate Change and a China National Climate its coastline. The site will be connected to Shanghai via Change Program (CNCCP) outlining objectives, princi- bridge and tunnel. People will arrive on the coast and ples, actions, and policies to address climate change up to asked to park their cars, and then will travel by foot, bi- 2010 and to promote a circular economy. The Govern- cycle, or other sustainable public transport. The city will ment has also established legislation on energy conserva- be linked by a network of pedestrian walkways. Several tion and is undertaking studies to inform further policy transport measures have been planned: in this area, including on energy-saving buildings and urban spatial design. Local strategies to tackle climate n Car pooling. People who want to share cars will be change will be coordinated with the National Leading connected through an intranet system. Group on Climate Change (NDRC). n Zero-carbon vehicles. Only emission-free vehicles will be allowed to drive within the city. n Pollution-freemasstransit.Pollution-freebuses,trams, III/ aDaptatIon anD MItIgatIon or water taxis, powered by fuel-cells or other zero- Measures carbon technologies, will be allow to run in the city; Dongtan's goal is to become the world's first carbon- n Electric scooters or bicycles. Traditional motorbikes neutral sustainable city. Annual carbon dioxide (CO2) will be replaced by electric scooters or bicycles. reductions are planned to be 750,000 tons of carbon per year for 80,000 people. The scheme will utilize the fol- lowing main planned activities in designated sectors: II/ prIorIty HazarDs/VulnerabIlItIes n Buildings. The buildings will be dense, but not As urbanization in China grows at unprecedented rates more than eight stories high. Green roofs made of and the urban built-up area expands, minimizing GHG turf and vegetation--a natural form of insulation emissions and reducing air pollutants is crucial. Accord- that also reduces run-off and recycles wastewater- ing to a recent OECD report, Guangzhou and Shanghai -will be installed. Photovoltaic panels and small- are among the top 10 cities in terms of exposed popu- scale windmills will be integrated into the building lations to climate change impacts. While the Dongtan project follows a clear agenda of adaptation and climate- designs to provide up to 20 percent of the power. proofing agenda, serious attention also needs to be de- n Waste and energy. Up to 80 percent of solid voted to mitigating climate change in China to minimize waste will be recycled. Organic waste will be re- the country's contribution to the global stock of green- used for compost and energy generation. Rice house gases and its own future vulnerability to climate husks, which are a plentiful waste product in Chi- impacts. na, will be burned in combined heat and power plants to generate heating, cooling, and electric- ity. Outside the city center, carefully positioned 2 Dongtan, China wind turbines will produce electricity. An energy center will manage all energy generation via wind turbines, bio-fuels, and recycled organic material, Dongtan is designed to use 64 percent less and also serve as an information resource center for inhabitants and visitors. energy than a comparable city of its size n Flood protection. A bridge, a tunnel, and high-quality roads are currently being built by built and run in a business-as-usual way. the Shanghai Municipal Government to con- nect Chongming Island and the Dongtan site to the Shanghai mainland. There are existing flood walls around the site and space has been built into notes the design to increase the height of the defenses This "City Profile" is part of Climate Resilient Cities: A should sea levels rise. Protective cells have been PrimeronReducingVulnerabilitiestoDisasters,publishedbythe designed within the city's basements as an addi- WorldBank.Theanalysispresentedhereisbasedondata available at the time of writing. For the latest information tional measure against flooding. related to the Primer and associated materials, including n Energy efficiency. Dongtan is designed to use the City Profiles, please visit www.worldbank.org/eap/ 64 percent less energy than a comparable city of climatecities. Suggestions for updating these profiles may its size built and run in a business-as-usual way. be sent to climatecities@worldbank.org. 1 Dongtan was designed by Arup, a U.K.-based design The master planning and design of the city is complete. and engineering firm. At the time of this wrigin, construction had not yet com- 2 World Bank, World Development Indicators 2008, table menced on the site. 3.14. © 2009 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. 3 City Profiles Sustainable Development East Asia and Pacific Region 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433, USA Telephone: 202 473 1000 Facsimile: 202 477 6391 Web Site: www.worldbank.org/eapsd and www.worldbank.org/eapurban