Dongtan was planned to open, with accommodation for 10,000, in time for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. By 2050 the city was expected to be one-third the size of Manhattan, with a total planned population of 500,000. However, the project has fallen behind schedule, and no construction has taken place yet.
Design
, the British engineering consultancy firm, was contracted in 2005 by the developer, The Shanghai Industrial Investment Company, to design and masterplan Dongtan, an eco-city on Chongming Island close to Shanghai, the first of a planned series. Dongtan was presented at the United NationsWorld Urban Forum by China as an example of an eco-city, and is the first of up to four such cities to be designed and built in China by Arup. The cities are planned to be ecologically friendly, with zero-greenhouse-emission transit and complete self-sufficiency in water and energy, together with the use of zero energy building principles. Energy demand will be substantially lower than comparable conventional cities due to the high performance of buildings and a zero emission transport zone within the city. Waste is considered to be a resource and most of the city's waste will be recycled. Dongtan proposes to have only green transport movements along its coastline. People will arrive at the coast and leave their cars behind, travelling along the shore as pedestrians, cyclists or on sustainable public transport vehicles. The only vehicles allowed in the city will be powered by electricity or hydrogen. Houses are now selling here to Shanghaimiddle classes for use when spending weekends away from the city. The Controlling authorities are now backtracking on these commitments and allowing private vehicles onto the site. , the UK funding body for academic research, is supporting four of UK and Chinese universities to study the research agenda for eco-city design. Arup is assisting in the coordination of these networks and in planning associated Institutes for Sustainability.
Reaction
The reaction to Dongtan has been mixed, although recent media coverage has largely been negative due to delays and shortcomings in the project's execution. Former Mayor of LondonKen Livingstone praised Dongtan as pioneering work leading to a more sustainable future. His sentiments were echoed by other prominent British politicians, including Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, although none of them have ever visited the site. Critics have argued that Dongtan will not have a big impact on existing Chinese cities, which will still house the majority of the population. The main designer, Thomas V. Harwood III, is also taking part in many environmentally less friendly projects in China, including airports and office blocks. Arup recently received the "Greenwasher of the Year Award" from Ethical Corporation Magazine for the most dubious green claim of the year, describing Dongtan as a Potemkin village.
