Sweco creates environmentally-friendly city in China

Some 200 kilometres south-east of Beijing a new eco-city is emerging. The city, which will house a million inhabitants, is being built with the aim of becoming one of China’s most environmentally-friendly cities. The city plan of the first section, a 30 square kilometre large area, has been developed by a team of Sweco’s planners, architects, engineers and technology consultants.

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Sweden is often viewed as a model with climate smart areas such as Bo01 in Malmö and Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm. Based on the experience gained from these projects, Sweco’s architects and technology consultants have now developed sustainability principles and a city plan, aiming to create one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world.

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”The new eco-city will be carbon dioxide neutral and the goal is not just to minimise energy consumption but also that parts of the city should generate a surplus of energy. In order to achieve an attractive and sustainable city, we have used a holistic approach when creating the city plan”, Jonas Jernberg, architect at Sweco, explains.

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The new city, which is called Caofeidian, is located in the Tangshan region of Eastern China. In an area which previously contained fish ponds, salt production plants, oil pumps and sea floor, an entirely new community is emerging, including housing, squares and streets, on land which is composed of sand collected from the Pacific Ocean sea floor.

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Expected to be completed in 2020, the first stage of the plan will cover an area of 30 square kilometres and will house 400,000 inhabitants. A detailed plan has been developed for 12 square kilometres including housing, workplaces, schools and universities, as well as sport and recreational facilities.

“Developed in accordance with the conditions of the site, the Caofeidian city plan has a finely meshed street grid which facilitates communication and meetings. Public transport will be easily accessible to everyone and the city will be walking and bicycling friendly,” says Jonas Jernberg. 

Eco-cycle model – an important foundation

The aim is that 95 per cent of Caofeidian’s energy sources should be renewable. Employing a sophisticated integrated system, almost everything in the city will be recycled. This integrated recycling system will coordinate resource flows of water, refuse and energy. For example, sludge from sewage treatment plants and organic refuse will be transformed into biogas, and domestic wastewater will be cleaned and used to irrigate agriculture. The efficient integrated eco-cycle system will be the foundation of the eco-city.

Sweco has worked in China for 10 years and developed several cities and communities with a strong ecological profile. Caofeidian is Sweco’s largest commission in this field.