Sustainable Urban China
Cooperating to drive sustainable metropolitan development
Discovering Sino-European areas of cooperation and developing a framework of exchange for ideas and resources – the Sustainable Urban China conference at Metropolitan Solutions.
Hardly any country is growing at a faster clip, and in such proportions, than China. Unsurprisingly, most of that growth is concentrated in China’s metropolitan areas, which in turn have seen massive growth. Out of the currently 28 cities with inhabitants of more than 10 million people, 6 are located in China. And another 8 Chinese cities are projected to join the ranks of the Megacities in the next 10 years. All told, China is looking at a growth of its urban population by 350 million.
With growth like that, there ought to be challenges abound. Not the least of them is the environmental impact of this rapid growth. Stories about the air quality in Chinese metropolises exist aplenty. What is less well documented is how the Chinese government, and even more importantly, local governments, are doing to reign in these unfavorable effects.
Cooperation is key
The Local Governments for Sustainability Initiative is hosting the Sustainable Urban China conference in conjunction with Metropolitan Solutions to highlight approaches to sustainable development. Organized in cooperation GIZ (Germany Society for International Cooperation, on behalf of the Germany Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety) and HEXUN Consulting, the conference program aims to establish connections between local governments and businesses from China, Germany and around the world to enhance cooperation.
Both a plenary program as well as workshops, covering topics from City Partnerships all the way to Building Information Modeling and Smart Energy, will help to develop a Sino-European framework of exchange and make ample room for dialogue.
It is up to cities to interpret growth as either challenge or opportunity. With strong cooperation between European and Chinese counterparts in city administrations and business challenges can be minimized and opportunities maximized.