Urbanization in China

According to the UN Secretariat's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, by 2050, about 70% of the world's population will live in cities. As the city continues to expand, economic growth is expected to grow faster and faster. Urbanization is one of the most complex and urgent challenges that China will face in the next few decades. At present, Chinese has more than half of the population living in the city, according to the latest Urban Planning Report, this proportion is expected to increase in 2050 to 76%, nearly 300 million people in China in the next 35 years will move from countryside to city.

The urbanization process has brought many great challenges, such as the serious environmental pollution and inequality caused by the household registration system. As the population of cities increases, these challenges are becoming increasingly serious. In response to these challenges, China considers to carry out systemic governance reforms, while governments and the citizen increasingly use technology as a new solution to these city challenges. China has introduced multiple copies of government documents, collectively referred to as "Internet +" strategy "or wisdom of the city planning. However, the main concerns of many smart city projects remain at the infrastructure level, but I think the smart city strategy and planning need to address the challenges beyond infrastructure. The central government should begin encouraging bottom-up innovations in information and communication technologies. For example, more flexible ways to shorten commuting time so that the public can get more leisure time to participate in local community activities. What's more, it can make more space for the green area for planting and make the intelligent city more self-sufficient. 

 Problems in Hongkong’s Sustainable Community Development

Changes in the city of Hongkong is rapid over the past few decades, the attention that focuses on economic development leads to a lot of social contradictions, the public do not have the paths to participate in the current process in planning and implementation of city development, which eventually lead to social contradictions and conflicts.

The lack of bottom-up community participation leads to distrust between the government and citizens. Under the current system, people rarely have opportunity to participate in the development of the community, the ignoring of the old unique culture, lifestyle, block formation and communities is the main reason for speeding up community differentiation, especially larger the gap between the low-income people and the government. Poor and elderly households were neglected. The social development need to balance economic, environmental and social needs, sustainable communities can make healthy and happy life. See the advanced city for city development and renewal, emphasis are put in the public participation and improving the well-being of people in the community. As for the perfect city for city development and renewal, community development emphasises the public participation, and improves the well-being of the people in the community and making good use of community resources, while Hongkong is ignoring the problem of poverty in the community and the elderly.

Failed to implement the concept of environmental protection. In the process of reconstruction, there was no attention to environmental and cultural conservation. Although the government has set up cultural conservation policy, but occasional trees are still cut down, the old buildings are not saved.

Nevertheless, sustainable community development still brings opportunities. Since the government has decided in developing the city development and planning in the next ten years, why not putting forward a new way to promote community development, trying to communicate with people of diverse classes, finding a sustainable way to manage community development.

Green Infrastructure

Planning should take precedence over the development of green spaces. In many previous plans, it was treated as an unused land. Although the many countries published law of ecological resources protection as well as a series of rules, due to the lack of legal supports for planning, causing that the ecological protection is usually neglected in the process of economic development and city expansion.

I believe the core idea of green infrastructure planning is the comprehensive social, economic and ecological benefits. Try to analyse existing and future land which is available, and then find out the suitable land for the protection and other land which might be suitable for development, at the same time, maximize the promotion of development and utilization of land resource. Green land could makes contribution on the process of achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability.To conclude, to develop the economic, social functions and benefits of green assets, it is necessary to plan at first, then distribute the land, and last execute the plan. Only in this way can we protect the land resources and reduce the risk of the erosion of natural ecosystem by the urbanization process. It also provides a very effective solution for the protection and development of land.

Reference

Sandstrom， U. ， Angelstam， P. and Khakee . Urban comprehensive planning identifying barriers for the maintenance of functional habitat networks. Landscape and Urban Planning，2006， 75:43 -57.

Mark A. Benedict，Edward T. McMahon. Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century. Renewable Resources J o u r n a l ， 2 0 0 2 ，2 0 ( 3 ) : 1 2 - 1 7 .

Tyree Energy Technologies Building in UNSW

The brochure I found when I visited the Tyree building gave me a touch, and the inspiration was its energy saving and environmental protection.

                                                                                     Daylighting analysis

The use of natural lighting creates an emotional environment within the house, which is full of vitality. Natural lighting is the most economical and extremely pleasant light source for room lighting. Reasonable use of various windows can achieve good decorative effect. For example, the horizontal window makes people feel open and spacious, vertical window makes people like to watch the screen from the house, french window can not only increase the brightness of the room, but also indoor and outdoor seamless feeling. People are used to working and living in the natural light. Making full use of natural lighting can make work more efficient. The utility model can save artificial lighting in daytime and save electric energy.

Ventilation analysis

When the outdoor temperature is lower than 26 degrees and higher than 18 degrees, the introduction of outdoor fresh air for ventilation can replace the whole or part of the air-conditioning refrigeration. Natural ventilation can improve indoor air quality, and is conducive to physical and mental health.

The utility model can open an external window and introduce natural wind to cool down, and when the wind is cooled, the building enters the building.

Vertical Green Infrastructure

The utility model can be used to shade the external wall, effectively reduce the surface temperature of the exterior wall and reduce the convection heat transfer of the exterior wall in winter

The top floor of the platform can be designed to provide a resting place for Roof garden.

Use the local Roofing of the planting roof can effectively improve the thermal insulation performance of the roof, and the evaporation and cooling of the vegetation can also help to adjust the climate of the site. Vegetation can be used, such as less maintenance, pests and less ground cover plants, and collocation of small shrubs. Using of wooden overhead floors may reduce heat during the summer, and wind and snow can also be cut off during the winter.

Rainwater collection, earth covering and overhead floor can be provided with rainwater collection facilities. (Roof garden, for example)

Tyree reminds me of the practical application of sustainable development, while then central park can really be regarded as an amazing work of Art. As human has gone through the different stages of society, the idea of the relationship between natural environment and industrial product has changed, people has gradually realised the importance of ecological function in urban environment. This is a change in the traditional way of human behaviour, and seeks to achieve harmony between human society and nature through the use of renewable energy and the efficient and recycling use of natural resources. Central Park gives the dierect impression about the perfect relationship among society, commerce and environment.

Flooding and sponge city in China

Five years ago, when flooding in Beijing killed 79 people, the Chinese government was quick to blame the size of the storm, not the city’s failing drainage system. But the excuse didn’t persuade the public. News reports of fatal floods come as regularly to city dwellers as the annual monsoon season.No longer just a problem for farmers living on flood-prone plains, water has become the nemesis of China’s 680 million citizens, whose concrete landscape was not built adequately to withstand the forces of nature.

The number of Chinese cities affected by floods has more than doubled than a decade ago. The rate of flooding has become a national scandal. It’s time to invest in a new type of green infrastructure. In 2015, the government decided to make development of 16 model “sponge cities”—an ecologically friendly alternative to the gray urban expanses of modern China. These will require infrastructure retrofits of existing cities all over China. Hope it may be helpful. More rational urban design is not only for people to live in a beautiful environment, but more importantly, for residents to live in a healthy city and under a long-term protection.

Energy Efficiency in China

A report made by International Energy Association(2011) pointed out that global investment in energy field has gradually form into the market that could improve the efficiency of energy consumption systematic, the market is consisted by investors and services provided by individuals, enterprises government. Meanwhile, energy policy and energy prices are two important factors that influence the energy efficiency of the market, the government could influence the energy efficiency, navigate the innovation on the energy-saving technology and change the way of energy consumption through establishing energy policy and reviewing the energy price subsidies.

According to the research made by International Energy Association, the key factors driving China energy efficiency market is the governmental policies and investment. China is one of the countries that concerned about the issue of energy, and established a five-year-plan, which set a goal by the government in the investment on energy consumption. Like other countries, the lack of reliable business model that could improve the energy efficiency is the most serious challenge in the development of energy market. The investment on energy efficiency mainly rely on the income of government financial system that is still under the reform. Despite the government, the civil participation could promote the power in the future energy efficiency improvement..