Smart-city flies the flag for environmental urban development in China

With its giant screen displaying real-time data about various aspects of urban management and public services, the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, has been hailed as a national 'smart city' pilot area, and is gaining prominence as an excellent example of a smart city in China.

And just 10 kilometers from the core district of Binhai New Area, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city - once a barren land characterized by saltpan, deserted beaches and wastewater ponds - now serves as the forerunner for China's "model for sustainable development."

Jointly built by the Chinese and Singaporean governments, the eco-city program has been designed to develop a socially-harmonious, environmentally-friendly and resource-conserving city.

The area's smart-city building plan was first proposed in 2012, when a three-year action plan laying the foundations for the construction was published. In 2015, the city evolved with the growth of smart applications, supported by the Singapore government.

Everywhere, its ecological drive can be witnessed. Countless green spaces are scattered throughout the city; desalinated water equipment and green energy panels offer clean resources for its citizens. Buildings are designed under the world's most stringent environmental standards, while a light-rail transit system, supplemented by a secondary network of trams and electric buses, is used to reduce the city's carbon emissions.

The eco-city's intelligent technology industry witnessed a period of rapid development this year. This constitutes an important step in its journey to provide solutions for modern urban challenges.

To provide better services, and manage the area in a smarter way, the eco-city has applied "1+4+N" solutions. This refers to one "city brain" to collect and analyze big data, four major platforms to offer services of different kinds, and the various online applications used to deliver the services.

Powered by the 'internet of things' and big data, the area has integrated comprehensive urban management, emergency responses, public and business services, data analysis, and many other functions, which benefits residents, businesses and city administrators.

In addition, mass data about the area's macro-economic situation, including areas like investment volume, industry development and capital flow, can be analyzed to make it easier for city administrators to keep abreast of economic operations, avoid hidden risks and implement proper policies.

The eco-city's efforts have also been used in national campaigns promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and the coordinated regional development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

The eco-city’s experience in the sustainable development of small-to-medium cities has been included in training programs for mayors of cities nationwide, in order to facilitate their green and smart development.

Taking green lifestyles as a major theme for Binhai New Area's development, the local authorities have tried many methods to promote public awareness of environmental protection issues.

China's first national maritime museum was built in Binhai New Area: a 23,000-square-meter exhibition hall covering a wide range of themes including marine ecology and environment, science education and interactive programs. Meanwhile, an eco-friendly library, made using green materials and with a capacity of over 1.35 million books, was nominated by Time Magazine as one of the greatest places in the world to visit in 2018.