Sustainable Inner Mongolian cities to emerge under Sino-Swedish initiative
by Michael Simire
Published: September 4, 2006, on Page
36
Government-level contacts between Sweden and China a few months ago
have finally culminated in a joint Sino-Swedish project relating
to two pilot cities in the Asian nation. According to officials of
the Swedish International Research Institute (or IVL) – promoters
of the initiative – the project involves the cities of Hohhot
and Wuhai in China’s Inner Mongolia Region.
International Director of the IVL, Dr. Hans Lundberg, told participants at the 2006 Congress of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists held a week ago in Stockholm that, at the request of the Swedish Export Council, IVL, SWECO and AF – with the IVL as project managers – have initiated a study of the conditions in these cities based on a philosophy of greater sustainability, with the aim of expanding the opportunity for Swedish environmental know-how and technology.
He stressed that, within the framework of the study, IVL was working on the development of “green cities” in both Hohhot and Wuhai.
Lundberg, an ecologist who also doubles as a visiting professor in the University of Hohhot in China, emphasized that the project aims at reducing environmental pollution and improving energy efficiency through the implementation of best practice in the country.
He disclosed that the IVL was likewise a participant in the steering group for the joint Swedish-British sustainable building initiative, which is aimed at encouraging the building of low-energy homes.
It was gathered that, based on a joint submission by the prime ministers of the two countries to the European Commission and with reference to the implementation of the Lisbon process, the initiative highlighted the need for experience exchange as well as good examples of building design and energy utilisation.
Indeed, based on the realisation that the construction/property sector plays a key role in society’s capacity to achieve sustainable, the core of IVL’s “sustainable building” theme area focuses on the establishment and dissemination of market-oriented typical cases in consultation with business and local authorities, culminating in the initiation of a range of local and international initiatives.
In fact, several programmes are under way to build more low-energy homes under the Passive Home concept. Passives houses are ones without the conventional heating system which been has replaced by a heat exchanger in combination with an exceptionally well-insulated construction and solar collectors are on the roof to provide half the energy needed for the supply of hot water.
Apart from sustainable building and urban planning, the 40-year-old IVL also deals on issues related to climate and energy, air pollution and transport, sustainable production, resource-efficient products and waste management as well as water.