Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Continues to Make Headways as a Leading Smart Eco-City
The guidelines may encourage broader adoption of smart-estate features, potentially improving liveability and informing future residential developments in the Eco-City’s Northern District.
Tianjin Eco-City introduced guidelines covering new, rebuilt and expanded smart residential communities, with Seasons Heights piloting 30 smart technology applications in 2020.
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Singapore and China continue to make headways in the development of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city into a model for sustainable development.
At the 12th Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Joint Steering Council Meeting held on 8 December 2020, both countries reaffirmed the Eco-city’s continued achievements and good progress despite the COVID-19 outbreak. It was notable that both sides reiterated their commitment to maintain its position as a leading smart and eco-city.
The “Guidelines for the Construction of Smart Residential Areas in Tianjin Eco-city” (“Guidelines”) have been established to guide the future development of homes in the Eco-city. The Guidelines were launched at the China-Singapore Smart City Forum during the 4th World Intelligence Congress[1] in June 2020 and were the fruits of collaboration between Eco-city Administrative Committee (ECAC), Keppel Land China, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Investment and Development Co., Ltd.[2] , Tianjin Eco-city Investment and Development Co., Ltd, and Tianjin Eco-city Green Building Research Institute Co., Ltd.
The Guidelines will be applicable to the smart development and operations of new, rebuilt and expanded residential communities within the Eco-city’s jurisdiction. Seasons Heights, the Eco-city’s first smart estate, located in the start-up area in the south of the Eco-city was completed and handed over to residents by Keppel Land China this year. This smart estate is a pilot for the Guidelines and features 30 smart technology applications in the estate and in residents’ homes. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, Seasons Heights utilises a 5G contactless thermal scanner with facial recognition capabilities which detects residents with elevated body temperatures and alerts security and community management teams immediately. Other applications include fitness facilities, waste sorting stations, WiFi-enabled benches, smart speakers, as well as a running track that can provide data to support runners in achieving their fitness goals. All these have enhanced the residents’ experience of a smart liveable community. The learnings from this project will lay the foundation for Keppel Land China’s smart developments in the Northern District of the Eco-city that is currently under development.
Both sides are continuing cooperation on zero-waste in the Eco-city to achieve a circular economy, a common goal and an area for mutual learning for both countries. In this regard, the Eco-city Administrative Committee has appointed Tembusu Asia Consulting, a Singapore sustainability consulting firm, to develop a zero-waste masterplan to introduce Singapore and international best practices for waste management in the Eco-city.
Moving forward, Singapore and China will continue to deepen efforts in promoting replication of the Eco-city’s development experience to other cities in China, and in countries along the Belt and Road. The ECAC, Keppel Group, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Investment and Development Co., Ltd. and other Chinese partners will jointly establish the Global Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (SSTEC) by 2021 as a platform to publicise, promote and export the Eco-city’s development experience.
Building on the Eco-city project and the Singapore-Tianjin Economic and Trade Council (STETC), Singapore and China will also work together to elevate Singapore-Tianjin cooperation to promote collaboration on the Belt and Road Initiative and support the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Under this elevated cooperation, Singapore and Tianjin will strengthen partnership to pursue joint development opportunities that create mutual benefits in the cooperation areas of Smart and Sustainable Eco-Development, Trade and Investment and People-to-People Exchanges.
Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee said, “I am heartened by the progress made by Singapore and China, in our continued efforts to push for smart and green developments amidst the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. I am confident that the elevated Singapore-Tianjin cooperation on the STETC in areas such as smart and sustainable eco-development, trade and investment and people-to-people exchanges will deepen our bilateral ties and strengthen the Eco-city’s position as a leading smart eco-city.”
More information on the smart city developments and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project are in Annex A and Annex B respectively.
[1] The 4th World Intelligence World Congress was held on 23-24 June 2020 in Tianjin and online. The theme of the congress was “Intelligence New Era: Innovation, Energisation and Ecology”.
[2] The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Investment and Development Co., Ltd. is a 50-50 joint venture between a Chinese consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co., Ltd and a Singapore consortium led by the Keppel Group.