曾刚、曹贤忠：开发开放30年的“生态浦东模式” - 2020-11-26

Zeng Gang, Cao Xianzhong
Since the State Council announced the development and opening-up of Pudong on April 18, 1990, Pudong New Area has focused on the strategic goal of building itself into a core area of Shanghai, a city with global influence. It has perfectly demonstrated the construction process and steps of regional development and opening-up in the new era, established a benchmark and model for the development of urban areas and city development, and created “Pudong model.” It has underpinned Shanghai’s efforts to build “five centers” and the implementation of its master plan, being a Chinese miracle resulting from Chinese people’s relentless efforts, keen sense of responsibility, wisdom, and resolute actions.
In the past 30 years of development and opening-up, Pudong New Area has also been committed to pollution prevention and control. In the early days of its development and opening-up, the subpar ecological environment was worrisome, and surface water was seriously polluted. In order to address these issues, Pudong New Area has always given top priority to ecological environmental protection, thus forming the distinctive “Pudong ecological model.”
Attaching importance to top-level design
Being far-sighted and committed to higher standard, Pudong New Area has developed an overall greening plan. In 1994, it started compiling the Pudong New Area Green Space System Planning (the Planning), which was formally incorporated into the Pudong New Area Master Plan in 1996. Under the guidance of the Planning, Pudong New Area has been making steady progress in greening construction in an orderly manner, with the area of green space expanding rapidly and its layout improving day by day. The framework featuring “green lung, green axis, green ring, and green network” is taking shape.
Since 2002, Pudong New Area has revised the original Planning. The new Planning follows the ideas of taking a lead in building a modern ecological urban area and a good image of Shanghai as an international metropolis, aiming to achieve the international advanced level and domestic first-class level. It focuses on towns within the outer ring and outside the inner ring, and adheres to the four principles of protecting the environment, enhancing the network, preserving local features and creating a beautiful landscape. Focusing on the construction of public green space in urban areas, and large-scale ecological forests in the suburbs, Pudong New Area has formulated the planning from a high starting point and implemented it according to high standards.
Meanwhile, Pudong New Area has also formulated a five-year development plan for the ecological environment, planning and designing the goals, functional zoning and major projects of the ecological environment. For example, the 13th Five-Year Plan for Ecological Protection in Pudong New Area clarifies that an all-out effort will be made to strengthen the construction of the ecological environment by strictly abiding by the requirement of emphasizing planning, projects and management, and realizing the goals in the ten fields including greening forestry construction, water management, prevention and control of air pollution, reduction of noise pollution, prevention and control of soil pollution, wetland protection, solid waste management, municipal road maintenance, public utility management and people’s livelihoods.
After 30 years of unremitting efforts, Pudong New Area has gradually built an ecological core mainly comprised of large-scale public green spaces, an ecological green belt with ecological corridors as the mainstay, and an ecological stripe with agriculture-forestry landscapes as the main body, contributing to an ecosystem with a clear structure and interactive ecological functions. Specifically, in order to meet citizens’ needs for leisure and exercise, it has built large-scale public green spaces in the main urban area and other areas including Senlan, Jinyang, Jinke, Gaoqing Road, and Yuqiao by urban renewal, urban renovation, and new city construction, improved the landscape in communities, and reduced the trouble caused by the urban “heat island” and “wet island.” In the area along the outer ring, Pudong New Area has considered the requirements of the construction of rapid transit arterial roads such as S20 Outer Ring Expressway, transformation of inefficient industrial land, and ecological restoration, and built large-scale ecological corridors resembling strings of beans, thus providing important support for the construction of a “idyllic city.” In Nanhui New City and the towns in the southwest of Pudong New Area such as Datuan, Hangtou, Xinchang, and Laogang, large-area agroforestry ecological zones with strong ecological regulatory function have been established by relying on basic farmland protection, construction of water surface wetland, and urban forest.
Attaching importance to following scientific laws
Pudong New Area respects science, follows the trend of the times, and values the construction of a high-standard ecological indicator system.
First, Pudong New Area has followed a complete indicator index system providing regulation and guidance in the process of ecological construction, for example, the construction of ecological towns (villages), quiet communities or green communities. Based on the “eco-county, eco-city, and eco-province building indicators” released by national environmental protection departments as the basic standard, the system has been adjusted according to its actual situation, so as to highlight its characteristics and advantages, and improve the rationality and operability of the indicators. Taking ecological village construction indicators of Pudong New Area as an example, there are 4 basic conditions and 12 evaluation indicators, covering three aspects of environmental quality, prevention and control of environmental pollution, and ecological protection and construction.
Second, in the process of ecological construction from green homes, green schools, green communities, quiet communities to ecological villages, ecological towns, ecological districts, etc., the links are closely connected, creating a strong atmosphere for construction. By continuously promoting the construction of green hospitals, schools, hotels, and households, Pudong New Area has applied the concepts of green development, environmental protection, ecology and low carbon to various fields, forming unique highlights in the construction endeavor, and laying a solid foundation for achieving the goal of building itself into a harmonious, ecological urban area. According to the statistics provided by Pudong New Area Statistic Bureau, from 1999 when it began its endeavor to create an environmental protection model city to the end of 2018, Pudong New Area’s GDP increased from 80.136 billion yuan to 1,046.159 billion yuan, an increase of 13.05 times, while the proportion of the added value of the tertiary industry in GDP rose from 44.9% to 75.8%. Meanwhile, comprehensive energy consumption and water consumption dropped by 36.6% and 45.5% respectively, lower than the national and city-wide averages. The discharge of pollutants such as industrial waste water, waste gas, smoke, soot, dust saw a reduction ranging from 20% to 90%. The goal of increasing production while reducing consumption and pollution reduction has been achieved.
   
Attaching importance to improving people’s sense of gain
Pudong New Area has launched livelihood projects and improved its ecological environment management ability, so as to improve people’s sense of gain.
First, Pudong New Area has launched many livelihood projects to improve the ecological environment. For example, supported by the construction of rural sewage pipe network, it has actively implemented the rural domestic sewage demonstration project. Through a three-section pond integrating “sediment, biochemistry and washing,” the sewage goes through biochemical treatment. The flowers and plants with well-developed roots in the pond absorb organic matter in sewage to purify it. Currently, Pudong New Area has carried out demonstration projects in Qigan Village of Zhoupu Town, Guoyuan Village of Xinchang Town, and Zhangjiaqiao Village of Xuanqiao Town.
Second, Pudong New Area has been actively exploring new ways and methods to use new energy sources, such as wind energy, and solar energy. According to the data released by the Pudong Environment Affairs Management Center, electricity generated by wind power has been applied to a total of 500 street lamps in Zhuqiao with an investment of 12 million yuan, which can save 180,000 kWh of electricity every year.
Third, Pudong New Area has relied on platforms such as the environmental education base, Pudong Party Institute of CPC & Pudong Administration Institute, news media, and community-based cultural stations to continuously strengthen publicity and education, thus forming a good atmosphere with concerted efforts of all citizens, and cultivating the ecological culture. Here are specific measures: first, make full use of media such as galleries, billboards, blackboard newspapers, banners and publicity boards to publish environmental protection policies and science materials, and promote the importance and necessity of ecological construction, and create a strong atmosphere; second, carry out various special environmental protection campaigns. Platforms such as World Environment Day on June 5, Chinese Arbor Day, and Earth Hour, have been used to organize various volunteers to participate in environmental improvement, energy conservation and environmental protection activities; third, strengthen training and education. Lectures about environmental protection have been given, and people have been gathered to watch environmental protection promotional videos, to constantly enhance their awareness of environmental protection; fourth, many residential committees and village committees have established activity centers with complete facilities, including fitness equipment, science and technology experience center, activity room, projection room, publicity window, farmers’ library, etc., to create an atmosphere for ecological culture, and enhance the soft power of ecological construction through experience.
Attaching importance to the application of smart ecological technologies
Pudong New Area has followed the idea of applying high technologies to ecological environment and space protection, and attached great importance to the development and application of smart ecological technologies.
First, in terms of top-level design, Pudong New Area put forward a preliminary idea of building a “smart city” in 2009, and launched iPudong2015 and Promoting Pudong Smart City Construction Plan (2011-2013) in 2011, the first one to do so in Shanghai. It has listed the core task for implementing the idea - finishing the “3 infrastructure networks, 9 major projects, 3 big tasks, 5 important measures” and 118 key projects, focused on  promoting infrastructure construction moderately ahead of schedule, establishment of an application system that brings benefits to people, industrialization of smart technologies and industrialization based on smart technologies, thus forming a relatively complete top-level design for smart city construction.
Second, in terms of technological support, Pudong New Area boasts unique advantages of concentrated scientific and technological resources, which provides strong support for ecological environment and space protection. Specifically, 85% of AI enterprises in Pudong New Area are located in Zhangjiang, Lingang, Jinqiao, etc. Zhangjiang gathers major R&D forces, Shanghai Integrated Circuit Design Industrial Park provides computing power support, Pudong Software Park offers algorithmic support, and Zhangjiang Artificial Intelligence Island brings together applications, research and development; Lingang focuses on the development of core AI technologies, smart transformation of equipment manufacturing, and smart product development; Jinqiao creates an ultra-high-definition video industry base by using the 5G industrial ecological park to form synergy between the automobile and robot industries, thus providing communication support and application scenarios for the artificial intelligence-enabled industry.
Third, Pudong New Area has achieved intelligent waste sorting to promote ecological protection. In October 2019, Kangqiao Town’s transfer station integrating two networks was connected to the city operation center, the first transfer station in Pudong New Area to do so. Situated in a factory building on Pusan Road with a construction area of nearly 5,000 m2, it adopts the “four-in-one” operation mode featuring standardization, normalization, marketization and smart technologies. It’s mainly used for the collection, sorting and transshipment of recyclables in Kangqiao Town, with a daily processing ability of at least 120 tons of recyclable resources. Other places such as Hangtou Town has also been linked to city operation center, the “urban brain,” and has realized intensive and intelligent management of waste sorting data.
Attaching importance to innovation of the ecological management system
Pudong New Area has been committed to innovating the urban ecological management system to ensure high-quality ecological environment management, and has gradually developed management methods such as networked management, public participation and market-oriented operation.
First, Pudong New Area is committed to building an environmental protection supervision network with sufficient reach and depth. Personnel responsible for environmental protection work in districts, towns and villages train grassroots environmental protection cadres on common knowledge about environmental protection and basic methods of on-site supervision, and those passing assessment are awarded Pudong New Area Environmental Protection Supervision Certificate. Pudong New Area has also formulated the Assessment of Progress Towards Environmental Protection Goals in Subdistricts and Towns in Pudong New Area, and established contact, evaluation and activity systems for the environmental protection staff, and an integrated environmental protection supervision network featuring linkage among the three levels of district, town and village.
Second, in accordance with the policy of “trying everything possible, visiting thousands of households, and sparing no efforts,” Pudong New Area has actively carried out colorful greening activities, striving to create a good atmosphere for the public to promote greening efforts. For example, in order to support Shanghai’s bid to host 2010 World Expo, on Chinese Arbor Day in 2002, Pudong New Area organized people from all walks of life to participate in activities such as “International Friendship Forest,” “Green Space Adoption” and “Millions of Trees Planted by Millions of Citizens.” In 2003, a team made up of about 200 volunteers was organized to participate in the daily maintenance and management of Jinqiao Park. Currently, this model has been widely adopted in major parks throughout Pudong New Area. In addition, it organizes voluntary tree planting activities for its citizens every year. For example, on March 21, 2019, Li Qiang, Secretary of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and other municipal leaders went to the Donggou wedge-shaped green space in Pudong New Area to participate in the voluntary tree planting activity. Donggou wedge-shaped green space is one of the eight wedge-shaped green spaces planned in Shanghai’s master plan in the central area of Shanghai, with a planned greening and water area of approximately 3.87 km2, and will be built into the largest lake green park in the central area of Shanghai.
Third, Pudong New Area has introduced market-oriented operation methods to enhance environmental protection. As early as 1997, it took the lead in separating the management and maintenance of the municipal, gardening and sanitation industries, and implemented comprehensive maintenance reforms. It was among the first to overthrow the original management system of industry monopolies, fragmentation, and geographical partition, and further improve this method in practice. The greening department and maintenance operation companies have formed contractor management relationship, and the management and maintenance were strictly separated. Instead of “paying money to employ workers,” the government has adopted the new approach of “spending money to get things done,” and daily maintenance and management has been increasingly in conformity to laws and standards.
 
Authors: Zeng Gang, Director of the Center of Urban Collaborative Development of East China Normal University, Director and Professor of the Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, a Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences approved by the Ministry of Education;
Cao Xianzhong, Associate Professor of the Center of Urban Collaborative Development of East China Normal University, and Associate Professor of the Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, a Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences approved by the Ministry of Education.