Eco-Cities in China

The beginning of a partnership

The challenge was as follows:

Whereas, in China’s past, environmental protection and energy efficiency often took second place behind the goals of economic success, a change of thinking is now underway. One of the causes of this paradigm shift is the realisation that these targets are in no way mutually exclusive, but instead must be harmonised with one another. In order to achieve decisive progress in climate protection and in boosting energy efficiency, China and Germany can work together on innovative solutions. In addition, there is a need to create regulatory frameworks that do justice to the interests of all stakeholders involved.

this is what we did: 

dena played a crucial role in persuading the building ministries of both countries to form a fruitful partnership. A key issue was the strategic approach of viewing a city as a whole – as a kind of living organism in which everything relies on the interplay between several factors, such as buildings, energy, transport, water and waste. To this end, 25 pilot cities in China have enlisted in the programme to date, where a raft of measures will transform them into energy-efficient Eco-Cities designed to serve as models for other cities. Using the dena ‘Energy and climate protection management’ procedure means that China can benefit from German expertise, while access to the Chinese market is made easier for Germany companies.

the benefits:

Important knowledge is being gained in the model Eco-Cities, which can be transferred to other cities after analysis and evaluation. In addition, the solutions jointly developed by Germany and China are tested in practice, in everyday Chinese life. This enables technological collaboration between both countries to acquire a solid foundation of trust for the future. In the opposite direction, the experience gained from the projects flows back to Germany in the form of international expertise, where it helps with the successful implementation of the energy transition.