5. “Ecocity China”: An Ethos Under Development

In China, the ecocity has become the model for sustainable urban ­development. When considering that upward of 45% of the population of China may still urbanize within the next 50 years, the issue of developing China’s cities in a sustainable way concerns not only China, it also concerns the world. This chapter first looks at the concept of the ecocity and how it has taken on its own brand identity within China, labeled here as “Ecocity China.” Drawing from various examples, an analysis of “Ecocity China” follows as to how differences in constructing ecocity indicators and urban master plans reflect distinctly different ontological and epistemological approaches to sustainable development. Different than most top-down approaches to ecocity design in China, this chapter looks at a promising example of an incremental ongoing “policy by design” approach to ecocity planning and development. Also emerging from this analysis is the realization that to fully embrace ecocity development requires the adoption of eco-cosmopolitanism ethics by governing institutions. Conclusions from this analysis suggest that moving to a robust ecocity approach will be challenging for status quo Chinese politics and that such planning will necessitate a more experimental approach to urban development and establishment of an information infrastructure and a culture of collaborative communication.