The Sino-Singapore Nanjing Eco Hi-Tech Island is set to be an island showcasing the future of Nanjing and its aspirations to be a center for the development and practice of high-tech innovation in areas such as IT services, eco-environmental service, the modern service industry and the modern agriculture service industry.

The location of the Eco Hi-Tech Island, Jiangxinzhou, lies 6.5 kilometres from Nanjing's downtown area and is linked to Nanjing's new central business district, the Hexi New Town.

The detailed planning proposal is currently posted for public review in front of the Nanjing Planning Convention Center. The proposal notes that the island will not have factories, and buses will be powered by electricity. The island is connected to the mainland by three highways and two rails; in the future an undersea tunnel will be built.

The Eco Hi-Tech Island consists of five small islands, including Technology Development Island, Multi-Service Island, Cultural Innovation Island, Low-Carbon Experience Island, and Tourism Island. The highlight of the proposal is the island will have a low carbon footprint. All the commercial and residential buildings will use renewable energy sources, such as solar and hydrogen. Seven square kilometers of land will be used for intensive development, among which 40% will be used for technology development. No factories or manufacturing plants, which would result in pollution, will be allowed on the island. In the intensive development area, 40% of the land will be used for housing, most of which are multi-story and high-rise buildings.

The Eco Hi-Tech Island will unveil a garden city of the future, characterized by economic advancement and sustainable development. Some of the special features include:

• A seventy-five minute travel time from Nanjing to Shanghai via high-speed railway;
• The Jiangxinzhou high-speed railway station connecting it to the Nanjing-Shanghai line which will be completed in 2013;
• Jiangxinzhou is set to become the geographical centre of Nanjing's urban area as Nanjing develops westwards and northwards; and
• Availability of special incentive schemes for investors, particularly for the use of eco-friendly technologies.

Do you think the Eco High-Tech Island will be sustainable environmentally and economically?

Credits: Images and data linked to sources.

The original article, published in Chinese, can be found here.