'A Date with China': Environmental progress across the eastern coastal lowlands of Tianjin
The site for the overall scheme interestingly was chosen because the land was non-arable while also facing water shortage. It was an attempt to show and illustrate how sustainable urban development could be created even where there were obvious environmental challenges. Indeed, the land area was quite barren, with many salt pans and waste deposits. The aim was to turn this around, to create a vibrant, environmentally-friendly location that could stand as a positive example of sustainable urban development, to create a livable environment. The transformation has been amazing, creating garden-like living areas. We would visit one, a section known as Seasons Garden. It appeared the area was designed for convenient walking between facilities such as shopping, community centers and transport. Indeed I had the feeling that it is certainly pedestrian and cycling-friendly. I saw a network of excellent cycleways, which were well used by residents. It is estimated that most residential areas are within 500 meters of free sports and recreational facilities.
