Sustainable Cities Programme in China

The cities of Shenyang and Wuhan requested support from SCP-Asia in 1996, which commenced in 1997 after resource mobilization through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) processes were integrated locally to address pressing environmental concerns such us air pollution, river quality and solid waste management. Innovative participatory environmental governance mechanisms were tested, promoting the sustainable natural, economic and social development of both cities through the implementation of demonstration projects. As a result, environmental awareness was further increased, cross-sectoral and institutional cooperation was strengthened.

Building on these experiences China’s Administrative Centre for Agenda21 (ACCA21) based in Beijing, requested further SCP-Asia support to develop, test and apply “SCP-EPM Guidelines” in the China context through the replication of lessons learned in three of their “Sustainable Communities Network” cities: Guiyang, Hailin and Panzhihua. This programme of support will be completed end-2007, when a China-specific EPM Guideline will be finalized with support from Beijing University as the national “Capacity-Building anchor”, in association with Renmin University, for application by other Sustainable Community Network partners under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Photo from ACCA21

Link to The Administrative Center for China's Agenda 21 (http://www.acca21.org.cn/local/eunscp/intro.htm)