Eco Friendly Cities

Article:  http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120503-sustainable-cities-on-the-rise?selectorSection=science-environment

Summary:  Tianjin, China is quickly transforming from major wasteland to an environmental eco-city.

Analysis:  Near Tianjin is a city being built from the ground up, to house the increasingly populated urbanization and industrialization of China.  Many cities are overrun with pollution and parts of the low-income populations become part of the slums, or "urban villages" (Vince 1).  The idea behind this eco-city is to build a green environment from the ground up, removing pollution through innovative green living.  The housing developments are built to be energy efficient and the city as a whole will produce low-carbon emissions because of the careful city planning and environmentally friendly infrastructure.  The housing will be for people of all-incomes, which is new to many Chinese residents.  The idea behind this is that "being green isn't a luxury, it's an affordable necessity" (Vince 3).  The implementation of healthy living for people of all incomes and backgrounds is an important idea that should be transferred throughout the world, from third world countries to the capitalist U.S.  The world we live in is a polluted one.  If we don't work hard now, the future sustainability of our planet is in great danger.  The concept of an eco-city is one that can be implemented anywhere in the world.  Environmental awareness should be raised, and the city in Tianjin is doing just that.  Raising eco-awareness as a community is the most successful way to help the earth become a greener place, because people are working together closely for a common cause.