Songdo striving to showcase 'Green City'

Songdo Central Park stands in the middle of Songdo, an international business district in Incheon. Some 32 percent of its land is designated as green area. The district will invite the delegates of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from Oct. 18 to 20 in its bid to host the headquarters of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

/ Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan City

International business town emerges as model for low carbon, green growth

By Yi Whan-woo

Songdo, an international business district in Incheon, is emphasizing the benefits of its eco-friendly environment in its bid to host the headquarters of the U.N.-operated Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The district has been making strenuous efforts to implement “green” policies since its inception in 2003. Now it will showcase such efforts when the delegates of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that runs the fund visit the city for a meeting from Oct. 18 to 20.

“Nature is one of the unique characteristics that Songdo can proudly represent,” said Han Tae-il, director general of the environment and forestry bureau in Incheon Metropolitan City.

Songdo is one of three strong contenders that include Bonn in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland all bidding to host the GCF headquarters. During the three-day meeting, the host city will be selected tentatively. The UNFCCC will make a final decision during its 18th congress set for Nov. 26 to Dec. 7 in Doha, Qatar.

Of the 1,500 acres of the land in Songdo, 32 percent of them are green areas, including an area that emulates Central Park in New York City.

“We’ve come up with a plan to provide a green environment for people even before the central government announced the ‘low-carbon, green growth’ policy in 2008,” Han said.

Songdo Central Park is 101 acres in size and centers on a manmade waterway formed with water channeled from the West Sea off the port city of Incheon.

The population of Songdo increased to 55,000 in 2011 from 23,000 in 2007 thanks to a rising number of local and overseas companies that opened offices in the area.

“And the waterway plays a crucial role in mitigating the urban heat island effect that is commonly seen in populous areas surrounded by tall buildings,” Han said. “The waterway reduces the use of electricity in the district by 10 percent during the summer, and reduced use of air conditioners and fans cuts the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by 14,000 tons.”

He added that it also runs water taxis and canoes along the waterway for commuters and tourists. “Besides the economic benefits, people on the boats can also enjoy nice views of skyscrapers built around the park.”

The buildings in Songdo are also designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

More than 75 buildings are designated as eco-friendly structures by the central government. Nine others, including the Songdo ConvensiA, an international convention center, have won a “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” certificate issued by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., rates buildings based on green attributes in terms of design, construction and operation.

“Most of those buildings have a garden with trees and flowers on the rooftops to provide a rest area to office workers,” Han said.

“Also those buildings use solar, wind, and geothermal energy for maintenance and we recommend that the buildings under construction include the same steps,” he continued.

I-Tower, where the GCF headquarters would be housed, is one of the eco-friendly buildings tailored for use by a number of U.N. organizations.

The 33-story building close to Songdo Central Park will be completed in February 2013. And 10 international organizations, including the East Asia and Northeast Asian sub-regional office of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) are already confirmed to relocate their offices into the building.

A housing complex, named Prau II, has applied a thermal energy system for the first time in the country to save energy. The residents of the apartment complex can save up to 40 percent in maintenance fees each year.

The underground parking lots operated by the city government also use solar energy. Of the street lights across the district, 30 percent of them will use LED lamps from 2013 in order to save energy.

The city has set a voluntary target to reduce carbon emissions to 38 percent below projected levels by 2020.

A sewage recycling system and one of the largest pneumatic waste collection systems in the world have been installed to achieve the goals of reusing 40 percent of waste water and 76 percent of other waste.

“Such a big effort is underway to meet our goal of ‘Compact and Smart city,’ where people can live in a low-carbon and eco-friendly environment,” Han said. “If Songdo is selected as the host of the GCF headquarters, it will greatly boost the international profile of the city as well as of Korea in the global environmental field.”

A foreign resident also recognized the city’s efforts, saying that Songdo is unique compared to other bidding cities in terms of its green policies.

“There is no other place in the world that could be a case study for the climate fund in terms of applicability of their projects,” said Soleiman Dias, director at Chadwick International, a K-12 foreign school in Songdo.

“I call Songdo a city-lab for the GCF with the low-carbon, eco-friendly environment, recycling of wasted water and garbage, etc. All other bidding cities have existed for a long time, and here they would have the chance to build a new place from scratch,” he said.

“The city is under construction and we can become a showcase to the world as a major example of sustainable development and green growth,” he added.