Blue sky not rhetoric in Shanghai<\/p>\n
As one of Jakarta's sister cities, Shanghai, China -- with a
\ntotal population of 13 million and an area of 6,341 square
\nkilometers -- has similar problems. In a recent comparative study
\norganized by the City Council, The Jakarta Post's Damar Harsanto
\nwas invited to visit Shanghai to learn how that city's officials
\ndeal with the problems. This is the second of three articles.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people gathered at a park adjacent to the Shanghai
\nrailway station on a Saturday night. They were watching a giant
\nscreen showing the Asia Cup soccer final in which host China met
\nwith Japan.<\/p>\n
The scene evoked similar images of villages in Central Java
\nand East Java when people gather outdoors to watch the wayang
\nkulit (shadow puppet) show.<\/p>\n
The big difference is that the Chinese were watching a soccer
\ngame through modern electronic equipment surrounded by high-rise
\nbuildings while the Javanese watched the shadow puppet show on
\nthe grass surrounded by wooden shacks.<\/p>\n
Such a scene in Shanghai, as cultural observers put it,
\nreflects the spirit of community amid rapid changes in society
\nfueled by modernization.<\/p>\n
But, for Zhao Yi, a Shanghai resident, the explanation was
\nvery simple. \"We are going out to cool off. The hot weather
\nforces us to leave our apartments for fresh air because we don't
\nwant to pay for the costly electricity charges for excessive use
\nof air-conditioning.\"<\/p>\n
He is lucky that the administration provides many parks for
\nits residents to relax and socialize. Over the last five years,
\nit has turned about 2,600 hectares of land into parks. Shanghai
\ncovers an area of 6,341 square kilometers.<\/p>\n
The administration also requires developers to leave 35
\npercent of the total construction area for public parks.<\/p>\n
The percentage is far above Jakarta's plan to maintain 13.9
\npercent of its 661 square kilometers for open and green space by
\n2010.<\/p>\n
One of the spacious city parks in downtown Shanghai is Renmin
\nPeople's Square which is around 4,000 square meters.<\/p>\n
The administration launched a program earlier to provide more
\nopen spaces for its residents. It also introduced the motto,
\n\"living in a big garden\". The program resembles Jakarta's motto
\nof \"blue skies, clear water and green land\".<\/p>\n
The motto in Shanghai, however, is not mere government
\nrhetoric since the administration requires land owners to plant
\ntrees on their land.<\/p>\n
Even spaces under bridges and overpasses have also been
\nconverted into parks. The idea, to some extent, has been adopted
\nby Jakarta Parks Agency with small parks under overpasses such as
\nin Senen, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Expanding green spaces is not the only policy of Shanghai to
\nkeep the city clean. It stopped using leaded gasoline in October
\n1996 while Jakarta only started phasing out leaded gasoline in
\n1999.<\/p>\n
Shanghai also requires around 643,000 motorized vehicles to
\nuse cleaner fuel such as compressed natural gas and liquefied
\npetroleum gas. It also bans its 789,000 motorcycles from entering
\nmajor thoroughfares and downtown areas to reduce pollution and
\nchronic traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
Shanghai has invested around 4.74 billion Chinese yuan (US$571
\nmillion) to tackle air pollution and improve the environment. The
\ncity predicts that it will have over 300 days this year with an
\nair quality above the Class 2 level (virtually harmless to
\nhealth) every year.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, its sister city Jakarta currently only has 25.5
\ndays with good air quality throughout the year, or 11.77 times
\nless than Shanghai. Therefore, Jakarta still has a long way to go
\nto improve the environment for its citizens.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/blue-sky-not-rhetoric-in-shanghai-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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