Ground to be broken for China's 'ecotown'

SHANGHAI, July 2 (UPI) -- Construction on the world's largest sustainable housing development is set to begin on an island near Shanghai.

The first phase of Dongtan, at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is expected to be completed by 2010. When all the phases are built, the development is expected to house 500,000 people, the International Herald Tribune reported.

Energy for the homes will be generated by burning discarded rice husks, solar power and wind farms and almost all waste will be recycled. The $1.3 billion project is one of several large "zero carbon" developments being planned around the world.

"Climate change is forcing people to rethink many priorities," said Herbert Girardet, program director of the World Future Council. "I do see a sense of worry and almost panic that critical urban systems are so dependent on fossil fuels."

In the desert, Abu Dhabi is designing a nearly 1,500-acre complex and five "ecotowns" are planned for England, with each development containing between 10,000 and 20,000 homes.

"There will be a premium for buying green," said James Moody, managing director of Crest Nicholson's eastern division. "But people will ultimately buy in a green scheme because they are interested in living green. It's human nature."

"If sustainability is going to work it has to be easy, cheap and sexy," said Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, head of business and industry policy for the World Wildlife Fund International in Switzerland.