An alliance to introduce Swedish green solutions to Chinese urban planning was set up Tuesday, aiming to develop Yantai, a costal city in East China’s Shandong Province, into a “signature smart eco-city” via  its Hammarby real estate project.  

“We are ready to share the experience of environmental protection and sustainable living with Chinese cities and support the eco-friendly development of China’s urbanization,” said David Hallgren, Sweden’s trade commissioner in China. 

Sweden, which scores highly in global livability indexes, is a valued pioneer in building sustainable cities. Its Hammarby Sjostad project demonstrated to the world a transformation of the rundown industrial and inhospitable area in 1990s into a pleasant residential and successful urban renewal district in Stockholm. In Sweden, 90 percent of district heating and 52 percent of total energy consumption comes from renewable sources, and 99 percent of household waste is recycled, either as material or as energy. And the alliance is expected to be a key for introducing Swedish technology to China.

Jasper Jos Olsson, group CEO of White Peak in a keynote speech in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, on Tuesday 

The Yantai Hammarby Eco City, spanning 4.6 square kilometers, will incorporate advanced environmental clean technology, community management practices and planning philosophy from Sweden together with digital innovations from China. Renewable energy, recycling resources and green building materials will also be utilized to create sustainable communities, according to Jasper Jos Olsson, group CEO of White Peak - the developer of the Yantai Eco City, in which a total of 15,000 happy citizens are expected to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy, water filtrations, biodiversity and garbage sorting.

What’s more, the alliance will also serve as a platform to introduce more Swedish entrepreneurs to the great opportunities in China.

Hammarby is now considered a metaphor to describe a Sweden-style sustainability that has been the inspiration for hundreds of thousands of politicians, planners, architects and developers from all over the world. “The Yantai project has the chance to make a similar impression on China and the world,”said Jonas Törnblom, Chief Executive in Sweden of White Peak. "The Swedish side is committed to make this a success in close cooperation with the Yantai government and local companies.”