Tianjin's eco-city is a model for Beijing

Despite being one of China's four provincial level cities, Tianjin has always been in Beijing's shadow. Residents of the capital often look down upon their neighbor city, viewing it as a hick town. Indeed, my Chinese friends in Beijing often say that Tianjin is the Middle Kingdom's "biggest village".

However, thanks to the new Tianjin "Eco-city," Beijing's smaller sibling city is now set to teach the capital a thing or two on how to design new mega housing complexes. In particular, this joint Sino-Singapore project, which was started last year and will house 350,000 people when it is completed, better balances high-density urban living with environmental protection.

For example, some 60 percent of the Eco-city's waste will be recycled. The organic waste will be used to generate heat and power, while "gray" water will be used in low-flush toilets or naturally treated in adjacent wetlands.