GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY (14 OCTOBER 2009) 1 Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony of the first public housing development in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city today. 2 The event is a significant milestone in the development of the Eco-city.  One of the distinguishing features of the Eco-city is its emphasis on promoting and strengthening social harmony, in addition to economic vibrancy and environmental sustainability. Our aim is to develop inclusive, close-knit communities with strong communal bonds that cut across social and economic demographics in the Eco-city.  Public housing is a key tool for the promotion of social harmony among residents, as it helps to meet the housing needs of residents who may not be able to afford private housing. One of the Tianjin Eco-city’s key performance indicators is for at least 20% of the housing units in the Eco-city to be in the form of public housing. 3 Designed by Surbana International Consultants and developed by the Tianjin Eco-city Administrative Committee, the first phase of the public housing development is located in the 4 sq km large start-up area (SUA) of the Eco-city.  It will comprise 569 units, each 55 sqm large, spread out in 7 blocks. It is scheduled for completion in the middle of 2011.  There will be a total of around 3,000 public housing units in the SUA, which will be developed in phases. 4 Additional details of the public housing development in the SUA are enclosed in the factsheet at Annex. Issued by : Ministry of National Development Date : 14 October 2009 << Back