And they’re going to be designed by British architects. Arup is likely to sign a deal to work on up to four of the planned eco-cities whilst the Chinese premier is in the UK. As China is probably the fastest growing economy in the world the cities should be a major investment for the future.

[Arup director in charge of the first eco-city, Peter]Head said: ‘It is part of a new awareness of the environment by the Chinese government. They realise that with their growing population and economy they have to overcome the problems of environmental pollution and resource depletion.’

Technorati tag: Eco-city, China