The planned development of eco-cities in China and the UK has acted as a catalyst for the formation of networks between researchers in the UK, China and other nations. The networks were first established by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), global engineering firm Arup, and the Chinese government. They have worked together with academic institutions in the UK and China to develop 3 networks for the establishment of research programmes, to achieve the most sustainable approaches for the development of eco-cities and eco-regions.
Each network has a specific area of focus, but draws upon a varied range of disciplines relevant to the network.
| Network | Research Area |
CHaMSpaM |
Governance, culture and space |
ECOCIT |
Economics, environment and regional context |
SUSTAIN |
Sustainable infrastructure and behaviour adaptation |
"Without a sustainable China, there can be no sustainable world."
Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council