Our Team :: New Jersey :: Christine Todd Whitman
"New Songdo City – The Making of a New Green City"
Remarks by Christine Todd Whitman
8th World Congress, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2008
Good morning. I am honored to be here and to speak on behalf of Gale International, which is undertaking a truly historic project in Korea. We have a good story to tell about how both the construction and the operation of tall buildings can play a critical part in achieving sustainability.
In doing so, I would also like to lend my perspective to the discussion on "tall and green" buildings from two vantage points – as former governor of the State of New Jersey and as former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
New Jersey has a nickname – the Garden State – that now seems quaint and nostalgic rather than descriptive. Once upon a time we were a highly agricultural state, and we still have a few strong crops such as our world-famous Jersey tomatoes and cranberries. Over time, however, factors such as the immigration wave of the early 1900s, and rampant development in the latter half of the 20th century, changed all that. New Jersey has become the most densely populated state in America. Some predict it will become the first to use up all available land.
It is suburban sprawl, rather than urban development, that has defined my home state. In fact, our largest city has fewer than 300,000 residents. Our tallest building, at 45 stories, barely cracks the list of the 50 tallest buildings in the U.S. My state has built out rather than built up. The consequences of that include long commutes on the most densely traveled roads in the northeast U.S., a proliferation of shopping malls, and once-thriving cities that have struggled for decades after heavy industry left town.
During my seven years as governor, I watched this development begin to devour the landscape of New Jersey. I worried about what kind of future we were giving to our children and grandchildren. So we worked at stopping, or at least slowing, this pattern. I proposed a plan to permanently preserve 1 million acres of open land. We promoted smart growth and worked on a kind of report card on sustainability. We encouraged the redevelopment of industrial brownfield sites in our urban core. We supported projects to revitalize our major cities, recognizing that they were key to a sustainable future.
I brought these experiences and ideas to my work at EPA. We looked for ways to make it easier to redevelop brownfield sites. We started an award program to put smart growth on the national agenda. And because I believe incentives work better than penalties, we did all we could to reward the environmental high-achievers – companies that took the initiative to be green in their planning and building and operating. Perhaps even more important than the natural resources they saved was the example they set.
In the time since I left public office, the urgency of these programs has only grown stronger, and their implications more global. We are all more connected than ever – in our communications, in our economies, and most certainly in coming to grips with the effects of climate change. No doubt, the people of Korea, who have seen their country become one of the top 10 nations in carbon dioxide emissions, recognize the urgency, too.
Is the solution to climate change to build cleaner-burning cars? More energy that doesn't create harmful emissions? More recycling? It is all of this and much more. And when it comes to buildings, which account for nearly half of all energy consumption, the imperative is clear. From the materials we use to build, to the architectural design of those structures, to the way we provide power and water to those homes and businesses, to the efficient use of technology to reduce waste, we must take a holistic view of sustaining our communities, new and old. Long-term sustainability must be at the root of every decision we make about design.
Given that background, I was excited to get involved in New Songdo City. No project of this scale and scope has ever been attempted. And even on a smaller scale, seldom does anyone have the opportunity to be involved in decisions about virtually every aspect of a city – from infrastructure to architecture, transportation, utilities, density, open space and parks – everything that defines the substance of an urban center. Reclaiming land from the sea meant a blank slate, and a real challenge to do it the right way, to be a model for sustainability for cities new and old. The design was about much more than where to put the roads and buildings and parks – it was how the city should live and breathe.
Environmental sensitivity and long-term sustainability will shape everything about New Songdo City. It will influence the way buildings are constructed, the building materials that are used, and even the source of those building materials. It will determine the configuration of neighborhoods and the flow of roads and canals. It will shape the way the most basic natural resources – sunlight, air, and water – are used to heat and cool buildings. Energy efficiency and water conservation are being meticulously planned and will be hallmarks of New Songdo.
Our goal isn't to design the city of the future. It is to influence the city of today. It would be a hollow achievement if New Songdo City became known for its uniqueness. There is too much at stake. We want every city to study the way these buildings are being constructed and to demand the same for themselves as they redevelop their core. We hope that every new tall building that is constructed outshines the last in its use of green materials and techniques in construction and then sustainable practices such as energy efficiency and water conservation in its day-to-day operation.
As my EPA experience taught me, this will mean that governments at every level must recognize the value in creating incentives for developers to adapt these principles. We have enjoyed tremendous cooperation from the government in Korea, including permission to have an American firm share in this development partnership. Governments around the globe should look at what we're able to do because of that cooperation. And industry itself should be looking to follow models like New Songdo – or, better yet, set standards for sustainability on their own.
On that measure, I was gratified to see that the American Institute of Architects has declared a goal of 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption in buildings by 2010 and carbon neutrality by 2030. Voluntary industry leadership is critical in advancing sustainable projects in cities and communities around the world. This Council has made clear its commitment to sustainability, and I applaud that.
How will we know that New Songdo is a success? There are the obvious measures, like building occupancy rates, energy savings, pollution levels, resident satisfaction, property values, and the like. But we'll know it's a success when an even better New Songdo rises somewhere else. We'll know it has succeeded when new tall buildings in New Jersey or India or Eastern Europe take their lead from our project – and, better yet, improve upon what we're doing to achieve and promote sustainability. When that day comes, I will feel more confident that our global society is heading in the right direction in building a healthy future worthy of our children and grandchildren.
Thank you.