Green Health City in Boao Lecheng is the prototype for a new international, environmentally sustainable urban development focused on health, medicine and preventive care. On the Wanguan River in Hainan Province, China, urban clusters are being developed on five existing green islands for the location of world-class medical research facilities, hospitals, and recreational and preventive care areas. New strategies for an individually controllable exclusively public transport, as well as a sustainable energy self-production from renewable energy sources, enable a 100% CO2 neutral and self-sufficient supply. The new sustainable urban structure is strongly oriented towards the expression of a significant local identity, taking into account Chinese tradition and history. Based on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration, the following key aspects were focused:

City of concepts:
A system of design principles anchors the various concepts and links the conceptual approaches and building blocks into a harmonious overall urban structure: 

5 Elements - City of Development; 

5 Organs - City of Health; 

5 senses - city of communication; 

5 Islands - city of relaxation and 

5 rings - city of mobility. 

A balance between these cycles and concepts is established to create a harmonious design order, allowing for positive varying influences of the individual building blocks within each island district, but also encouraging and challenging development as a unit.

Green City:
Sustainable urban development further emphasizes maximizing and expanding naturally left areas (e.g., the existing 5 islands) and strategies to minimize energy consumption and reduce new building footprints. 70% of the required energy self-production comes from renewable energy sources, through the operation of wind and hydro turbines, solar panels, biogas, and the use of energy-saving long-life smart grid devices for energy storage and distribution, thereby also generating a 100% CO2 neutral development.

City of Health:
A harmonious and intact environment promotes health and individual well-being and thus includes successful treatment of a wide variety of diseases through a successful combination of the 5 main themes: Diagnosis, Remedies, Rehabilitation, Rejuvenation and Prevention. Preventive programs with a special focus on geriatric treatments and a faculty for the development and application of stem cell research form the core of the new Health City development complex.

City of the future:
The use of electric buses and e-cars, the establishment of bicycle rental stations and an M-train network circulating throughout the area with small individually computer-controlled driving units create a flexible and sustainable zero-emission transportation system. Availability is accessed quickly and reliably everywhere and any location can be reached quickly. All private and fossil-fueled vehicles remain outside the development area in favour of the sustainable integrated transportation system.

International City:
In cooperation with Charité Berlin, the knowledge and experience of more than 100 clinics and medical institutions worldwide will be implemented in Green Health City, thus developing a top location in the field of healthcare and research. This lighthouse project sets new standards in sustainable ecological urban development in the Chinese and international healthcare market and is a gift from China to the future of our shared planet.

Green Health City has been recognised as a forward-looking urban development on the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013 in Boao, P.R. China, presented at the United Nations RIO +20 Implementation Summit in Berlin and the 9th Asia-Pacific Weeks in Berlin and serves as a prototype for future sustainable projects.

Client: China Power International New Energy Holding LTD
Project partners: Technical University Berlin, Charité Berlin, Infrawind EURASIA e.V Berlin