Skip to main content

ADB funds Xiangtan smart city ambitions

Bank will help realise 60km of bus lanes with signal priority in Chinese municipality 
By Ben Spencer October 22, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Xiangtan programme will help upgrade street layout to provide better walking access (© ADB)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $200 million in loans to support China's Xiangtan municipal government as it shifts to smart city development. 

Xiangtan is a prefecture-level city in the central part of Hunan province. 

ADB says greenhouse gas emissions increased in Xiangtan by 4.5% a year during 2005-16.

The municipal government has taken measures to reduce carbon emissions including the deployment of clean vehicles and the promotion of low-carbon technologies. 

ADB says the Xiangtan Low-Carbon Transformation Sector Development Program will help the municipal government establish 60km of dedicated bus lanes with transit signal priority and real-time bus information. 

According to the bank, it will upgrade street layout to provide better walking and cycling access, redesign the access at two railway stations for easy mode-shift and improving road safety at school zones.

Na Won Kim, ADB senior urban development specialist, describes Xiangtan as an “old industrial city” that is committed to “achieving carbon peaking by 2028”.

“To support this target, the assistance will take a sector development programme approach to bring well-designed low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, information, and knowledge platforms, and policy reforms that will provide an enabling environment and the right incentives to stimulate low-carbon behaviours and practices,” Won Kim adds. 

ADB is providing a $150m for project activities and a second $50m policy-based loan which is to be paid in two instalments following the completion of reforms aimed at low-carbon technologies.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ‘Green bus’ guide launched
    November 2, 2016
    The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) has launched the Low Emission Bus (LEB) Guide, which aims to be a vital reference for bus operators and local authorities, providing an overview of the benefits of a range of low emission fuels and technologies that reduce both air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Guide is intended to equip bus operators and local authorities with information to aid purchasing decisions, and encourage the adoption of the most appropriate low emission bus technology a
  • Syracuse models post-industrial revival for US cities
    August 13, 2015
    A connective corridor in Syracuse, New York State, could be a model for other post-industrial cities, as David Crawford discovers. The aim of the city of Syracuse’ 5.6km-long Connective Corridor in Onandaga County in upstate New York is to create a model ‘complete street’ for use in wider regeneration schemes. Key transport-sector components are traffic calming, high-quality transit with accessible passenger information, plus walkability and bike-friendliness.
  • Sustainable mobility in Europe 'needs €1.5 trillion' by 2050
    October 4, 2024
    EIT Urban Mobility report says money is required for continent to reach Green Deal goals
  • London’s zero-emission plan is premature, warns FTA
    October 24, 2018
    Plans to implement a clean air zone in London are premature, says a transport trade body - because zero-emission vehicles are not commercially viable. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is unimpressed with the City of London Transport Strategy’s ambition to improve air quality and traffic in the east of the capital and the Barbican area by 2022. This draft scheme, which maps out a 25-year framework for managing streets within the City’s ‘Square Mile’, includes establishing a speed limit of 15 mp