The Zhejiang Urban Development Project Office (ZUDPO) appointed the UK consultancy Mott MacDonald to help design and secure funding for a multi-city development project in China's coastal province. The US$ 400 million scheme addresses the problem of water supply, environmental management plus historical area redevelopment and conservation in Zhejiang's major cities. ZUDPO stipulates that it must provide the basis for sustainable growth and development, while protecting the city's cultural assets.
Mott MacDonald leads an international project team comprising Thames Water International, Hong Kong University and independent consultants.
Planned urban development will involve upgrading the collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater and solid wastes; improving urban infrastructure services including the rehabilitation of inner waterways, lakes and roads; and conserving cultural heritage in the Zhejiang province cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing, benefiting nearly five million residents.
Institutional and financial reforms in the wastewater and solid waste management sub-sectors will support the physical works. The Mott MacDonald-led team will assist ZUDPO and municipal project offices in formulating strategies, engineering design and management criteria for wastewater and solid waste services, and historic city redevelopment and conservation to ensure that proposed investments will be financially and institutionally sustainable. Project proposals will be submitted for World Bank approval in November 2002.
