Expo 2024 Chengdu’s commitment to sustainability

Organisers of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu have created a Sustainable Development Action Plan to ensure that Expo 2024 Chengdu is run with the principles of being environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and inclusive. The plan summarises the experiences of Chengdu and aims to promote sustainable practices to further the development of Chengdu City.

Management

1). Science-based management. Build a highly-efficient organisation for orderly management and operation before, during, and after the Expo 2024 Chengdu.
2). Economic and frugal operation. Fully utilise the existing buildings, venues, and facilities to reduce construction and investment. Conduct publicity and communications in a high-efficient way to guarantee proper communications and control the standard and scale of promotion.
3). Honour the low-carbon commitment. Implement the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu Low-carbon Management Plan and the 22 low-carbon measures of 7 categories on the venue’s planning, construction, and operation to honour the low-carbon commitment.
4). Establish the post-expo operation mechanism with the principles of the government taking the lead and the market engaging in the operation and the integration of the city and park as well as investment, construction, and operation, realising the integration of economic and social benefits. Plan the post-expo function and operation model of the park and buildings and establish the appropriate business model to ensure the sustainable utilisation of the park and the structures.

Ecological Conservation

5). Protect the eco-environment. Adopt the “low-impact development” design concept, respect the landform of the site, protect bio-diversity, reserve the existing plants (forests and mega phanerophytes), and protect. At the same time, upgrade the existing natural resources and high-functioning forests.
6). Design the expo site with adjusted measures according to the local conditions. Design the venues, facilities, gardens, and landscape with adjusted measures according to the local conditions to reduce interference and destruction to the environment from construction.
7). “Nature proximity” landscaping. Adopt the “Nature proximity” landscaping concept, choose and combine the plant categories in the expo site, feralise the plants, and enable the venue to maintain itself via natural succession and the functioning of the landscape ecological flow.
8). Establish the requisition-compensation balance mechanism for natural resources. Promote the balanced utilisation of water resources, surface soil resources, construction waste, and the ecological vegetation quantity to upgrade the precise plantation and intelligent management of the plants and to promote the stability of the plantation.
9). Protect and utilise the water resources. Conduct comprehensive treatment, aquatic ecological environment renovation, and rehabilitation for better protection and treatment of the original water system. Adopt the sponge city concept and combine engineering and biological technologies to realise the self-circulation of the water body and biological cleaning and reduce water consumption for artificial water landscapes.
10). Prevent and control air pollution. Control and manage construction to avoid dust pollution. Adopt dust control and pollution control measures to reduce the emissions of waste gas and to upgrade the air quality.
11). Resource recycling and utilisation. Balance the use of the earth on the construction site. Recycle and reuse the soil and construction waste for better waste sorting, solid waste management, and resource recycling to reduce the amount of waste.

Industry

12). Promote high-quality horticultural development. With the platform of Expo 2024 Chengdu, introduce famous Chinese and overseas horticultural companies with high seedling technologies, highly-efficient plantation, horticultural creativity, preliminary processing and production of horticultural products, etc. Build a modern horticulture industry incubation base. With the flower industry as the link, develop derivative products, expand the flower display and distribution market, and boost the development of companies at the upper and lower reaches of the industry chain.
13). Promote horticultural technology transfer. Via the new concept, new technology, new material, and new processing technique of Expo 2024 Chengdu, promote the display, publicity, and promotion of the horticultural technologies for better technology transfer and the establishment of new pilots of the innovative horticultural and ecological science and art industry system.
14). Enhance the integration of demands at the city, sub-district, and community levels with the horticultural industry system. Build the community horticultural service centre, display featured horticultural services provided by the community centre, and realise the sustainable development goals of “integrated industry-city and city-park development.”
15). Boost integrated development of the cultural and tourism industries. Give full play to the function of Expo 2024 Chengdu as a hot topic, promote tourism via the exhibition, and fully utilise the 186 days exhibition and the one main venue and four sub-venues. Integrate the development of modern horticulture, the cultural and creative industry, and the tourism and leisure industry. Foster independent gardening festival brands organise horticultural exhibitions and competitions, horticultural science popularisation, symposiums, cultural performances, etc. Build horticultural consumption and cultural scenarios. Enhance the connectivity of the main venue and sub-venues of Expo 2024 Chengdu to upgrade the Expo 2024 Chengdu Site function as a comprehensive tourist attraction for better tourism consumption.
16). Boost regional industry upgrading. With the advantages of the regions and the opportunities of Expo 2024 Chengdu, promote the “horticulture plus” industry. According to the specific industrial functioning of Expo 2024 Chengdu and the concepts of the main venue and four sub-venues, boost the transformation and upgrading of the modern service industry, including the exhibition economy, cultural tourism, life service, and financial services industry clusters via the horticultural industry. With the digitisation of the horticultural industry, develop a new economy featuring innovative development and integrate the urban industry development system to inject new vitality into the high-quality green development of Expo 2024 Chengdu.

Culture

17). Tap into a distinctive horticultural culture. Highlighting Sichuan Bamboo Weaving, Sichuan Chinese Penjing, horticultural weaving art, West Sichuan Linpan, etc., enhances publicity and promotion of Chengdu’s distinctive horticulture and gardening culture. With the advantages of the bamboo industry and the international name card of the panda, build a world-class bamboo species resource expo park and a human habitat for the presentation of the bamboo culture. Create a culture model, highlighting local features and creating a sustainable development pilot station for innovative horticulture featuring “bamboo & flower & art”.
18). Promote the city’s cultural brand. With the Expo 2024 Chengdu as an important window, present the beautiful landscape of the expo, narrate the ecological conservation story, treasure the memories of Chengdu, and combine the local resources (Jinsha Relics Site, Shuhan State of the Three Kingdoms, Sanxingdui Relics Site, etc.) to present the diversified and inclusive Chengdu culture and Tianfu culture to the world. Display the achievements of building a beautiful and livable park city, passing on the green development concept and the beautiful living scenario of a harmonious and poetic park city.

City

19). Boost integrated development of the region. With the regional resources and distinctive features, plan the selection, planning, function, business model, and industries, bearing in mind the strategic and high-quality development of the region. Via the construction of the venues, promote infrastructure building, improve urban public services, bridge the gaps of urban functions, and upgrade the quality of a livable life.
20). Safeguard the interests and rights of the people. Adopt a people-oriented principle to ensure the labour rights of staff engaged in the preparation, construction, operation, and management of Expo 2024 Chengdu. Provide a good working environment and development opportunities and train professional talents. Properly relocate the citizens and support the residents in preparing, constructing, and operating Expo 2024 Chengdu for training and job opportunities.
21). Promote the volunteering spirit. Building on the need of Expo 2024 Chengdu, train professional volunteers, build a professional volunteer team, and promote the orderly development of volunteering. Raise the public’s recognition and sense of achievement in volunteering, and create a positive atmosphere of friendliness, mutual trust, and support.
22). Enhance public participation. Encourage community participation (family horticulture), increase the involvement and experience of the public, and mobilise all sectors (gardens with the naming rights of businesses). Empower the people, enhance recognition, guide the green and low-carbon lifestyle, and increase the awareness of ecological and environmental promotion of all citizens to realise accessible and shared sustainable development.