Revealed! The Planning Code of Zero-Carbon Smart Parks Driven by the Dual Carbon Goals

Driven by the "dual carbon" goals, parks, as major carbon emitters (accounting for 31% of the national total emissions in 2015), are no longer just about building a few factories or paving some roads. Today's zero-carbon smart parks must embed "carbon reduction" and "carbon sequestration" into their very foundation from the day planning begins. How exactly can we plan to be both smart and zero-carbon? Today, let's discuss the key points and see how different types of parks tailor their zero-carbon solutions.

To build zero-carbon smart parks, the core points must first be clarified. After reviewing five domestic technical specifications and construction guidelines for zero-carbon parks, combined with practical experiences from various regions, nine core elements have been summarized: land use planning, energy transition, building design, transportation planning, industry and production, infrastructure, ecological green spaces, circular utilization, and digital management. These nine elements are like the beams and pillars of a building—none can be missing.

 

Land use planning is the "skeleton" of the park and must lay a solid foundation. For example, increasing development intensity by building more multi-story factories allows industry to "go vertical" and supports mixed-use development. New industrial land can accommodate both production and living, reducing commuting distances. Open spaces are also important; individual public open spaces should ideally be larger than 400 square meters and reachable within 5 minutes for convenient rest. Ventilation corridors cannot be ignored either—they should be at least 30 meters wide, with streets parallel or at an angle no greater than 30 degrees to prevailing winds to promote air circulation and reduce air conditioning use.

 

Energy transition is the "heart" of zero-carbon parks since energy consumption is the main source of carbon emissions. For electricity, wind power is suitable in areas with wind speeds of at least 3 meters per second and open terrain; photovoltaic (PV) power is more common, with installations possible on roofs larger than 35 square meters, and excess electricity can be sold back to the grid. For thermal energy, ground source heat pumps are cost-effective in suitable areas, providing heat in winter and cooling in summer, with buried boreholes spaced 4 to 5 meters apart in green spaces or foundation pits. Air source heat pumps are suitable for central and southern regions and can be placed on roofs or ground without dedicated machine rooms. The popular "wind-solar-hydrogen-storage integration" combines wind, solar, hydrogen, and energy storage with smart microgrids to ensure stable power supply and increase clean energy utilization. Additionally, electrifying equipment as much as possible—such as using electric vehicles and electric boilers—makes energy use more controllable.

 

Building design must balance energy saving and productivity. New buildings should at least meet the two-star green building standard, with large public buildings reaching three stars. Layout-wise, buildings should be arranged according to wind direction, with shorter buildings facing the wind and taller ones behind to enhance ventilation. Insulation, shading, and lighting must be carefully designed, such as adjusting window-to-wall ratios and designing good atriums. More advanced is "building energy creation," where roofs are equipped with PV panels, walls use photovoltaic integration technology, and heat pumps provide self-generated electricity and heating, achieving true "zero-carbon buildings."

 

Transportation planning must also promote low-carbon travel. The park should widely promote new energy vehicles, converting buses, sanitation, and logistics vehicles to electric, with parking spaces equipped with charging stations. Pedestrian and bicycle paths are essential, with sidewalks at least 1.5 meters wide and main bicycle routes 3 to 4 meters wide to facilitate short-distance travel. Logistics routes should be separately arranged, as short as possible, and separated from pedestrian flows to reduce interference. Road network density must keep pace; service-oriented parks should have a road network density greater than 8 kilometers per square kilometer for convenience and efficiency.

 

Industry and production are the "core" of the park, and choosing the right industries is crucial. Priority should be given to low-carbon industries such as new energy, new materials, and life health. High energy-consuming and high-emission enterprises must be strictly excluded. Circular economy practices should be implemented in production, such as waste heat recovery and turning waste into resources to form a "thoroughly utilized" industrial chain. Enterprises must save energy, land, materials, and water, with equipment and processes being green and low-carbon.

 

Infrastructure must keep up with the zero-carbon pace. For energy facilities, distributed energy stations should be built to achieve combined cooling, heating, and power supply; hydrogen storage or lithium battery storage should be developed; smart microgrids and virtual power plants must be established to manage these clean energy sources. Environmental facilities are essential, including waste treatment, sewage treatment, and sponge city facilities, as well as comprehensive utility tunnels and separate rainwater and sewage systems. Social facilities like centralized heating and cooling and shared platforms can improve efficiency. New infrastructure is a hallmark of smart parks, including smart energy consumption monitoring platforms, carbon emission monitoring platforms, 5G base stations, and smart poles, making park management more intelligent.

 

Ecological green spaces are the "green lungs" of the park and help sequester carbon. Construct blue-green intertwined ecological corridors with a mix of trees, shrubs, and lawns for layered greening, with at least 70% native plants. Roof greening is also important; at least 30% of greenable roofs should be greened, especially non-sloped roofs under 12 stories and below 40 meters. Depressed green spaces should account for more than 50% of green areas, being 5 to 10 centimeters below ground level to store rainwater. Rainwater can also be collected for irrigation, saving water and protecting the environment.

 

Circular utilization can make resources "come alive." Facilities for waste, wastewater, and exhaust gas treatment and recycling should be built. Waste heat can also be recovered through heat exchange or heat pump systems, truly turning "waste into treasure."

 

Digital management is the "brain" of the park. A digital carbon-neutral service platform should be established, integrating IoT, big data, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to monitor carbon emissions in real time, ensure zero-carbon operation, and provide enterprises with carbon reduction and carbon asset trading services for more precise and efficient management.

 

Different types of parks have different focuses in zero-carbon planning and must be "tailored."

 

In manufacturing and logistics warehousing parks, carbon emissions mainly come from production and transportation. Energy structure must be adjusted to reduce coal and petroleum use and increase wind power, photovoltaics, and heat pumps, with combined use being more effective. Energy infrastructure must keep up, including distributed energy stations, storage facilities, smart microgrids, and virtual power plants to improve energy utilization and stabilize power supply. For transportation, freight entrances and exits should connect well with the park's main roads, with routes as short as possible to reduce truck travel. Circular utilization is also critical, with facilities for waste heat, wastewater, and waste recycling to make full use of available resources.

 

Business office parks focus on buildings and transportation. Buildings must achieve zero carbon throughout their entire lifecycle, using low-carbon materials, equipment, and technologies from design and construction to use and demolition. They should enhance natural lighting and ventilation to reduce energy consumption. Smart management is essential, installing a "smart brain" system to monitor air conditioning and lighting, measure water, electricity, and gas separately, and build intelligent energy consumption and carbon emission monitoring platforms. In transportation, electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles are fully promoted, supported by charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations, with smart traffic control to reduce empty loads and improve efficiency.

 

Integrated industrial and urban parks have multiple functions and large scales, requiring more comprehensive planning. Land use should be compact, with facilities arranged according to 5-minute, 10-minute, and 15-minute living circles to reduce long-distance travel; mixed-use land should be promoted to balance work and living, making both convenient; block sizes should be smaller and road networks denser to facilitate walking and cycling. The slow traffic system must be improved, with bike lanes and running paths reaching every building to encourage green travel. Ecological green spaces should form a blue-green intertwined network, with various trees to enhance carbon sequestration, using local materials to reduce carbon footprints, implementing rooftop and vertical greening, and utilizing water systems to build ventilation corridors to reduce the heat island effect and decrease air conditioning use.

 

The planning of zero-carbon smart parks essentially involves a full-process effort from "source carbon reduction," "process carbon control," to "end carbon sequestration," selecting the right technologies and models based on their own characteristics. With technological development, future parks will be smarter and lower in carbon emissions, truly achieving a win-win of "development and environmental protection." It is believed that in a few years, more and more such zero-carbon smart parks will appear around us, vibrant and low-carbon, which is exactly what future parks should look like.