Beijing, China—The Paulson Institute, in cooperation with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), today awarded the 2015 Prize for Cities of the Future to the Anheng Group’s Sustainable City Water Supply Network Leakage Control Solution. Paulson Institute Chairman Henry M. Paulson, Jr., CCIEE Chairman Zeng Peiyan, and Prize Jury Committee Chairman Richard M. Daley presented the award to Beijing Vice Mayor Lin Keqing at a ceremony held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
The Anheng project utilizes cloud and big data technology to manage water leakage control in urban pipeline infrastructure and provide safer water to China’s urban residents. It steeply reduces the amount of time required to detect leakage points, thus reducing water waste and lowering the risk of pipeline explosions. In China, where the annual water deficit is over 50 billion cubic meters and the average urban water supply leakage rate is 15%, water waste is a growing social and economic concern.
The Anheng project has already delivered promising results in Beijing’s Shijingshan District, which has not experienced a single pipeline explosion since the project’s 2012 implementation. The technology saves the community nearly 1,000 cubic meters of water each day—equivalent to 300,000 tons annually.
The Prize for Cities of the Future is awarded annually to a project in China that offers a creative, effective and scalable solution aimed at promoting sustainable development. The competition is designed to highlight these efforts to a wider audience and recognize the achievements of outstanding Chinese sustainability projects selected by a jury of experts from both the United States and China.
Paulson Institute Chairman Henry M. Paulson, Jr., marked the occasion, saying, “We are pleased to recognize such a worthy project, a concrete solution that addresses China’s serious water deficit. This prize provides an incentive for developing innovative, sustainable solutions that can become models for the rest of China, and also promotes collaboration between China and the United States. It is about encouraging leaders—economic, political, and otherwise—to push for practical answers to real challenges.”
CCIEE Chairman Zeng Peiyan added, “This water project captures the spirit of our annual prize by providing a sustainable solution that improves quality of life as well as economic growth.”
Former Mayor of Chicago and Jury Committee Chairman Daley explained the jury’s selection, saying, “Anheng’s platform represents a forward-thinking approach to addressing water scarcity, one of the most critical resource challenges China faces. As Chinese cities expand, this technology will play a key role in water conservation and infrastructure management, helping cities better serve their citizens.”
Beating out submissions from across the country, the Anheng project was chosen by a jury of experts on urbanization and sustainability, including Mr. Daley; Hal Harvey, CEO, Energy Innovation; Huang Nubo, Chairman, Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group; Mao Zhibing, Chief Engineer, China State Construction Engineering Corporation; Pan Jiahua, Director General, Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Zhuang Weimin, Dean of the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University.
About the Paulson Institute: The Paulson Institute is a “think and do” tank that promotes environmental protection and sustainable development in the United States and China, while advancing bilateral economic relations and cross-border investment. Established in 2011 by Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the Institute is committed to the principle that today’s most pressing economic and environmental challenges can be solved only if the United States and China work in complementary ways.
The non-partisan, independent Institute works at the nexus of economic and environmental issues in the United States and China. Its programs in China focus on improving climate and air quality, advancing ecological conservation and promoting sustainable cities. The Institute’s Think Tank publishes papers on the most important macroeconomic issues facing China today, energy strategies and issues in US-China relations. The Institute promotes bilateral cross-border investment that will improve US-China relations and help create jobs and works to reduce economic risk from climate change. The Institute is headquartered at the University of Chicago and has offices in Washington and Beijing.
About China Center for International Economic Exchanges: China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), founded on March 20th, 2009, is registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and operates under the guidance and supervision of the National Development and Reform Commission in terms of its business scope. The main scope of work for CCIEE is: to conduct research on major international and domestic economic issues; to conduct international exchanges and cooperation; to provide government with intellectual support; and to provide enterprises and other sectors of society with a platform for economic exchanges.
CCIEE is committed to serving China’s development, improving people’s livelihood and promoting exchanges and cooperation. By adhering to the socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics and the values of Originality, Objectively, Rationality and Compatibility, CCIEE actively conducts research on significant domestic and international theoretical and strategic issues. CCIEE compiles periodicals such as Research Report, Think-tank’s Voice, Information Feedback and a monthly journal called Globalization.
For more about CCIEE, visit english.cciee.org.cn.