National planning conference highlights people's role in urban planning

The Annual National Planning Conference of 2022/2023, addressing the latest achievements and challenges in urban planning and design and related research and education, was held in Wuhan on Friday.

With the theme of "for the people's empowerment of city planning", more than 7,000 representatives from all over the country attended the conference.

"Ultimately, cities belong to the people and are the paradise of the ordinary," said Shi Nan, secretary-general of the Urban Planning Society of China. He pointed out that currently, China's urbanization has entered a new stage with a focus on improving city quality, with city development facing both challenges and opportunities at the same time. Upholding the people's central role in urban development and satisfying their needs for a better life are the fundamental goals of urban development and the fundamental path for the high-quality development of cities.

According to officials, Wuhan has always aimed to "build a people-centered city" and has accelerated the construction of a national central city and a core city in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It has explored ways to modernize the governance of mega-cities and has accumulated new experiences in planning and spatial governance.

Wuhan has promoted the integration of urban and scenic areas through the creation of the "Two Rivers and Four Banks" core area. It has also improved cultural and public service facilities and carried out renovations and improvements on many historical streets, making the city more pleasant, livable, and enjoyable.

To showcase the achievements of urban planning and development in Wuhan, the city has selected 12 research routes and 17 self-guided experience points, including urban renewals, historical sites and industrial heritage, waterfront locations, rural revitalization demonstrative areas, new industrial towns, and other areas.

Landmarks such as Lihuangpi Road, Tanhualin Street and the Chuhehanjie commercial block were included as field investigation sites for conference attendees to visit and experience the development and changes in Wuhan firsthand.

The conference is said to be one of the most influential academic summits and industry-themed events in the city planning industry in China. The opening ceremony of this year's conference invited 10 experts and scholars from the fields of urban planning, construction, and governance to give academic reports on topics such as urban governance, public services, accessibility law, architectural quality, urban design and some major scientific issues in the planning field in the last two years, engineering and technical difficulties, industry technology issues, and urban renewal.

The conference also addressed the selection results of major scientific issues, engineering and technical problems, and industry technology issues in the planning field, highlighting the achievements of the Scientist Spirit Education Base and the 922 green travel events. It was confirmed that the 2024 conference will be held in Hefei.

The conference lasted for three days and held over one hundred academic dialogues. Experts and scholars shared opinions and had in-depth discussions on topics such as new urbanization, urban renewal, historical and cultural preservation, rural revitalization and ecological protection.