Seminar for the Challenges of Chinese Cities’ Governance

With the most tremendous wave of urbanisation in human history, effective urban management is needed to address the unparalleled growth of Asian megacities. Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA), an inclusive network that brings together over 100 concerned scholars and practitioners from leading institutes in Europe, China, India and the United States, was formed as an inclusive network of scholars and practitioners engaged in collaborative research on cities in Asia, particularly India and China. Development Planning Unit, University College London (DPU) is key partner institute of UKNA, contributed to the deepening of the UKNA network by hosting the academic joint-research and communication among UKNA scholars.

The DPU Urban Transformations research cluster hosted a lunch-time seminar in March 1st with UKNA visiting scholars from China, chaired by Dr. Barbara Lipietz. The title of the seminar was: ’Governing Emerging Cities: Theory and Case Study of Chinese Cities’. As emerging cities marked by high speed growth, Chinese cities face multiple challenges related to urban governances and planning. In the seminar, three Chinese scholars from leading Chinese urban studies institute shared their theoretical perspectives and provided case studies on China’s city governance and mega-city renewal. The topics focused on the cross-boundary governance conception, mega-event urban renewal, and urban sustainable development of Chinese city and city-region.

Prof. Tao Xi Dong (Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) spoke on ‘Theory and practice of cross-boundary governance’, illustrating on the conception of ‘Trans-boundary Governance’; Dr. Su Ning (Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) delivered a lecture on ‘Shaping globalising cities: Urban renewal for Shanghai Expo 2010’, focusing on the characteristics of Expo 2010 renewal and its influence for Shanghai urban transformation; and Dr. Lin Yong Xin (China Academy of Urban Planning And Design) spoke on ‘Reducing Air Pollution by Spacial Reallocation of Emission Resources-case study in Linfen’, focus on case study of Linfen China.