09 Nov 2023
World Cities Day Supporting Activities: 2023 China (Suzhou) Cities and Garden Industry Development Forum in Suzhou, XJTLU Scholars Invited to Expert Dialogue
Thematic forum on "Gardens for Better Cities"
World Cities Day (October 31 each year), the first United Nations International Day dedicated to cities, is the first international day successfully initiated and established by the Chinese government. The theme of the World Cities Day China event in 2023 is "Converging Resources for a Sustainable Urban Future". As a supporting activity of the World Cities Day, the 2023 China (Suzhou) Urban and Garden Industry Development Forum, with the theme "Gardens for Better Cities", is organized by the Construction Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and undertaken by Suzhou Garden Group. Mr. Rusheng Li, chief engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr. Jiahong Shi, vice mayor of Suzhou Municipal People's Government, Mr. Shizhen Wei, chairman of Suzhou Garden Group, and other leaders were invited to attend the forum and deliver speeches.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of World Cities Day, leaders from competent government departments, heads of relevant United Nations organizations, officials from foreign embassies and consulates in China, Chinese and foreign experts and scholars, city representatives of major garden cities, business representatives and professionals gathered together, based on the new era and new the development of gardens, to discuss the two-way empowerment of high-quality development of the city and garden industry. To explore how the garden industry in Suzhou can play a greater role and contribute more wisdom in urban construction and ecological development, the aim is to promote the garden industry into life, to the world, to the future, and contribute to the sustainable development of global cities and the creation of modern, habitable cities by harnessing the power of garden industry.
In the keynote speech session, experts and scholars from the garden industry at home and abroad delivered speeches and shared experiences on the development of garden ecological spaces, Park City Construction, "carbon" design, sustainable energy and public space construction, Dutch horticultural design, and Suzhou garden going to the world, etc., showing the charm of garden culture and the vigorous development of garden industry to more than 100 guests.
The conference featured two dialogues, focusing on the industrial inheritance, innovation, and international development of Suzhou gardens. Dr. Yunqing Xu, the Director of the Urban and Environmental Studies University Research Center at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, moderated the dialogue titled "Urban Excellence and Garden Industry Development." The dialogue included six participants: Lingzhi Bai, Director of the Planning and Management Office of Suzhou Municipal Gardens and Greenery Administrative Bureau; Dr. Roberto Podda, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, Design School, Xi'an Jiao-tong Liverpool University ; Dr. Alessandro Cece, Associate Dean of Research of Design School, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University; Dr. Cecilia Picello from Boeri Architects & Consultancy (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; Yanyao Qin, Deputy General Manager of Chongqing Design and Research Institute of China Coal Technology & Engineering Group Corporation; and Gang Li, President of isBIM Limited. The exchange of ideas and diverse viewpoints have generated numerous innovative suggestions and initiatives.
Dr. Yunqing Xu moderated a dialogue titled "Creating Beautiful Cities and the Development of the Garden Industry"
Dr. Roberto Podda, Associate Professor of the Department of Architecture, Design School, Xi'an Jiao-tong Liverpool University, pointed out that, "although there are big differences between Suzhou Gardens and Western gardens in terms of landscapes, architecture and traffic flow, the core of respecting nature and pursuing the unity of man and nature is similar". Dr. Alessandro Cece, Associate Dean of Research of Design School, said that "the placement of gardens in cities and their integration with cities as a whole are very important sometimes more than the design and construction of the gardens themselves, and the openness of gardens is increasingly significant, from private gardens to public gardens."
Through on-site discussions, Dr. Yunqing Xu summarized the views of the guests, stating that "From private gardens to open spaces, garden construction not only showcases exquisite craftsmanship and humanistic art but also continuously infuses vitality into the city, elevating its quality. In addition to establishing a multi-level and balanced layout of parks in spatial terms, it is possible to integrate new elements and technological innovations, such as digitization and low-carbon solutions, to explore a contemporary context better aligned with urban functions. It ought to expand application scenarios to meet the diverse demands of the people for cultural activities, lead a green and low-carbon lifestyle, and achieve a harmonious coexistence between the human and nature."
Dr. Xu Yunqing and the guests engaged in a live dialogue on stage
The guests from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University shared their experiences in the internationalization of the garden industry
Group photo of the participants in the dialogue
After the conference, the participants from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University were interviewed by the media and featured in a news segment on Suzhou TV.
Dr. Xu and the guests were interviewed by the news media
To consolidate a consensus on the development of the garden industry and promote the inheritance and innovation of the garden industry, the Forum's organizing committee released the " Suzhou Initiative: Gardens for Better Cities". The initiative aims to include the "Urban and Garden Industry Development Forum" in the "World Cities Day" series of events, collaborating to create internationally influential garden cities and park cities, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of cities worldwide. Currently, there are over a hundred overseas-style gardens, with Suzhou gardens accounting for more than half, playing a vital role in the internationalization of gardens. Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Urban and Environmental Research Center is committed to leveraging its international research team's strengths, and continuously promoting local actions with global thinking and international exchanges for local innovation.
The organizing committee released the "Gardens for Better Cities" Suzhou Initiative
09 Nov 2023