CityU hosts workshop on resilient urban planning and design to foster livable and tourist-friendly urban development in Macao
The Joint Workshop on Macao Resilient Urban Planning and Design organized by the Graduate School and the Faculty of Innovation and Design of the City University of Macau (CityU) in collaboration with the School of Architecture at Tianjin University and the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Southwest University of Science and Technology was held today (April 12th) at the Taipa campus.
About 30 scholars and students from mainland and Macao universities participated in this workshop, showcasing design solutions for resilient urban spaces and providing valuable insights for urban area planning, sustainable management, and spatial design in Macao. Notable participants included Prof. Ip Kuai Peng, Vice Rector of CityU; Mr. Chen Tian, Director of the Research Institute of Architectural Design and Urban Planning at Tianjin University; Mr. Wang Xuebin, General Secretary of the Tianjin Urban Planning Society; Prof. Hou Xin, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture of Tianjin University; Mr. Zhao Shuming, Associate Chief Planning Officer of the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd.; Mr. Li Xuefeng and Mr. Hu Heng, Associate Researchers at the National Ocean Technology Center; Lecturer Li Yangli from the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Southwest University of Science and Technology; as well as CityU faculty members: Associate Dean Zhou Long from the Graduate School, Prof. Xing Yalong, Coordinator of the Urban Planning and Design Program at the Faculty of Innovation and Design, and Assistant Professors Yan Yu and Yang Huajie. The diverse expertise of the participants contributed to a rich and engaging discussion on urban resilience and sustainable development.
During the discussion, Vice Rector Ip Kuai Peng emphasized the need to enhance the resilience, recovery, and adaptability of urban systems in the face of uncertain factors. He stated that traditional planning that emphasizes resistance and defense increases the risks and costs of urban disaster response, especially in the face of a complex and ever-changing external environment and internal pressures. “To address current challenges to urban development, promoting resilient urban construction in Macao and enhancing urban safety and resilience can contribute to sustainable social and economic development and safeguard the health and well-being of its people,” he said, “specifically, in terms of urban planning and development, the objective should be on creating resilient cities guided by the concepts of ‘adaptation’ and ‘utilization’ of disasters.”
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Vice Rector Ip has suggested that utilizing urban planning and design at the macro, meso, and micro levels can help improve urban spaces to withstand natural disasters and risks, creating a more livable, business-friendly, and tourist-friendly quality of living spaces.
In terms of urban operation and management, he emphasized the need to establish a sound monitoring and risk assessment system for potential hazards, enabling the real-time monitoring of potential risks and effective emergency response. He also emphasized the importance of accelerating the construction of digital infrastructure and actively exploring the construction of smart public service platforms, which can facilitate effective interaction between communities and governments and promote bottom-up resilient urban construction.
At the joint workshop, Mr. Chen Tian, representative of the mainland side, and Prof. Zhou Long, representative of the Macao side, provided an overview of the workshop project and its current progress. Mr. Chen Tian highlighted that the joint workshop allows students from all sides to collaborate and capitalize on their individual research backgrounds and strengths to develop solutions for urban safety, ecological resilience, climate adaptation, and coastal area design. These solutions meet the urban development needs of both the mainland and Macao. Prof. Zhou Long presented the research findings and progress of the joint research project, emphasizing that it has entered the third year of the demonstration phase. The workshop aims to apply research findings to analyze and practice urban planning and design, providing a foundation for Macao's resilient city design, and better serving the city's livable and tourist-friendly urban construction.
During the workshop, participants contributed valuable insights to the field. Mr. Wang Xuebin commented on the workshop's significance in promoting research and educational exchanges between mainland China and Macao. Mr. Yang Bo shared his experience with urban coastal landscape design based on ecological restoration. Prof. Hou Xin provided an overview of the key aspects and challenges of coastal landscape design. Associate Researcher Li Xuefeng introduced theories, methodologies, strategies, and cases to steer low-carbon city development in the context of achieving national carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Associate Researcher Hu Heng presented the current progress and development trends in the economical and intensive use of marine areas. Lecturer Li Yangli elaborated on the design philosophy and approaches of aquatic ecological resilience in high-density cities. Prof. Xing Yalong highlighted that this workshop presents an opportunity for the deepening of collaboration among Tianjin University, Southwest University of Science and Technology, and CityU in terms of talent cultivation and education.
This workshop was a part of the research project titled “Study on Urban Environment Evaluation and Optimization for High-Density Development on Marine Reclamation Land in Macao SAR,” which received funding from the Science and Technology Development Fund and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The project aimed to investigate Macao's urban resilience in reclamation areas, utilizing microclimate simulation and adaptive spatial design methods to develop strategies for improving the resilience of high-density urban spaces and creating a more enjoyable and livable city.
Source: Graduate School
