2023 National Urban Planning Society Work Conference

Group photo of conference attendees

On April 2^nd, the 2023 National Urban Planning Society Work Conference was held in Beijing. This meeting was centered around the theme of "Deepening Reform, Stimulating Vitality, and Promoting the Work of the Society to a New Level". The meeting was attended by the President, Vice President, Secretary General, and Deputy Secretary General of Urban Planning Society of China (hereinafter referred to as "UPSC"), members of UPSC's Supervisory Board, President and Secretary General of UPSC's branch offices, President and Secretary General of local associations, and person in charge of UPSC's local service station.

Under the chairmanship of Yang Baojun, President of UPSC, Shi Nan, Executive Vice President and Secretary General, gave a summary of UPSC's accomplishments in 2022 and made plans for their work in 2023. Shi Nan highlighted the major successes of UPSC's work in 2022.

♦ Adhere to the core role of the Party's organizational leadership and build a first-class governance system with Chinese characteristics to effectively lead the planning industry.

♦ According to the overall construction concept of "five first-class+one ecosystem", we must leverage the main role of branches and scientists, build an academic highland in the field of planning, and continuously gather intellectual resources to UPSC.

♦ We must also service and incentivize planning technology workers, carry out source innovation at the basic level of institutional mechanisms, guide high-quality services to young talents, and continuously optimize the innovation ecosystem.

♦ Additionally, we should build an international planning cooperation network based on the "two overall situations" and promote a higher level of openness to the outside world with a larger scope, wider scope, and deeper level.

♦ Finally, we must build an information platform to gather, empower, and enhance the development of UPSC.

Shi Nan introduced the 2023 work plan of the association to the representatives in attendance. He highlighted the need to recognize the needs of the times, identify the positioning of the society, and deepen reforms in response to the current hot topics, focal points, and difficult issues in planning work and industry development, in order to stimulate the vitality of various levels of UPSC organizations.

He suggested that the goal of the plan should be to create an internationally influential science and technology association in the urban era. To achieve this, the association should focus on academia, serve and exchange academic research results for science and technology workers, actively promote the Party's urban planning cause, and serve the needs of the planning profession in the new era.

Shi Nan concluded by emphasizing the need to improve political standing, maintain central authority, focus on core academic business, strengthen openness and integration, achieve joint construction and sharing, and prioritize service and quality assurance. Following his remarks, members of various branches and local associations shared their work experiences. Dong Wei, Chairman of the Historical and Theoretical Branch of Urban Planning, highlighted the success of the Special Committee in organizing international academic platforms, such as the "Early Settlements and Cities" seminar and the "Capital Planning History and Urban Spatial Transformation". The Special Committee has also created a cooperative research mechanism with a focus on East Asia, connecting Asia and Africa, and looking at the world.

Yuan Xin, Chairman of the Housing and Community Planning Professional Committee, outlined the "four in one" approach to their work, which entailed organizational orientation, institutional orientation, academic foundation, and positional basis. Zhang Shangwu, President of the Rural Planning and Construction Branch, highlighted the importance of national strategy, organizational mechanisms, social needs, talent cultivation, and work innovation. Zhao Yixin, Secretary General of the Urban Transportation Planning Professional Committee, underlined the significance of interdisciplinary integration and innovation, which has been a core philosophy of the Special Committee. To this end, the Special Committee has devoted considerable effort to expanding the academic scope of the group, and has invited experts from other industries related to urban transportation to join the academic support team.

Li Jinsheng,President of the Planning and Implementation Branch, outlined the branch's working methods: preliminary research, exchange and summary, theoretical exploration, achievement output, and policy transformation. He highlighted their efforts to shift perspectives and engage in interdisciplinary discussions. Huang Jingtao, President of Tianjin Urban Planning Society, reflected on the legacy of the older generation of planners and discussed how to sustain and evolve urban planning education in the modern era. He suggested that the branch can use images to bridge citizens to their city, record local life, and present a new urban vision. He concluded with a sentiment of a planner who has learned to "run the country by craftsmen" without sacrificing creativity.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders of UPSC set out requirements for UPSC's work this year and beyond. Shi Nan, Executive Vice President and Secretary General, summarized the meeting.

Translated and edited by Wang Miao 

with reference to <https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/U5qKg-OuVvcku_w-J3C1Bw>