02/28/2021
UCC Third Annual Conference
Topic:
Non-western models: Urban and rural China in transition
Time:
3/5 8:00 pm-10:30 pm EST
3/6 8:00 pm-10:30 pm EST
Registration Link:
https://s.surveyplanet.com/Ti_gE2wzP
Description:
In the past four decades, China has created many exceptional “non-western models” while learning extensively from the west. The COVID-19 pandemic not only impacted the global economy and society but also challenged the political systems in many countries. Some of China’s non-western models undeniably limited the virus’s spread and showed their effectiveness in the Chinese social contexts. What non-western models did China invent to develop its urban and rural areas? Where do they intersect and diverge? How do they coexist in balance with adapted ideas? Moving forward, in a transitional era into the New Normal, urban and rural China still face many challenges that call for creative approaches unfound in precedential experiences. What does the New Normal imply for an urban China? What topics need more explorations to improve the daily lives of residents? How can planning, governance, and the economy complement each other towards a common goal?
Panel 1: planning & design:
3/5 8:00 pm-10:30 pm EST
Planners and designers recently showcased many innovative insights through practices in urban and rural China: The Territorial Spatial Planning system attempts to address the conflicts between multi-level planning institutions; The manifesto of Ecological Civilization reveals China’s intention to seek an alternative approach after decades of transformation into an industrial society; The emerging architectural trend towards vernacular form and material also reestablishes the confidence in traditional culture in the design field. Speakers of the Planning & Design panel will discuss the “non-western” efforts from architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and spatial planners under the context of urban China.
8:00 - 8:15
Zhongjie Lin (moderator)
Associate Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania
8:15 - 8:40
Jonathan Barnett | Urban Design in a Changing Climate
Professor Emeritus of Practice, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania
8:40 - 9:05
Tom Leader | Land Values
Founder and Principal, TLS Landscape Architecture
9:05 - 9:15 Break
9:15 - 9:40
Ming Zhang | Facilitate Smart Planning with Cloud-Computing and Crowdsourcing Technologies for Small City-Town Regions
Professor, Community & Regional Planning, School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin
9:40 - 10:05 Discussion
10:05 - 10:30 Q&A
Panel 2: economy & governance
3/6 8:00 pm-10:30 pm EST
Economists and politicians have been leading the discourse of China’s exceptionality, particularly since the country took off as an economic powerhouse. Today’s international situation challenges China’s position as “the world’s factory” and asks for feasible policies to transform the industrial cities into liveable and suitable cities for a non-manufacturing future. Furthermore, the longstanding urban-rural dichotomy is worth a closer review to mitigate the increasing social polarization. Can financialization of the real estate market be leveraged as tools for issues such as the reliance on land finance preventing urban and rural residents from pursuing affordable lives? What phenomena is China’s thriving internet business creating that impacts the urban and rural space and the lifestyle of residences? The Economy and Governance panel will explore China’s urban development and transformation under the lenses of business and policy.
8:00 - 8:15
Guobin Yang (moderator)
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
8:15 - 8:40
Ming Lu | Scattered Population, Depressed Services
Professor, Department of Economics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
8:40 - 9:05
Li Tian | Mobility restriction and its implications on rental housing market during COVID-19 pandemic in China’s large cities
Professor and Deputy Head, Department of Urban Planning, Tsinghua University
9:05 - 9:15 Break
9:15 - 9:40
Scott Moore | Managing China’s Water: Ambition, Crisis and Adaptation
Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Penn Global
9:40 - 10:05 Discussion
10:05 - 10:30 Q&A
