Events

Forum examines impacts and future of urbanization in China

The 6th Urban China Forum was successfully held in Avery Hall on October 5, 2019. The event was organized by the Urban Planning Program and Urban China Center (GSAPP) and the China Center for Social Policy, and was cosponsored by the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; the School of Social Work; and Columbia Global Centers | Beijing. The event also marked the 70th anniversary of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

Exploring the theme of “Urbanization and China: Understanding Impacts, Projecting Future,” the forum welcomed nine speakers, including renowned scholars and emerging practitioners from Canada, China, the UK, and the US. Centered on political and sociological dynamics as well as built environment, panelists shared their latest research on housing policy, urban poverty, land finance, migrants, smart cities, air pollution, and public health. Each lecture was followed by a panel discussion, shedding new lights from different perspectives. WEAI and GSAPP Professor Weiping Wu concluded the forum with a summary of urbanization in Chinese cities.

Summaries of the speakers’ presentations are available here. Videos of the forum are accessible online: morning session and afternoon session.