On May 15th, the Shanghai Urban Planning & Design Research Institute (“Shanghai Institute”) teamed up with the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design (“Beijing Institute”) to explore into digital transformation. Headed by Xiong Jian, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Institute, a ten-member delegation arrived at the Beijing Institute. Zhang Xiaoxin, Deputy Party Secretary of the Beijing Institute and Deputy Director General of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Committee; Zhou Le, Director of the General Engineering Office of the Beijing Institute and Deputy Chief Engineer of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Committee, and He Lianna, Chief Engineer of the Digital Planning Technology Center of the Beijing Institute, sat down with visiting delegation for exchanges.

In his welcoming remarks, Zhang Xiaoxin provided an overview of the history, structure, and innovative initiatives of the Beijing Institute. Emphasizing its role as both a municipal entity and a hub for strategic urban planning, he highlighted the institute’s responsibilities in crafting Beijing’s spatial planning. Furthermore, Zhang outlined ongoing efforts in empowering territorial spatial planning with digital innovation.

The Shanghai delegation commended Beijing’s advancements in digital innovation and engaged in discussions on various aspects such as operational mechanisms, digital technology teams, Big Data Joint Innovation Laboratory, digital twin platforms, decision support systems for spatial planning, unified mapping systems, data asset management, and tech infrastructure development.

The exchange fostered a deeper understanding of digital technology applications in urban planning, promoting mutual insights between Beijing and Shanghai. Both parties affirmed their commitment to ongoing dialogue and collaboration to advance innovative practices in territorial spatial planning through digital technologies.