Introduction:

To recognize outstanding projects and teams in planning design, research, and practice, the Beijing Municipal Government has approved the Beijing Urban Planning Society to host the competition for the “Outstanding Urban and Rural Planning Awards.” This initiative aims to showcase the latest achievements and innovations in urban and rural planning, inspiring planners to pursue excellence and explore methods to drive high-quality development in the capital through superior urban design.

Recently, the seminar on the 2023 Beijing Outstanding Urban and Rural Planning Projects (Urban Design Category) and the Second Lecture of “Building Beijing Together” — 2024 Beijing Urban Design Lecture Series were held in Beijing. The event was guided by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources and organized by the Beijing Urban Planning Society, in collaboration with the Society’s Urban Design Division, Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design (BMICPD), Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning & Design Institute (THUPDI), and Walton Design & Consulting Engineering Co., Ltd. (WDCE)

The event featured renowned experts and scholars with extensive experience in urban and rural planning, architectural design, and public art. Through discussions and exchanges, participants shared cutting-edge ideas and practical experiences, proposing methods to enhance urban environments using urban design integrated with urban renewal concepts, providing valuable insights for future urban development.

Zhou Nansen, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Urban Planning Society, delivered a keynote address. He emphasized that urban design goes beyond the physical planning of urban spaces; it involves a profound understanding and meticulous crafting of a city’s culture, history, and future development. Urban design is a crucial component of urban planning and a key means to achieve sustainable development and enhance urban quality. In the current context of urban redevelopment, urban space resources are increasingly precious. Therefore, design must play a leading role in meticulously designing urban spaces, functions, and environments to optimize spatial layout, enhance functionality, guide high-quality construction, improve living conditions, and boost the city’s attractiveness and competitiveness.

Wang Yin, former Chief Planner of the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design (BMICPD), presented a report titled “New Capacity for Urban Design in the New Era.” He shared his extensive experience in urban planning, offering insights on “Urban Design Thinking” under the new national spatial planning framework and ecological civilization concept. He highlighted that urban design should extend beyond cities to include rural and ecological areas, continuously refining new ideas, technologies, methods, and standards. By adopting a dialectic logic to re-examine the objective world, urban design methodologies will evolve, and form systematic approaches, providing infinite possibilities for urban development.

The session on outstanding project sharing featured three award-winning projects from 2023, showcasing the application of urban design concepts in planning and implementation:

Zhao Qingnan, Director of Urban Renewal of the BMICPD, presented the “Integrated Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Transportation Hub Area in Beijing’s Sub-Center.” The team, following the core principle of “building better cities”, extensively applied urban design methods to guide planning implementation, aiming to enhance the economic and cultural value of the sub-center.

Liu Wei, Director of Urban Renewal Institute of THUPDI, shared the case of “Coordinated and Comprehensive Enhancement of the White Pagoda Temple Area in Beijing.” She highlighted the role of urban design in the organic renewal of historical districts, exploring effective pathways from planning research to implementation through refined urban design, collaborative area coordination, and interactive planning.

Liu Yu, Chief Planner of WDCE, presented the “Comprehensive Implementation Plan for the International Talent Community in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.” He emphasized the importance of urban design in coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and its pivotal role in the entire process of investment, design, supervision, investigation, and cost management.

Wang Xuemei, Level-II Inspector and Deputy Director of the Urban Design Department of the Commission, moderated a panel discussion titled “Exploring High-Quality Implementation of Urban Design in the Context of Urban Redevelopment.” She emphasized that urban design, as a tool, technology, and concept, enables the harmonious coordination of various urban elements, supporting urban renewal and project implementation in Beijing’s urban redevelopment process. The panelists provided constructive suggestions on planning management, urban construction, urban design discipline, and urban design methodology.

Conclusion:

As a method and concept of and an approach to better understanding cities, the “Building Beijing Together” — 2024 Beijing Urban Design Lecture Series will continue rolling out lecture events going forward to guide Beijing’s high-quality development.