Between 14-20 April the ISOCARP Ningbo Urban Planning Advisory Team (UPAT) is advising the Ningbo Urban Planning and Design Institute (NBPI) about the Xinmalu Historical District.

NBPI invited ISOCARP to select a team of experts to assist NBPI in their visioning process for the new identity and urban renovation of Ningbo’s Xinmalu Historical District. The ambition of NBPI is that Xinmalu Historical District will become an example of urban renovation and ecological restoration that combines the restoration of urban functions, the improvement of living conditions and that utilizes potential spatial, social, cultural, ecological and economic values.

ISOCARP and NBPI agreed to select, out of over 40 applications and expressions of interest, a large team with mixed international experts and Chinese Young Planning Professionals. The selected team members are prof. Detlef Kammeier (Team leader, Germany/Thailand), Nupur Prothi Khanna (UPAT Rapporteur, India/Sweden), Dr. Ali Alraouf (Egypt/Qatar), Jonas Bjørklund (Bodø, Norway), Sven van Oosten (The Netherlands), Yassine Moustanjidi (Morocco/Germany), Wenjing Luo (YPP Wuhan), Xinlong Liao (YPP Guangzhou) and Zhongyi Shi (YPP London/Ningbo). Milena Ivkovic (VP UPATs) and Martin Dubbeling (UPAT Coordinator & President-Elect) complete the Ningbo UPAT Team.

From the side of the hosting organization, NBPI, The Ningbo UPAT team is closely working together with the hosting organization, NBPI, Ningbo Planning Bureau and Ningbo University, among which Nenggong Zhang, Rong Chen, Ming Luo, Mindong (Jackie) Ni, Xiaoyan (May) Mei, Yuxiao (Harry) Xu, Weixuan Wang, Feifan Chen, Lei Zhang, Zhaohui Yuan and Dr. Yu Pan.

The first three days were spent on site visits, presentations about Ningbo’s rich history and the context and studies for the Xinmalu District and meetings and discussions with local stakeholders, actors and students from Ningbo University. In the second three days the team will elaborate their observations and recommendations. At the final day of the Ningbo UPAT Workshop, the team will present at a NBPI Seminar at an Experts Forum with Shi Nan, Secretary General of UPSC, as one of the participants.

In the weeks and months after the Ningbo UPAT workshop, the UPAT team and NBPI jointly will work on a dedicated PLAN Magazine (issue 6) with the joint ideas and strategy for the Xinmalu Historical District.

Milena Ivkovic, Vice President UPATs
Martin Dubbeling, UPAT Coordinator & President-Elect