Young Planning Professionals’ National Workshop
XI’AN, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 23-27 July 2018
“INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE AND REGIONAL REVIVAL”

The Young Planning Professionals’ Programme was initiated in 1991 at the 26th ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since then, senior members of ISOCARP have happily – and at times perhaps a little enviously – observed the competition for admission to the workshop, the creative spirit of the workshop itself, and the enthusiastic response of the participants. It has become tradition to organise the workshops in the week preceding the annual world planning congress in order to provide unique opportunities to Young Planning Professionals (YPPs) to share their experiences in an attempt to resolve complex and multi-dimensional planning problems. Today, the YPP Programme, together with workshops and intensive training programmes, has become a source of meaningful debate, and new ideas and rejuvenation for the Society; and has made a huge impact on participants’ professional lives. It has contributed towards making life-long friendships beyond borders, languages, cultures and professional backgrounds.

According to this tradition, ISOCARP, in cooperation with Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC), agreed to plan the YPP National Workshop in Xi’An – jointly undertaken by the Youth Work Committee and the Xi’an Urban Planning and Design Institute. The purpose of the workshop is to contribute to the knowledge base and improve skills of young professionals, the future leaders of our profession, meanwhile provide international academic exchanges and mutual learning opportunities for both domestic and international youth planners. Zeynep Gunay, ISOCARP VP YPP, had a technical trip to Xi’An from 18 to 21 June to meet with the key stakeholders -UPSC, UPSC Youth League, Xi’An Urban Planning and Design Institute and Directorate of Old Steelworks Creative Park- of the upcoming YPP Workshop. The meeting followed by a visit to case study area of one of the 156 Projects.

The overall theme for Xi’An YPP workshop is ‘Industrial Heritage and Regional Revival’, making the workshop an important entry point for ISOCARP to discuss Sustainable Development Goals Target 11.4 which calls for “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”. Envisioned as an urban laboratory to integrate heritage conservation agendas with those of sustainable urban development, the workshop focused on Textile City as one of the ‘156 Project’ sites. The workshop searched for best practices on preserving the industrial heritage, while taking into consideration the potentials on developing locational advantages and resource superiority, promoting industrial upgrading and integrative use of land and the ecological environment, protecting urban morphology including the buildings and environs of factory areas and bridging the old with newly constructed projects in the near surrounding and creating new landmarks in the eastern part of the city. The proposals focused on innovation design accelerating the pace of regional old city renewal and providing ideas for transformations of other factory areas.

ISOCARP Xi’An YPP Workshop was undertaken on July 23 and 27, 2018. ISOCARP Experts Sylvie Tram Nguyen and Fedor Kudryavtsev, and Local Coordinators CHANG Haiqing, LIU Chunkai, ZHAO Yunwei contributed extensively to share their valuable expertise and knowledge. The workshop brought together 24 young planning proffessionals, 4 of whom were internationals and 20 were Chinese nationals. The international YPPs who were selected by an International ISOCARP Jury are Sebastian Clausen, Thato Motlhaping, Mihaela Brankova and Jenna Helal. The four days of the workshop were spent on site visits, seminars on Xi’An and Textile City, coordinator lectures on Soviet planning and architecture as well as post-industrial landscapes, Stakeholders Workshop, and elaborations on the topics of economic prosperity, social inclusion, ecological resilience, and sustainability and livability. Mr. Dong Li, worker in Five Ring Factory, Mr. Guo Jianhua, resident in Textile City, Mr. Xie Tao, Bao Giao Tourism Bureau, Mr. Cheng Dong, City Development Co Real Estate, Mr. Hai Wenbo, Textile City Government Renovation Branch were invited to participate in the interaction and discussion as part of the Stakeholder Workshop.

On the last day, on 27 July, following the addresses of Zeynep Gunay, ISOCARP Vice President, Shi Nan, Secretary General of the UPSC, Zheng Degao, Chairman of the Youth Work Committee of UPSC, and the leaders of the Xi’An Urban Planning and Design Institute including Ms. Long, the team of 24 young planning professionals, together with coordinators Sylvia Nguyen and Fedor Kudryavtsev, presented the workshop results at the conference center of the Old Steel Factory Creative Park. The workshop was finalised with Certificate Ceremony and YPP Exhibition.

3 YPPs, Wang Ruxin of Beijing University, Tang Saiwen of Shenzhen Planning Institute and Jenna Helal were awarded with “Honorable Mention in a National YPP Workshop”. Wang Ruxin, Tang Saiwen, Ma Chen Wu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhou Zhaoqian of Beijing Planning Institute received UPSC special award.

The results of the workshop were once again presented during the 54th ISOCARP World Planning Congress in a special session on 2 October, by the award winners Wang Ruxin and Tang Saiwen.

You can have a look at the presentation right here!

Xi’An Workshop YPPs with ISOCARP Experts Sylvie Tram Nguyen, Fedor Kudryavtsev, VP YPP Zeynep Gunay, and Local Coordinators CHANG Haiqing, LIU Chunkai, ZHAO Yunwei, July 2018

Xi’An YPP Workshop, Five Ring Textile Factory, Xi’An, July 2018, Photo by ZHAO Yunwei

Xi’An YPP Workshop Exhibition and Certificate Ceremony, Xi’An, July 2018, Photo by ZHAO Yunwei

Xi’An YPP Workshop Exhibition and Certificate Ceremony, Xi’An, July 2018, Photo by ZHAO Yunwei

Xi’An YPP Workshop Exhibition and Certificate Ceremony, Xi’An, July 2018, Photo by ZHAO Yunwei

Xi’An YPP Coordinators LIU Chunkai, ZHAO Yunwei, Sylvie Tram Nguyen, Fedor Kudryavtsev, CHANG Haiqing, and VP YPP Zeynep Gunay

(Second row left to right) FANG Gang, Director of CAUPD (Shanghai) A.O; CAO Kaining, Xi’an Planning and Design Institute; SHI Nan, Secretary General of UPSC; Zeynep Gunay, ISOCARP VP; LI Qi, Dean of Xi’an Institute; WANG Xiaoli, Deputy General Manager of Old Steelworks Creative Park; (Front row left to right) CHEN Ying, Director of Xi’an Institute A.O; LI Zi, Project Manager of Xi’an Institute; SUN Juan, Secretary General of UPSC Youth League, VP of the CAUPD (Shanghai); SUN Ting, Director of Xi’an Institute General Office; LIU Zhuqing, Deputy Director of the CAUPD (Shanghai) Urban Design Center

Xi’An YPPs, Xi’An, July 2018 – Le Qiu, Kanhua Yu, Saiwen Tang, Sebastian Clausen, Chenwuwei Ma; Jenna Helal, Haixuan Zhu, Zonggang Liu, Jinming Liu, Ke Fan, Zhaoqian Zhou; Thato Motlhaping, Cao Xibo, Wang Ruxin, Wang Wenqi, Li Zi, Qi Kai, Liu Bo; WANG Qihao, LIU Huadong, WANG Bo, YAO Mo, Mihaela Brankova, YUAN Qi

Acknowledgement

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank the Urban Planning Society of China and the Youth Work Committee of the Urban Planning Society of China, which is represented by Secretary General Mr. Shi NAN and Mr. Zhen, whose contribution made this programme possible. And I, again, want to thank to our host, the Xi’an Urban Planning & Design Institute, which is represented by Ms. Long, for their incredible commitment, success and hospitality in delivering the programme. A final thank goes to our Coordinators, our ISOCARP Experts Sylvie Tram Nguyen and Fedor Kudryavtsev, and Local Coordinators CHANG Haiqing, LIU Chunkai, ZHAO Yunwei, who contributed extensively to share their valuable expertise and knowledge in the expense of their valuable time and effort. And of course our Young Planning Professionals, 24 brilliant young people. I thank all of you for becoming part of our ISOCARP World! By Zeynep Gunay, VP YPP