On December 23, 2022, China Academy of Urban Planning&Design (hereinafter referred to as the "CAUPD") and Pakistan Urban Unit (hereinafter referred to as the "Urban Unit") jointly held the "China Pakistan Online Academic Symposium 2022" in online form. The meeting was chaired by LYU Xiaobei, Vice President of the Shenzhen Branch of CAUPD. The conference is mainly to respond to Chinas "the Belt and Road" initiative and actively promote cooperation with relevant countries along the line. CAUPD actively invited "Urban Unit" peers to jointly focus on smart cities and carry out exchanges and discussions around relevant cases of the two countries.
Fang Yu, Director of the Shenzhen Branch of CAUPD, pointed out in his speech that for many years, China and Pakistan have maintained a brotherly traditional friendship and achieved a series of fruitful results in bilateral cooperation in multiple industries and fields, including urban and rural planning and construction. The planning, construction, and research trends of the CAUPD and Urban Unit are worthy of high attention from both institutions. The two sides have reached relevant consensus on the global city conference under the "the Belt and Road" initiative organized by Shenzhen Branch in 2021. CAUPD is willing to continue to cooperate with "Urban Unit" in terms of relevant research and exchange platforms, and continue to carry out a series of thematic seminars.
Aman Kedwaii, Chief Operating Officer of Urban Units urban department, emphasized in his speech that cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of urban planning can effectively assist the Pakistani side in formulating new strategies and strategies, and continue to learn from Chinas relevant experience in urban planning, such as in GIS, artificial intelligence, and other fields. The Pakistani side looks forward to further promoting cooperation between the two sides through this exchange.
At the symposium, Abid Hussainy, the General Manager of the Environmental and Social Security Department of Urban Unit, and Urooj Saeed, a senior expert, conducted academic discussions on the topic of smart cities, focusing on topics such as "modeling of hot spots in Lahore environmental air quality and heat wave management planning" and "comprehensive methods for developing a comprehensive index of urban livability - achieving urban sustainability"; Director Xu Hui, Academician Studio of CAUPD and Researcher Sun Wenyong, Director of the Greater Bay Area Digital Center of Shenzhen Branch of CAUPD, delivered exchange speeches on the topics of "Shanghai Application Index to Promote the Quality of Urban Living Environment - Chinas Urban Physical Examination Experience" and "Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Digital Platform.
Participants from both sides had a free discussion on relevant issues and experiences in smart cities, with a focus on exploring the next step of cooperation plans and forms. Zhang Gaopan, Deputy Director of the Operation and Management Department of CAUPD, proposed specific ideas for the subsequent cooperation between China and Pakistan institutions in response to relevant regulatory requirements for international cooperation. Gao Han, the foreign affairs specialist of the Operation and Management Department of CAUPD, and Fan Mingjie, He Jing, and others from the Shenzhen branch jointly attended this meeting.
Finally, the host, LYU Xiaobei pointed out in her concluding remarks that China and Pakistan are both countries with significant influence in global urban construction and urbanization, and "cities make life better" is the common goal of both parties. Through this academic syumposium, China and Pakistan have identified areas and directions for cooperation on topics such as urban safety, inclusivity, sustainable development, and livable cities. Both sides have reached a consensus to expand the breadth and depth of cooperation in the future, integrate resources with each other, and propose more intelligent solutions for global urbanization.
