Opportunity

For three experts from UK academic institutions to participate and present at a day-long architecture and urban regeneration seminar in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China.

As part of a drive to increase awareness of UK expertise in urban planning, architecture and smart city design amongst key stakeholders in Wuhan, and in turn to promote wider knowledge of the increasing number of opportunities in Wuhan, the British Consulate General (with the support of the British Council) is organising GREAT Cities Week: a series of thematic seminars and activities, with a focus on smart cities, sustainable transport, city planning, urban design and the linkage between culture and city development.

Great Cities Week will take place in Wuhan 20-25 March. It will comprise a series of events that will focus on issues linked to creating world-class cities. This is expected to include a mixture of seminars, speeches, an exhibition and business mission.

Benefits

Great Cities Week will include a coordinated series of seminars and professional networking events, presenting an opportunity for UK experts to meet and establish links with:

• policy makers and government officials responsible for city planning
• Chinese architects, academic peers and professionals representing some of the leading universities in Wuhan (a city with 80 universities in total)
• private sector developers with a responsibility for the city’s cultural quarters

This is a self-funded opportunity. However, the British Consulate General will provide logistical support (visa invitation letters) and will cover some of the meals relating to the events below, and during Great Cities Week.

Great Cities Week is an unprecedented opportunity to showcase UK expertise, pave the way for future UK-China collaboration, and further UK understanding of potential future opportunities in this rapidly developing, increasingly important city. In addition to the architecture and regeneration seminar, the other events taking place over the week include:

• A Great Cities Forum, with focus on the impact of city clusters, low carbon development; Smart cities and urbanization; 21st century challenges for cities: open discussion to share experience, learning and progressive policies.
• A City cluster research seminar, as part of an ongoing FCO sponsored project on urbanisation
• A Green cities forum, with focus on the design and integration of commuter-cycle paths and pedestrian-friendly streets into the fabric of cities. 

UK partner requirements

UK participants will be expected to cover the costs of their travel and any additional accommodation and incidental expenses outside of that provided as stated above.

Chinese partners

Chinese institutions will be expected to field experts and delegates with an interest in forging partnerships with UK counterparts; they will share the topics of their presentation.

Further background

Wuhan is currently undergoing a massive development drive with a new airport due to open in 2017 and two new subway lines planned to open each year for the next four years. The level and scale of development is unprecedented and opportunities for architects and urban designers abound. At the same time, Wuhan’s city government is grappling with how best to capitalise on some of the many distinctive features of the city: the rich cluster of heritage buildings in the former concession areas around the Yangtze river, the East Lake and other lakes around the city, and the 1.3 million students that contribute to the city’s vibrant atmosphere.