Experts discuss urban growth in Shandong

Against the backdrop of global urban challenges, experts and officials from home and abroad have emphasized the crucial need for collective action and partnerships to promote urban sustainability and address related crises.

They made the remarks on Saturday at a celebratory event for World Cities Day in Weihai, Shandong province, under the theme of "Build People-Centered Cities for Better Life".

Initiated by the Chinese government in 2010, World Cities Day falls annually on Oct 31. The world started celebrating it in 2014, following its endorsement from the United Nations in 2013.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Weihai event, Anaclaudia Rossbach, executive director for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, also known as UN-Habitat, lauded the day as "a very crucial global platform from China to the world".

It is very important and strategic for knowledge exchange, and for exploring cooperation among cities worldwide, she said.

Noting formidable obstacles confronting the world in tackling climate change, alleviating poverty and addressing humanitarian crises, she emphasized the interconnected nature of these challenges with the global housing crisis.

"Nowadays, we have 1 billion people living in informal settlements, 2 billion people not accessing potable water," Rossbach said.

As houses are devastated in disasters and conflicts, she stressed that nations shouldn't have to handle these crises alone.

"We need to go collectively," she said.

Rossbach said she welcomes the UN partnership with China, as well as the partnership with Shandong and Weihai, to use the event to maximize wisdom and exchange, and share knowledge, expertise and experiences.

"We need to identify new paths for humanity to overcome the major crisis that we are facing right now," she continued.

Over the past few decades, China has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for sustainable development, Rossbach said.

"We are highly expecting to deepen broader cooperation with all levels of government and various stakeholders in China," she added.

Also attending the event, Ni Hong, China's minister of housing and urban-rural development, highlighted that the thriving development of cities profoundly influences the quality of life for more than 5 billion people globally, and emphasized that promoting urban sustainability is a shared responsibility of nations.

"As we look toward the future, aside from recognizing the tremendous achievements in city development, we should also be acutely aware of the various crises and challenges that urban development still faces, including resource scarcity, environmental pollution and extreme weather conditions," he said.

The minister put forward several proposals to tackle these challenges.

He called for the greater usage of cutting-edge information technologies such as big data, cloud computing and the internet of things to elevate urban intelligence and enhance the well-being of city dwellers.

More emphasis should also be placed on fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature through the advancement of green buildings and construction materials, along with the promotion of sustainable travel practices, he noted.

Zhu Yongxin, vice-chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, pledged unwavering dedication from China to enhance collaboration with global communities and organizations such as UN-Habitat.

China is undergoing the most extensive and swiftest urbanization phase in the history of humankind, and the nation is poised to actively contribute its wisdom and solutions to drive global sustainable urban development, he said.

The event in Weihai is co-hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, UN-Habitat and the Shandong government. Running from Saturday to Monday, it was expected to draw over 2,000 participants from more than 30 countries and regions.

Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn