The Annual National Planning Conference –– the most influential and authoritative academic conference in China’s urban planning field –– kicks off in the city of Shenyang on Sept 24, Northeast China's Liaoning province, where about 1,000 experts and scholars gather to discuss hot topics such as industrial heritage conservation, living standards, and other related issues, and try to formulate solutions to urban planning problems, Xinhua reported on Sept 25.

Sponsored by the Urban Planning Society of China and the Shenyang government, this year, the three-day event focuses on China’s achievements and challenges in the field of urban planning during the past 60 years, and is expected to provide ideas for tackling current urban planning problems.

During the opening ceremony of the event, an awards ceremony was held to commend individuals, organizations and governmental bodies for their outstanding contributions to urban planning. The Shenyang government was granted a special honorary award for its work hosting the well-organized conference.

Aside from the meeting held on Sept 24, the event also includes a range of other themed activities.

Take the 51 branch meetings for example, during which, 232 outstanding papers on topics of urban planning management, urban planning education, and the most advanced urban planning research achievements, will be shared and discussed. Some of the research will be introduced at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Urban Sustainable Development to be held in October, in Ecuador.

It is hoped that the event will serve as a bridge for Chinese scholars and experts in urban planning to exchange ideas with their foreign peers, and eventually take advantage of the conference achievements to benefit people everywhere.

Experts and scholars in urban planning listen to speeches during the Annual National Planning Conference, held in Shenyang from Sept 24 to 26. [Photo/Xinhua]