Chinese-German Conference on Urban Sustainability

Chinese-German Conference on Urban Sustainability

By Li Han

Staff Writer of the Tsinghua News Center

The Chinese-German Conference on Urban Sustainability: Green City Development Mechanisms on October 11 opened at the main building of Tsinghua University.

The conference, co-organized by Tsinghua University and Berlin University of Technology, will run through October 13. It features topics including impact of large events on urban future, historic city preservation and cultural identity, urban development strategies and infrastructure, and energy efficient architecture and resource saving building.

Besides the workshops, several other activities will also be held during the meeting period, such as the exhibition Berlin Sustainable City , the Science & Technology Forum The Challenge of Sustainability , and the joint student summer school Shougang .

Tsinghua President Gu Binglin had a talk with some representatives and experts prior to the conference, giving an outline of Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua Vice President Xie Weihe addressed the opening ceremony, saying that the conference will further promote the academic exchange between China and Germany.

Professor Johann K ppel, Vice President of Berlin University of Technology, reviewed the cooperation between Tsinghua and Berlin University of Technology.

Also attending the conference including Dr. Engelbert L tke Daldrup, Vice Minister, Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development, Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, CBE Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Volkmar Strauch, Senate Department for Economics, Labour and Women s Issues of Berlin, Prof. Rudolf Schafer, Dean, Faculty VI Architecture, Environment and Society, TU Berlin, Ms. Chen Xiaoli. Chief Planner, the Ministry of Construction, Prof. WU Liangyong, Member of CAS and Member of CAE, Tsinghua University, Prof. JIANG Yi, Member of CAE, Tsinghua University, and Prof. ZHU Wenyi, Dean, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University has enjoyed for many years a close cooperative relationship with Berlin University of Technology. The current conference is part of the content of a contract resigned between the two universities in 2004.

(Photo by Guo Haijun)