IKCEST and Tongji University jointly organized an international training workshop, Innovative Training on Smart City and Big Data in Urban Planning, in Shanghai from October 9 to 13, 2018. Wu Zhiqiang, CAE Member and Vice President of Tongji University, Liu Chang, Director of Division of International Cooperation of the IKCEST, and Liu Shuyan, President of the International School of Tongji University, attended the opening ceremony and gave speeches. The training workshop was attended by 24 overseas students from 18 countries including Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil and Finland.

In his speech, Wu Zhiqiang observed that the history of cities is a history of the progress of human civilization, which has lasted for over 8,000 years,while cities today are still less than intelligent. China has included intelligent city development in its latest five-year plan and launched many intelligent city pilot programmes across the country in an effort to explore the application of intelligent technologies in urban development. He expressed the hope that the trainees should draw upon the experience and lessons of China’s intelligent city initiatives as well as practices in other parts of the world to promote intelligent city development.

In her speech, Liu Chang extended welcome to the trainees and briefed them on the background, founding philosophy and progress of the IKCEST. She hoped that the trainees should make good use of the training to improve their knowledge structure and build up their abilities in related fields.

In her speech, Liu Shuyan introduced Tongji University as a leading university in urban planning with an outstanding teaching faculty and strong researching force and hoped that the trainees benefit from the training.  

After the opening ceremony, the trainees each gave a self-introduction to increase mutual familiarity, which laid a solid foundation for the smooth progression of the training workshop.

The training workshop adopted an innovative model which combined classroom teaching, off-class discussion and field visits. Cao Buyang, Professor at Tongji University, Pan Qisheng, Professor at Texas Southern University, and Zhou Xingang, lecturer at Tongji University, gave classes on subjects including City IQ evaluation system and applications, urban planning of the future, big data and smart city, and application of big data in urban planning.

During off-class discussions, the trainees were divided into three-member groups to discuss smart city evaluation with reference to related practices in their hometown and put forward many insightful views. Teaching assistants had lively face-to-face discussions with the trainees and offered good suggestions and methods for topic selection.

After three days’ intense learning, the trainees completed all their tasks and passed the graduation exam before being conferred their graduation certificates by the IKCEST and Tongji University.

In addition, the trainees toured Jiading New City in Shanghai and its urban planning hall and made a comparative analysis of Jiading new city and old city; had a study tour on the history, roles and future development of Shanghai’s satellite cities; and toured Expo Park and China Art Museum in Pudong New Area in Shanghai for an understanding of the park’s design and construction.

The training workshop put the focus on the publicity and application of the IKCEST platform, the combination of classroom learning and practice activities, and interaction and communication between Chinese and international trainees. The trainees gave thanks to their teachers for the brilliant classes and said that they would apply what they learned to their future study and work and explore new methods for the development of even smarter cities.