From July 3 to 6, the 19th Annual Conference of the International Association for China Planning (IACP) took place in Xiamen, co-hosted by Xiamen University. Under the theme "Culture, Resilience, and Inclusion: Envisioning New Opportunities for Planning", the conference explored how cities can achieve sustainable development and social harmony through inclusive and resilient planning and governance amid cultural diversity.

A delegation of nearly 20 faculty and students from the College of Landscape Architecture attended the conference and delivered presentations across multiple sessions.

On July 3, Professor Li Chi, Director of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning, joined over 50 deans and department heads from China and abroad in the Dean's Forum at Xiamen University. The forum featured in-depth discussions on new trends and opportunities in urban-rural planning education.

The conference included 84 parallel sessions. Associate Professor Qian Yun served as chair of the "Historical Preservation and Adaptive Reuse" session. Four faculty members—Prof. Li Chi, Prof. Wang Siyuan, Assoc. Prof. Qian Yun, and Assoc. Prof. Wang Boya, along with 8 graduate students and 7 undergraduates presented in 8 sessions covering topics such as “Historical Preservation and Adaptive Reuse, "Disaster Risk and Resilience", "Heritage and preservation", "Public Space and Social Networks", "Urban Physical Planning", "Emerging Technologies in Open Space Studies", and "Urban Governance 2".

As a leading international conference in urban and rural planning, the IACP annual meeting provides an important platform for academic and professional exchange. Through in-depth discussions on China’s urban development issues, the delegation broadened their international perspectives and gained valuable feedback from global scholars, inspiring further innovation in their research. This experience also demonstrated the strong academic capabilities of BFU students and enhanced the international visibility of the university's urban and rural planning programs.

Written by Qian Yun, Zhao Yaqi
Translated and edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang