China has been experiencing a rapid process of economic growth and urbanization. By 2011, over half of its population were living in cities. The basic driving force of urbanization is originated from people’s pursuit for a better life. They come and settle down in cities to look for more job opportunities, more convenient living facilities and more efficient social services.
Yet rapid urbanization, while witnessing growing urban economy, upgrading consumption level and improving material life, has also been accompanied by many problems such as environmental pollution, traffic congestion, infrastructure shortage, lack of housing, insufficient services and social inequity. These problems have been imposing serious and negative impact on quality of life in the cities.
There used to or even still now have an excessive emphasis on quantity and scale, rather than quality and content, of urban development in China's cities for accommodating rapid economic growth and urbanization. But the progress and development of the times requires our cities to have a paradigm shift from focusing on “economic growth” to balancing “social development”, with more emphasis on improving quality of life in order to develop more sustainable and livable cities.
Therefore, the Academic Committee of Foreign Studies in Urban Planning (ACoFSUP) and the Journal of Urban Planning International (UPI), will organize their annual conference in Hangzhou on December 2-4 of 2012. The theme of the conference is “Urban Planning and Quality of Life”. We would like to invite experts, scholars and college students from home and abroad to meet at Zhijiang Hotel in Hangzhou to dialogue on what kind of quality of life that cities should pursue and how to utilize the instrument of urban planning to improve it.
We are now calling for papers. Your contribution is sincerely welcomed. The full paper are due on August 20, 2012.
Time:: November 2-4, 2012
Venue: Zhijiang Hotel, Hangzhou
Theme: Urban Planning and Quality of Life
Related Topics：
Harmonious urban society and livelihood-oriented urban policy
Efficient public services and inclusive urban governance
Sufficient job opportunities and equal social welfare
Livable urban environment and convenient urban facilities
Well-protected historical heritage and diversified cultural life
Organizers: Academic Committee of Foreign Studies in Urban Planning, the Journal of Urban Planning International, Hangzhou Municipal Government
Hosts：China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Hangzhou Urban Planning Bureau
Contact: WU Yanjie, GAO Han, XIE Yongqing