On March 22, 2014, the "Flowing Ecology" International Forum on Urban Waterfront Landscapes kicked off at Tongji University, inviting designers, experts, and scholars from the UK, USA, Australia, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, among other countries and cities, as keynote speakers and high-level dialogue guests. More than 300 leaders, developers, designers, experts, scholars, and students from government, real estate companies, design firms, and academic institutions attended the forum. The forum was co-organized by First Landscape, Landscape Record magazine, Archina Architecture China, and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University, with the theme "Urban Waterfront Landscapes—Flowing Ecology," aiming to deconstruct the history and development of landscapes in urban waterfront spaces using sustainable concepts.

Group photo of guests

Zhou Xiangpin, Deputy Head, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Tongji University, and Wu Lei, Editor-in-Chief of Landscape Record and CEO of Architecture China Media Co., Ltd., delivered speeches on behalf of the organizers. Shen Tongsheng, Executive Director of Landscape for AECOM Greater China; Lin Hao, Project Director of ATKINS UK; Chris Razzell, Founder and Director of ASPECT Studios (Australia); and Du Yun, General Manager of BLVD Architectural Consultants Co., Ltd., were invited to attend the forum and delivered excellent keynote speeches around "Ecology, City, Human Settlement, Design."

Zhou Xiangpin, Deputy Head, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University


Wu Lei, Editor-in-Chief of Landscape Record and CEO of Architecture China Media Co., Ltd.


Shen Tongsheng, Executive Director of Landscape, AECOM Greater China
Speech topic: "Waterfront Landscape and Urban Development"


Lin Hao, Project Director, ATKINS UK
Speech topic: "Challenges in China's Urban Transformation—Case Study of Nanjing Riverside Scenic Belt Project (Venue of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games 2014)"


Chris Razzell, Founder and Director of ASPECT Studios (Australia)
Speech topic: "Reinvigorating Waterfront Public Spaces"


Du Yun, General Manager of BLVD Architectural Consultants Co., Ltd.
Speech topic: "Composite Creation of Waterfront Landscapes in Small and Medium-sized Cities"

From the relationship between water and cities to waterfront landscapes in cities on the Loess Plateau, from water restoration in East London to ecological wetlands in fourth- and fifth-tier Chinese cities, from Nanjing's 58-kilometer riverside scenic belt to Australia's waterfront ecological spaces and Sydney's riverside parks, from Suining's waterfront spaces and wetland parks in Sichuan to various county-level riverside belts—the guests shared vivid case studies with attendees, covering technology, concepts, design, and more. The blend of ideas and experience kept the audience fully engaged, oblivious to the passage of time.

 

In the high-level dialogue, Zhou Xiangpin, Deputy Head, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Tongji University, served as the special moderator and engaged in in-depth discussions with Zhou Yongzhong, Chairman of Shenzhen Dongda Landscape Design Co., Ltd.; Yu Zhiyuan, President and Director of Donglian Design Group; Zhang Songhao, Project Director of Shuishui International Landscape Design Co.; and Dai Liang, Project Director of Aoya Design Group:
 

· The ecological environment, natural vegetation, material combinations, and application of ecological technologies in waterfront landscapes;
· Cultural heritage, historical preservation and development, economic benefits, and social benefits of waterfront cities;
· Waterfront landscapes and human life, and near-natural urban waterfront landscape planning and design;
· Design concepts, design elements, and design methods of waterfront landscapes, including urban planning and spatial design.

Zhou Yongzhong, Chairman of Shenzhen Dongda Landscape Design Co., Ltd.


Yu Zhiyuan, President and Director of Donglian Design Group


Zhang Songhao, Project Director of Shuishui International Landscape Design Co.


Dai Liang, Project Director of Aoya Design Group

During the Q&A interaction, the collision of viewpoints and opinions and the sharing of ideas and experiences brought the forum to a climax. This forum left a significant new chapter in leading and promoting the landscape industry toward a more innovative, technological, and humanistic future, becoming a milestone in the development of landscape forums.

First Landscape Network, under Architecture China Media Co., Ltd., and its operated magazine Landscape Record, have long been active in the landscape industry, hosting a variety of online and offline events. Following this forum, they will continue to offer the latest, fastest, and best series of forums for the landscape industry. Future themes will cover rehabilitation landscapes in senior living real estate, park design in residential communities, governance and restoration in urban renewal, commercial environment landscapes, integrated architectural landscapes, and landscapes of tourist resorts, among others.