7 January 2019, Wuhan - The strong three-year partnership of UN-Habitat with several institutions in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei Province, culminated with the 2018 International Placemaking Week, from 6 to 13 December. Nearly 500 participants from 41 countries explored how to improve urban public spaces and how to ensure that all people can not only enjoy, but also co-create and co-manage public spaces to their fullest needs and aspirations in China’s still growing cities.
Under the theme “Shaping Better Public Spaces. Remaking Places; Transforming Cities”, the Wuhan Municipal Government and UN-Habitat hosted this weeklong, multi-partner event series, at 5 different locations in the city. At the plenary session on 11 December, at the Wuhan Conference Center, Vice-Mayor Wang Xiangwang welcomed all delegates and keynote speakers. The Director of the Wuhan Land Resources and Planning Bureau, Mr. Sheng Hongtao, proclaimed the Wuhan Declaration – seven commitments to promote placemaking in China, and beyond. The leaders of the participating organisations also launched the China Placemaking Network. Students who had participated in the Guibei Area international student planning competition were awarded.
Elsewhere in the city, the Wuhan Planning and Design Institute (WPDI) and ISOCARP, the global planners association, hosted a planning charrette and a forum on placemaking for waterfronts. The Wuhan Land Use and Spatial Planning Research Center (WLSP) and the Project for Public Space (PPS, New York) explored placemaking in historical streets and heritage areas. And Wuhan University as well as Huazhong University for Science and Technology invited students and speakers from China and abroad to their respective campuses, on the issues of healthy communities and placemaking for communities.
In the strong collaborative spirit, the Wuhan Placemaking Week was communicated on diverse social media in China (2018国际(武汉)场所营造周) and abroad (#PlacemakingWeekWuhan) by the various partners. PPS has been covering much of the international communication at placemakingweek/wuhan.org and will also ensure that the many studies and presentations will remain available for all who care about better public spaces. Read more about “Placemaking Takes Root in China” here.