XJTLU to support Taihu New City’s development

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is set to support the ongoing development of a city area in Suzhou’s Wujiang district.

A collaborative agreement between XJTLU and Taihu New City will see the creation of a research institute that will use the University’s international expertise and research strength in urban strategic planning and architectural design.

The XJTLU-Wujiang Taihu Research Institute will focus on developing Taihu New City’s brand internationally, promoting tourism, and integrating its urban and ecological development.

Senior members from XJTLU visited Taihu New City to sign the agreement, including Executive President Professor Youmin Xi, Vice President Dr Yimin Ding, Professor Dechang Xu, Head of the Research and Graduate Studies Office, and Dr Yixin Zhang, Director of the Research Institute of Urbanisation.

Representatives from Taihu New City included Weihua Jin, Director of the area’s Management Committee, and Ming Jin, Chairman and Minister of Wujiang Standing Committee.

Located within Suzhou’s Wujiang district, Taihu New City is a core part of Suzhou’s urban plan. Home to more than 200,000 residents the area has two districts and a tourism resort. The relationship between Wujiang Taihu and XJTLU is long-standing with the University’s Research Institute of Urbanisation involved in a number of projects with funding support from Wujiang government. The projects take advantage of some of XJTLU’s key research strengths and focus on topics including environmental science and innovation, social and community management, data science research, urban strategic planning and architecture design, smart and green cities, ageing societies and cities, sustainability and innovation, and new ecological building materials.

Last year, a group of urban planning and design students visited the area to learn more about its planning strategies.