[2016/06/29]

Since 18th CPC National Congress, CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jin-Ping as the core, has paid high attention on urban and rural planning, and continuously held central urbanization conference and central city work conference, during which announcing important instructions on the new era of urban planning and management. In order to meet the needs to train interdisciplinary talents with urban and rural planning and management abilities, and to promote the integration and development of urban and rural development planning discipline and public administration discipline, the "Urban and Rural Planning and Public Administration Discipline Integrated Development Seminar" was launched and held by SPAP of Renmin University of China AND co-hosted by Urban Planning Society of China, National College Steering Committee for Urban Planning Discipline, and Public Administration Discipline Teaching Guidance Committee. The Seminar was held on the morning of June 26th.

The Opening session was chaired by Professor Yang Kai-Feng, Dean of School of Public Administration and Policy of Renmin University of China. Professor Liu Wei, President of Renmin University of China, Huang Yan, Vice Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction, Professor Xue Lan of Tsinghua University, who is the convener of management discipline review group in degree office, Professor Shi Nan, vice chairman and general secretary of Chinese urban planning society gave speech respectively. First, professor Liu Wei expressed his welcome to attending guests on the behalf of Renmin University of China, demonstrated the significance to hold Urban and Rural Planning and Public Administration Discipline Integrated Development Seminar in a critical period of current Chinese urban and rural transformation and development in economy and society, and expressed his wishes of success for the meeting. During the speech of Vice Minister Huang Yan, she pointed out that China's current urban issues are complex, traditional engineering based techniques only could not meet the objective needs of the current urban development, and the effective action is required to promote the urban planning to transform to public policy. Therefore, the university should first straighten out the relationship between the disciplines, to build disciplinary system and talents training system complied to China's urban development needs, in order to lay a solid foundation for the sustained and healthy development of China's cities in the future.

The first half of seminar was chaired by Professor Xue Lan. Ye Yu-Min, Professor of SPAP of Renmin University of China first introduced the history and current situation of urban and rural planning and public administration disciplines, the importance of merging the two disciplines, summed up the efforts and achievements of SPAP of Renmin University of China in promoting the integration of the two disciplines, and proposed discipline integrated development under the new situation. Professor Zhang Ting-Wei from University of Illinois at Chicago, United States introduced the development of the US urban planning discipline, and made recommendations on integrated development of two disciplines of China. Zhou De-Ci, Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, introduced the history of Chinese urban planning and development, combined with his personal experience to emphasize the importance and practical significance of integration of urban and rural planning and public administration. Professor Shi Nan, associate director of Urban planning society, Professor Zhou Jie, associate dean of urban design school of Wuhan University, Professor Jiang Xiao-Ping, dean of public administration school of Sichuan University respectively gave speeches on transformation process of Chinese and western urban planning, the importance of urban planning in national government and the relationship between urban and rural planning and public administration to demonstrate the significance of discipline integration.

The second half was chaired by Professor Shi Nan. Professor Cui Gong-Hao, architecture and urban planning school of Nanjing University; professor Yu Jian-Xing, dean of public administration school of Zhejiang University; He Zhifang, director of personnel division of Housing and Urban-Rural Development ministry; professor Lu Jun, associate dean of government administration school of Peking university; professor Lv Bin, urban and environment school of Peking University; professor Shi Wei-Liang, director of Beijing planning and design institute; professor Wu Ting-Hai, architecture school of Tsinghua University; professor Zhao Wan-Min, architecture and urban planning school of Chongqing University; professor Tang Zi-Lai of Tongji University, director of steering committee of national college urban-rural planning discipline; and professor Dong Ke-Yong of Renmin University, deputy director of national college public management discipline, gave speeches respectively, and future demonstrated their opinions on necessity, urgency and specific path of integration of urban-rural planning and public administration.

Finally, vice minister Huang Yan gave a summary to the seminar. She noted that urban planning industry should follow the basic spirit of the central urban work conference, strengthen discipline integration, reform discipline setting and talent training system, and ultimately achieve the co-ordination of planning, construction and management, in order for urban planning discipline to make new and greater contributions to great rejuvenation of the Chinese dream.