Spanish, Chinese architects explore smart, cultural, sustainable urban development

People attend the China-Spain Dialogue on Urban Planning and Cultural Development in Madrid, Spain, on June 28, 2024. Spanish and Chinese architects and officials convened in Madrid on Friday for the China-Spain Dialogue on Urban Planning and Cultural Development, exploring innovative approaches to integrate urban planning, cultural heritage and sustainable development. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

MADRID, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Spanish and Chinese architects and officials convened in Madrid on Friday for the China-Spain Dialogue on Urban Planning and Cultural Development, exploring innovative approaches to integrate urban planning, cultural heritage and sustainable development.

Innovation played a crucial role in enhancing city services and leveraging technology for the benefit of people, Maria Reyes Maroto, former Spanish minister of industry, commerce and tourism told Xinhua at the forum. "Through collaboration with Chinese companies, we have much to learn," she added.

She emphasized that technology can facilitate mobility for people with disabilities and enhance emergency services to reach those in need: "This requires a digitalized city to make use of technology more effectively."

Maroto, now a councilor at the Madrid City Council, also highlighted electromobility, expressing her hope for more investment from Chinese companies in Spain, particularly in electrification and broader smart city initiatives.

At the event, Liu Shilin, head of the Institute of Urban Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, detailed Shanghai's transformation process of urban renewal and cultural revitalization. Over the past decade, areas along the Suzhou River and other parts of the Huangpu River have evolved from a "rusty industrial strip" and a "decayed old neighborhood" to a "scenic life strip" and an "innovation space."

Meanwhile, Spanish architect Maria Rosa Cervera underscored the influence of natural forms like rose petals, water lilies and tree trunks on architectural design.

Stressing that Chinese civilization has long stressed harmony between humans and nature, a concept she believes is particularly relevant today, Cervera expressed her hope that urban planning can integrate more designs inspired by the natural environment, such as creating forest parks, urban green corridors, orchards and utilizing roofs and facades of buildings for planting vegetation.

According to Spanish architect and university professor of architecture Jose Luis Esteban, the concept of "mutual learning" between cities in Spain and China has significantly evolved over the years.

Spain offers a framework based on historical evolution that enables cities to be planned with a balance of past heritage and future aspirations while China offers new opportunities to think on a large territorial and urban scale, he added.

The professor emphasized that in this planning approach, there is a return to recovering architecture from the perspective of nature and the inner experience of human beings, reconceiving cities based on human perception rather than merely constructing spectacular buildings.

Zhang Yingle, a professor at Southeast University's Department of Architecture and visiting professor at the Technical University of Berlin's Faculty of Architecture, highlighted that the revitalization of urban historic neighborhoods is now a key focus of China's urban renewal efforts.

He emphasized that these historic areas are no longer seen merely as relics to be preserved but as an integral part of the cultural, social and economic development of modern cities. 

Maria Reyes Maroto, councilor at the Madrid City Council, speaks at the China-Spain Dialogue on Urban Planning and Cultural Development in Madrid, Spain, on June 28, 2024. Spanish and Chinese architects and officials convened in Madrid on Friday for the China-Spain Dialogue on Urban Planning and Cultural Development, exploring innovative approaches to integrate urban planning, cultural heritage and sustainable development. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)