PolyU holds Translational Research Forum on Sustainable Urban Development in the Greater Bay Area

The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) organised an international forum, titled "Translational Research Forum on Sustainable Urban Development in the Greater Bay Area" on 26 and 27 April 2019  for academics and researchers from different countries to explore latest research results and best practices of sustainable urban development especially for urban infrastructure development that takes smart city and mobility, smart construction, energy, environment, urban informatics, and urban hazard mitigation into account. The forum also identified challenging issues in the development of the Greater Bay Area with a view to achieving win-win cross-sector collaborations.

Officiating the opening of the Forum were Prof Philip C. H. Chan, Interim President of PolyU; Mr Jian-xiang JIANG, Deputy Director General, Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR; and Mr Ka-kui CHAN, SBS, JP, Chairman, Hong Kong Construction Industry Council. The Forum brought together renowned academicians, including three academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: Prof Cheng-hu ZHOU of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research; Prof Anthony YEH of The University of Hong Kong; and Prof Jin-guang TENG, PolyU President Designate.

"At PolyU, research on sustainable urban development has long been one of our top priorities. We are keen to leverage our research strengths in areas such as construction, energy, environment, smart city, urban informatics and urban hazards mitigation, to support the development of the GBA. With concerted efforts, we will be able to translate these results into practical use that can benefit the GBA sustainable development," said Professor Philip C. H. Chan in his welcome speech.

Three fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering delivered keynote speeches in the Forum. Prof David NETHERCOT, Emeritus Professor of Imperial College London, shared his insights on translation as a fundamental component of research, especially in the area of civil engineering. Prof Roger FALCONER, Emeritus Professor of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, talked about flood modelling and hazard risks for extreme events in urban environments, and the development and application of new formulae for the movement of vehicles and the stability of human beings in flood events. Prof Richard JARDINE of Imperial College London highlighted the industrial, social and environmental benefits generated from research with the engagement of industry on offshore foundations in the area of offshore geotechnical engineering. A typical example is the UK achieving costs around 50% lower than new nuclear power stations by having the world's largest installed offshore energy capacity and applying advances in foundation research. He urged the geotechnical engineers in the GBA and other ASEAN countries to engage with the new developments.

Among the local keynote speakers was Ir Sai-Hung LAM, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) of the Hong Kong Government, who enthused about the opportunities for the local construction industry in the GBA. He said that the GBA will foster huge investment demand and strong economic growth. The local construction industry could seize the opportunities by offering seamless professional services to other GBA cities. Separately, Mr Quanke Su, Chief Engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, shared the successful experience of the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge construction project, a sound case study for the collaborations in science and technology innovation among the cities in the GBA.

The Forum also included three parallel sessions in the afternoon with rich topics that covered environment, atmosphere & energy, smart city and mobility as well as smart construction.

Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of FCE, attributed the success of the forum to the concerted efforts of many honourable speakers, "Many thanks go to our presenters, especially the keynote speakers who came to share their work, experience and insight at the forum," said Prof. Xu.

Financially supported by the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund, the Forum had the staunch support of various professional organisations as well as local and mainland universities.

About 600 participants, including more than 30 government officials, over 200 industry professionals, and around 180 participants from the mainland, attended and have greatly benefited from the two-day Forum.

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