For the Ideal Homeland

ZHOU LIN

YANG Wei is a woman who wears many hats. Aninternationally renowned town planner and urbandesigner， she is held in high esteem in the academicand planning communities in the U.K. and is a fellowof the U.K. Academy of Social Sciences and formerpresident of the Royal Town Planning Institute （RTPI） based in London. She is also chief executive and co-founder of theDigital Task Force for Planning （DTFP）， a non-profit socialenterprise， and founding director of London-based planningand urban design firm Wei Yang & Partners.

In 2021， Yang made history when she was selected as theRTPI president， becoming its first non-white head. Duringher tenure， she focused on modernizing the planning profession，particularly addressing global challenges such as climatechange， biodiversity decline， and the widening wealthinequality. “Spatial planning is crucial for addressing manyof the grand challenges we face today，” she told China Today .“However， the profession itself requires a systemic change toaddress these challenges.”

Cross-Cultural Collaborations

The role Yang values most is being a good urban planner.She sees planning as not merely a technical endeavor but ahighly sophisticated discipline that blends science and art.“It bridges social， environmental， and behavioral sciences，emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration to embrace scientificadvancements while gaining moral recognition from society，” she said.

Her various positions have enabledher to learn from different professionsand gain a broader perspective. Each ofthese roles contributed uniquely to herunderstanding and capabilities as a planner.For instance， her involvement withthe Academy of Social Sciences helps herintegrate social science insights into planning practices;leading the RTPI in 2021 enabled her to steer the professiontowards innovation and sustainability; and the DTFP integratescutting-edge innovation in spatial planning to makeintelligent decisions for the public good. She is also a boardmember of the British Library， which helps her to supportthe wider cultural sector by promoting knowledge sharingand cultural exchange to break barriers.

“Our team is adept at communicating with differentcultures and professional neighborhoods， linking the past，present， and future of the city. We are also supporting openmindedgovernments， homeowners， and communities tomake well-informed decisions， so as to create places forthe future generations through first-class design， where theeconomy is active， society harmonious， and environmentbeautiful，” she said.

21st-Century Garden Cities

Yang is an admirer and follower of Ebenezer Howard（1850-1928）， founder of the English garden-city movement，which has influenced urban planning throughout the world.She has been especially influenced by his 1898 book， Tomorrow：A Peaceful Path to Real Reform， which envisionsa utopian city where people live in harmony with nature.Howards garden city principles aim for a planned settlementcombining the benefits of urban and rural environmentswhile minimizing their disadvantages. These citiesare self-contained communities surrounded by open countryside，with balanced areas for residences， industry， andagriculture. The ultimate aim is to provide a high-qualitylife through ample green space， efficient infrastructure， anddiverse social and economic opportunities.

Yangs 21st century garden city approach is also inspiredby the harmonious balance theory of traditional Chinesemedicine. Her aim is to prioritize nature as the foundationfor sustainable development by integrating various elementssuch as landscape ecology， historical and culturalheritage， socio-economic development， low-carbon transportation，and green and smart technology. In 2014， she took part in the competition for theWolfson Eonomics Prize， which isthe second largest economics prize inthe world after the Nobel Prize. Thecontestants had to plan a garden citythat would be visionary， economicallyviable and popular. And Yang'steam was one of the five shortlistedfor a “finalist” award.

In her work， Yang envisions cities， towns， and villages asvital organs within the earths interconnected ecosystem.Protecting the environment， inspiring communities， redefiningland use， and stimulating social and economic activitiesare seen as integral components of the planning process. Inaddition， by integrating intelligent technology and addressingclimate change， feasible and innovative solutions formodern garden cities are created. Throughout her career，Yang has been promoting multidisciplinary collaborationsby drawing on diverse expertise， fostering creativity， andmaintaining a shared commitment to sustainability. “Ouraward-winning projects have demonstrated the potential ofinterdisciplinary collaboration to create a happy and healthyenvironment for everyone，” she said.

Her passion for 21st century garden cities has been adriving force throughout her career. As she researches，promotes， and implements innovative garden cities， they underscore the essential qualities that plannersshould possess： compassion， selflessness，and creativity. With that vision， Yangfounded Wei Yang & Partners in 2011 to havethe freedom to implement her design andplanning philosophies.

Revitalizing Cultural Heritage in Urban Planning

After undertaking dozens of projects inEurope and across the globe， Yang turnedto building garden cities in China. Wei Yang& Partners was chosen as the lead implementer of the U.K.-China Green and Low-carbon Small Town Pilot Project， whichwas jointly funded by the Chinese government and the BritishForeign， Commonwealth & Development Office. The projectsupported Chinas target of developing 1，000 small towns withlocal characters and a focus on sustainability.

One of the projects by Wei Yang & Partners in this collaborationwas located in Suining， a county in Xuzhou Cityof Jiangsu Province， east China. Historically， Suining was ina strategic location watered by the Yellow River， one of thecradles of ancient Chinese civilization. However， the course ofthe river changed and the Suining section was left abandonedfor over 800 years. Now， it is known as the “Historical YellowRiver Corridor.” The corridors economic and social developmentlagged behind its peer cities and became a focus duringthe rural reform drive in China.

In early 2014， the government issued several guidelines on deepening rural reform and acceleratingagricultural modernization to advanceurban-rural integration. The Suiningproject was started in responseto the urban-rural integration policy.Yang and her team incorporatedthe 21st century garden city principlesin the Suining project， blendingthe U.K.s experience in buildinglow-carbon small towns with Chinaslocal knowledge of urbanization. Theproject transformed Suining， balancing growth amidst ruralurbanpopulation migration while revitalizing the HistoricalYellow River Corridor to promote biodiversity and mitigateclimate change.

For this U.K.-China pilot project， Yang says she emphasizedlow cost and localized solutions based on Chinesesocietal needs for sustainability. Ten years since its inception，the project has been recognized as a successful exampleof urban-rural integrated development， and praisedfor its groundbreaking approach and fruitful U.K.-Chinacollaboration. The transformative outcomes have a positiveimpact on local communities， the economy， and theenvironment.

Yangs team also presents local governments with technicaladvice. Their Technical Mannual for Green & Low-CarbonDevelopment of Small Towns in China lists key technologiesand professional technical support for small towns in urbanplanning， clean and renewable energy production and application，sewage and garbage treatment， and historical andcultural protection and inheritance.

Yang calls the relationship between urban planning andcultural heritage preservation symbiotic， as both contributeto the identity， vibrancy， and sustainability of cities. Innovativecultural heritage preservation plays a pivotal role in urbanplanning on the journey towards a zero-carbon and more inclusivesociety. It also helps preserve as well as create distinctivecultural assets for future generations.

To revitalize tangible and intangible cultural heritage incity planning for the future， it is essential to engage localcommunities. This can be achieved through participatoryplanning that involves residents， cultural experts， and stakeholdersin decision-making. “By valuing and integrating communityknowledge， traditions， and values into urban developmentstrategies， cities can ensure that cultural heritage is notonly preserved but also celebrated and utilized as a driver forsustainable development，” she said.