TADI Chief Architect ZHU Tielin Invited to Speak at CASD Urban Design Branch Forum on “Innovation Empowerment · Connotation Enhancement”

   Recently, the 4th Council Meeting (First Term) of the Urban Design Branch of the China Association of Survey and Design (CASD), together with the themed exchange forum titled “Innovation Empowerment · Connotation Enhancement—Refined Urban Design under High-Quality Development,” was held in Beijing. The event was organized by the CASD Urban Design Branch and hosted by Tsinghua University Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., under the guidance of CASD. The conference aimed to promote urban design toward higher quality and greater refinement, while strengthening professional exchange and collaboration among member organizations. More than 100 participants attended, including CASD and branch leadership, well-known experts and scholars, council members, representatives of member organizations, and invited guests.

   ZHU Tielin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Architect of Tianjin Architecture Design Institute Co., Ltd. (TADI), attended by invitation and joined the panel discussion in his capacity as Vice Chair of the CASD Urban Design Branch. During the dialogue session, Mr. ZHU Tielin engaged in in-depth discussion with Wang Binbo, LU Jia, CHEN Zhenyu, CHEN Yuezhong, and HOU Zhaohui around the theme: “Governance Innovation and Collaborative Design: Implementation Safeguards and Public Participation Mechanisms for Refined Urban Design.” Drawing on their professional practices, the six experts explored the development of cross-disciplinary collaboration platforms and shared approaches to incorporating public insight into design decision-making, supporting the advancement of refined urban design in practice. At the forum, WANG Ziniu, Vice Chairman of CASD, emphasized that on the new journey ahead, the Urban Design Branch and the broader survey and design sector will continue to adopt a more open perspective, a more pragmatic working style, and more innovative thinking—actively exploring new theories, practices, and pathways for urban design. These efforts will provide strong support for building modern, people-centered cities and advancing the goals of livable, resilient, and smart cities.

   LIU Yulong, Chairman and Chief Architect of Tsinghua University Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., noted that China’s urban development is undergoing a profound transformation—from large-scale incremental expansion to quality enhancement of existing urban stock. This shift sets higher standards and more stringent requirements for urban design, while also creating broad opportunities for innovation. He noted that the conference theme was timely and expressed hope that the exchange would further build industry consensus and help shape a refined urban design pathway driven by innovation and focused on connotation enhancement.

   WANG Jianguo, Chair of the CASD Urban Design Branch and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, highlighted that urban design is a key driver of high-quality development in human settlements. He stated that the Branch will work with the Association and its member organizations to transform challenges into momentum, strengthen the industry’s core competitiveness, and contribute to a new chapter of innovative development in urban design.