Announcing the Establishment of the Tsinghua Urban Institute

The establishment of the Tsinghua Urban Institute, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Tsinghua University, was announced at Tsinghua University on November 20th. The Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Menghui Wang and the Chairperson of the University Council Chen Xu attended the ceremony to open the institute.

In her speech, Chen Xu said that Tsinghua University always gave a high priority to the study of urban issues and the construction of related systems that could serve the national long-term strategic development. She pointed out that the establishment of the Tsinghua Urban Institute, with the mutual support of the Ministry of Education, was an important step toward meeting the needs for high-quality development in Chinese cities. She looked forward to the nurturing of a new generation of urban management talents in the Institute with deep understanding of the challenges facing urban development in China, including planning, housing, ecology, environment, transportation, economy, and public security, and the ability to identify and apply novel strategies and solutions with unique Chinese characteristics. Ms Chen anticipated that the Tsinghua Urban Institute would harness the benefits of the multidisciplinary environment offered by the University and cooperating partners, using this platform to promote cross-disciplinary research and innovation, strive for social support, and establish a new brand in urban development policy that would broadcast Chinese voices and tell good Chinese stories in the world.

Minister Wang explained the intent behind the establishment of the Tsinghua Urban Institute: to implement new concepts and strategies within the "respect the rules, and the five co-ordinations" requirements for urban development put forward by President Xi Jinping at the Central Urban Work Conference. He hoped that the Tsinghua Urban Institute would become a think-tank that combined theoretical research with practical innovation and mobilized the collective wisdom of experts from around the world in building a new urban science discipline in China. He envisioned the creation of urban theories that suited the national condition, thus guiding the development of harmonious, livable, and dynamic cities with unique Chinese characteristics. He pledged to help build the Institute into a comprehensive platform for theoretical and practical innovation that would cultivate scholars with open minds and inclusive perspectives, and affirmed the full support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development as the Tsinghua Urban Institute developed.

At the ceremony, an advisory committee was also established. This committee comprises 18 eminent members, including Chen Qingtai, Xu Guanhua, Wu Jinglian and Gao Shiji. Minister Wang and  Chen Xu each issued letters of appointment for the members of the advisory committee in attendance at the ceremony. The Director of the advisory committee, the former Deputy Director General of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Chen Qingtai, spoke on behalf of the advisory committee. He anticipated that the Tsinghua Urban Institute would contribute to forward-looking, systematic, and scientific strategies for long-term urban development and management, with deep respect for history and culture.

The ceremony was chaired by Peng Gong, Chair of the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University and President of the Tsinghua Urban Institute. Huang Yan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Chang Qing, the Director of the General Office, and Gao Shiji, the Director of the Institute of Resources and Environment of the Development Research Center of the State Council, joined other members of the advisory committee. Xiang Botao, Deputy Director of the University Council, Su Jun, Director of the Think-tank Center, and leaders and representatives of the Institute for China Sustainable Urbanization, the Schools of Civil Engineering, Architecture, Public Administration, Continuing Education, the Tsinghua Urban Institute, and the Department of Earth System Science attended the ceremony.

The Tsinghua Urban Institute, Tsinghua University, may be referred to in short as the Urban Institute, with the English abbreviation TUI. The Institute was founded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Tsinghua University. Minister Wang Menghui serves as the chair of the steering committee of the Tsinghua Urban Institute. Chen Xu and Huang Yan serve as the deputy chairs of the steering committee. The Tsinghua Urban Institute is led by the Department of Earth System Science of Tsinghua University in cooperation with other relevant research units on campus, including the Schools of Social Sciences, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Economics and Management, and Public Administration.