The 11^th annual conference of International Association for China Planning (IACP) was held in Harbin, China from 16 June, 2017 to 18 June. The theme this year is "Activating Space: Returning to Human-Centered Urban Planning and Design". IACP and Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) jointly hosted the conference. There were over 400 papers submitted, 58 concurrent forums, reports by about 300 scholars and around 100 poster presentations featuring a splendid occasion. MS&E Associate Professor Wang Hao was invited to attend the event.

     On 6 June, Associate Professor Wang Hao, as the Dean Assistant, attended the 5^th international deans’ forum of urban & rural planning where he listened to the reports by professional directors from universities all over the world and learned about the front issues of urban planning. Then on the morning of 18 June, he conducted an academic report named “A Planning Support Approach to Sustainable Land Redevelopment in Urban Renewal” in the forum of “Urban Regeneration and Social Change”. Taking Hong Kong as the example, the professor pointed out the urgent need to create new room for urban development through urban renewal, introduced the supporting approach to land redevelopment and re-planning based on GIS, and elaborated detailedly on the development and application of the approach based on the case of Hong Kong. After the report, he had in-depth exchanges and discussions with the scholars present who shared opinions and experience to each other.

     Founded in Washington, USA, in 2005, IACP is an independent non-profit organization consisting of international scholars, students and workers who are interested in China planning. It carries three missions: First, a bridge connected with other countries in the world as researchers and workers for urban planning in China; second, provide a platform for academic and professional exchanges; third, form a lively communication community that enjoys large numbers of support for its members. The theme of this conference take urban space, people and life in the urban space, as well as people orientation as its core goals. Urban space, as a research subject of multiple disciplines is the carrier for systems in the macro urban system including economics, society, environment, management and culture to interact with each other. Therefore, how urban space, the common focus of multiple disciplines, responds to needs of different social groups, thence realizing social justice and sustainable development, has become the core issue facing urban planning in this new time. Representatives and experts were from prestigious universities and research institutions across the globe including Harvard University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hong, the University of Hong Kong, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University and Tongji University. By interaction and exchanges, MS&E gained abundant experience and strengthened cooperation with them, which is conducive to improving the School’ s participation and influence in urban and regional planning.