On April 15, the KPF President delivered a lecture on the evolution of urban design in China, focusing on the firm’s work in the region over the last three decades and the shifting design paradigms that continue to shape the country.
Delivered to the Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Jamie’s presentation was part of the UIS Forum—a lecture series launched in tandem with the Bureau’s new framework for urban development, the Urban Index of Shenzhen (UIS). The index and lecture series aim to share the elements that transformed Shenzhen from a provincial town into a blooming metropolis and contribute to global discussions on sustainable urbanization.
In his lecture, Jamie traced KPF’s 30-year journey of urban design in China—from the groundbreaking Pudong development in Shanghai, to the vibrant Qiantan district, and most recently, the transformative Houhai development in Shenzhen. The lecture recounted the shift of prevalent urban design paradigms from “Island Cities” comprised of iconic, stand-alone towers to “Block Cities” developed around a connected multi-building city block, and finally to “Network Cities” where public space, transit infrastructure, and pedestrian connectivity weaves buildings and districts into a human-scaled urban fabric. Looking ahead, Jamie introduced KPF’s concept of Connective Urbanism and its bold strategies for shaping the future of cities.
The presentation, which reached 200 attendees in-person and 2000 online, was followed by a discussion of how technology and nature will shape Shenzhen’s future developments and how planners, architects, and developers can work to build a healthy, connected city for the next generation.
