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Conference Synopsis
There is perhaps nowhere on the planet that demonstrates the impact of urbanization as markedly as the cities of China’s Pearl River Delta – which surpassed Tokyo as the world’s largest single continual urban conurbation of 42 million in 2010, and is set to grow to potentially 120 million inhabitants by 2050. The results of the rapid and unprecedented urbanization in this region has produced an entirely new urban substance, one that has provided an unequalled opportunity to explore the impacts of tall buildings set within a network of ultra-connected, modern infrastructure.
With some of the lowest energy intensities on the planet and a population density of 6,700 people per square kilometer, Hong Kong demonstrates the real benefits of the high-rise condition with a plethora of connected transport options that effectively make the city one large “transit-oriented development.” Shenzhen has similarly invested in amazing levels of new infrastructure to support the iconic skyscrapers appearing across its skyline. Nearby, Guangzhou has also managed to embrace the iconic, the tall, and the connected, while retaining its historic buildings and colonial charm.
In so many ways – physically, culturally, and economically – these teeming metropolises are merging into, effectively, one super-connected urban whole. The rich tapestry of the Pearl River Delta is therefore the ideal platform for a CTBUH conference exploring the real impact – both positive and negative – of density, vertical growth, and concentrated urban infrastructure, not only in China, but around the world. In an unprecedented first for a CTBUH conference, the event will take place progressively across the three cities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. In addition to absorbing the very latest in best practice developments in both skyscraper and urban design from around the world, this conference will directly embrace numerous tall buildings and urban spaces in the region that have become iconic in their own right, through technical tours and social networking events. Join us in the Pearl River Delta “mega-region” for an investigation like no other into the true facets of urbanization and vertical growth.
