A visitor walks past a poster showing the agenda of the 14th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture at Guangming Culture and Art Center on Nov. 9.

The 14th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture is being held in Shenzhen's Guangming District from Nov. 8 to 11.

It is the first time for the society's gathering to be held in South China. Over 1,500 participants from universities, research institutions, enterprises, and related fields within the landscape architecture industry are attending the event.

With the theme "People's Parks, Shared Scenery," this year's conference serves as a focal point for discussions on crucial topics such as climate change, carbon neutrality, ecological conservation, green low-carbon development, urban regeneration, rural revitalization, and the enhancement of residents' quality of life. 

Participants are engaging in dialogues and sharing insights on the latest theoretical breakthroughs and innovative practices in landscape architecture.

Since its inception in 2009, the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture has organized 14 annual meetings. This year's gathering is noteworthy for being the first to combine a national landscape architecture conference with an industry exhibition, emphasizing the exchange of cutting-edge theoretical and practical advancements in the field and fostering discussions on future development directions.

Esteemed experts, academics, and industry leaders in landscape architecture from China and around the world are invited to share their knowledge and showcase recent achievements in the field to audiences from diverse regions.

During the event's opening ceremony on Nov. 9, Meng Jianmin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), delved into the concepts of micro-spaces in architecture while integrating the dual carbon strategy. Dr. Bruno Marques, president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), highlighted the pivotal role of landscape architecture in shaping the future of biodiversity. Professor G. Mathias Kondolf from the University of California Berkeley presented a report on the restoration of river landscapes.

Professor G. Mathias Kondolf from the University of California Berkeley during an interview with Shenzhen Daily on Nov. 9.

Professor Kondolf told Shenzhen Daily that it was his first time staying in Shenzhen. He noted the abundance of small rivers crossing the city from the mountains down to the sea.

"What I can see on the map is many of them have already been turned into parks. It's a great use of the river corridors," the fluvial geomorphologist said.

"Rivers have been tremendously important in Chinese history that I find really interesting," he said, suggesting that river corridors in Chinese cities can be made wider to provide better adaptation to climate change.

"In order to qualify as a landscape garden city, cities need to have a certain percentage of their area dedicated to parks and green spaces. Likewise, for the sponge city objectives, you need large areas that can absorb rainwater," he said.

A significant highlight of the conference was the acknowledgment of Zhang Guoqiang's remarkable contributions to the field of landscape architecture in China. Zhang, a trailblazer in China's landscape architecture sector, donated 5 million yuan to establish the "Landscape Architecture Special Fund."

The audience during the opening ceremony.

This year's conference agenda includes a landscape architecture industry exhibition, four sub-forums, 12 special forums, and two dialogue salons, among other engaging activities. These initiatives aim to showcase and exchange innovative technologies, products, models, concepts, and scenes in the landscaping field.

Of particular significance, the industry exhibition brings together 36 key landscaping and greening enterprises to present and exchange new technologies, products, and concepts, facilitating technological advancement and enhancing the quality of products. This collaborative effort aims to strengthen regional partnerships, promote the transformation of the industry chain, and foster coordinated and high-quality industry development.