Dear IACP members and friends,
The International Association for China Planning (IACP) is an independent non-profit organization of scholars, students, and practitioners interested in planning issues in China. Founded in 2005 and located in Washington DC, USA, its mission is three-fold: (1) to serve as a bridge between urban planning researchers and practitioners in China and their counterparts in other countries, (2) to provide a forum for scholarly and professional dialogues, and (3) to form a lively and supportive community for its members.
Since the third annual conference in 2009, IACP have started to work with prestigious universities in China to convene the conferences every summer. Our local hosts include Nanjing University, Tongji University, Remin University of China, Wuhan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, South China University of Technology, and Chongqing University. The scale of the conferences have grown from dozens of participants at Nanjing University to more than 400 delegates at Chongqing University. The 10th Annual conference at Peking University has attracted a record of 360 abstracts. The IACP annual conference has become the most influential international conference on planning in China. Through the conferences, IACP aims to promote communication between international and Chinese scholars, stimulate collaborative research among scholars, and facilitate planning development in China. IACP also organizes Dean’s Forum with local host universities. Deans and chairs of key planning programs in China and other countries exchange ideas on how to promote planning education, research, and practice in China.
At the annual conference of the US-based Association of Collegiate School of Planning (ACSP), IACP organizes a series of activities to promote China Planning. IACP sponsors China-related roundtables and pre-organized sessions and mobilizes planning scholars from China to present individual papers. These sessions and papers demonstrate the most up-to-date planning development and cutting-edge research in China. They offer American audiences China’s planning experience. IACP also organizes a reception at the ACSP conference, and the reception becomes a stimulating platform for IACP members and friends to engage with each other.
Besides the two conferences, IACP also sponsors ad-hoc international workshops to bridge Chinese and international planning scholars and practitioners. In 2016, IACP will co-host a workshop on Urban Development and Public Transportation with Renming University of China, a conference on ICT, Activity Space-Time and Mobility with Nanjing University, and a symposium on Spatial Optimization and Atmospheric Environmental Improvement in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Region with Shijiazhuang Tiedao University. IACP board members will also deliver research- and education-related seminars at various universities and research institutes in China.
IACP board members and friends have worked tirelessly to promote planning research in China. During the past several years, IACP has featured special issues for international journals. So far, IACP has completed the issues for Travel Behavior and Society and Transport Policy. Five additional issues with Journal of Urban Affairs, Transportation Research Part D, Transportation, and Transportation Letters are underway. These special issues have attracted broad interests from Chinese planning scholars and their counterparts in other countries, providing an opportunity for Chinese scholars to stand out on the international stage.
Although IACP has made significant progresses during the past decade, IACP faces great challenges to meet members’ need and tremendous opportunities to engage with planners from China and all over the world. For the years to come, IACP will continue promoting research- and education-related activities and expanding the effort to serve planning professionals, such as collaborating with American Planning Association. I have no doubt that IACP will make great achievements because of the dedication of the talented board members: Dr. Yan Song (vice Chair), Dr. Mengke Chen (Chair of Award Committee), Mr. Chenghe Guan (Secretary), Dr. Shengjing He (Chair of Academic Affair Committee), Dr. Weifeng Li (Conference Chair), Mr. Jianzheng Liu (Chair of Communication Committee), Dr. Rui Wang (Treasurer and co-Chair of Fundraising Committee), Dr. Yiming Wang (Chair of Outreach Committee), Dr. Yu Xiao (co-Chair of Fundraising Committee), Dr. Yang Zhang (Conference co-Chair), and Dr. Lingqian Hu (alternative member). I also owe special thanks to Chairs and members of previous boards, who set up a solid foundation for the maturing IACP, and IACP local hosts for their kind sponsorship. Finally, your continuing support and active engagement with IACP activities are the key to the success of IACP.
Look forward to seeing you at Peking University on June 30-July 3, 2016.
Jason Cao, Ph.D.
Chair, Board of Directors
International Association for China Planning
Associate professor
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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