Combine Chinese concept of harmony to build ideal homeland

A town planner combines British experience with Chinese concept of harmony to build green, low-carbon, and sustainable cities.

Yang Wei is a woman who wears many hats. An internationally renowned town planner and urban designer, she is held in high esteem in the academic and planning communities in the U.K. and is a fellow of the U.K. Academy of Social Sciences and former president of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) based in London. She is also chief executive and co-founder of the Digital Task Force for Planning (DTFP), a non-profit social enterprise, and founding director of London-based planning and urban design firm Wei Yang & Partners.

In 2021, Yang made history when she was selected as the RTPI president, becoming its first non-white head. During her tenure, she focused on modernizing the planning profession, particularly addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity decline, and the widening wealth inequality. “Spatial planning is crucial for addressing many of the grand challenges we face today,” she told China Today. “However, the profession itself requires a systemic change to address these challenges.”

Cross-Cultural Collaborations

The role Yang values most is being a good urban planner. She sees planning as not merely a technical endeavor but a highly sophisticated discipline that blends science and art. “It bridges social, environmental, and behavioral sciences, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration to embrace scientific advancements while gaining moral recognition from society,” she said.

Her various positions have enabled her to learn from different professions and gain a broader perspective. Each of these roles contributed uniquely to her understanding and capabilities as a planner. For instance, her involvement with the Academy of Social Sciences helps her integrate social science insights into planning practices; leading the RTPI in 2021 enabled her to steer the profession towards innovation and sustainability; and the DTFP integrates cutting-edge innovation in spatial planning to make intelligent decisions for the public good. She is also a board member of the British Library, which helps her to support the wider cultural sector by promoting knowledge sharing and cultural exchange to break barriers.

“Our team is adept at communicating with different cultures and professional neighborhoods, linking the past, present, and future of the city. We are also supporting open-minded governments, homeowners, and communities to make well-informed decisions, so as to create places for the future generations through first-class design, where the economy is active, society harmonious, and environment beautiful,” she said.

21st-Century Garden Cities

Yang is an admirer and follower of Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928), founder of the English garden-city movement, which has influenced urban planning throughout the world. She has been especially influenced by his 1898 book, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, which envisions a utopian city where people live in harmony with nature. Howard’s garden city principles aim for a planned settlement combining the benefits of urban and rural environments while minimizing their disadvantages. These cities are self-contained communities surrounded by open countryside, with balanced areas for residences, industry, and agriculture. The ultimate aim is to provide a high-quality life through ample green space, efficient infrastructure, and diverse social and economic opportunities.

Yang’s 21st century garden city approach is also inspired by the harmonious balance theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Her aim is to prioritize nature as the foundation for sustainable development by integrating various elements such as landscape ecology, historical and cultural heritage, socio-economic development, low-carbon transportation, and green and smart technology. In 2014, she took part in the competition for the Wolfson Eonomics Prize, which is the second largest economics prize in the world after the Nobel Prize. The contestants had to plan a garden city that would be visionary, economically viable and popular. And Yang's team was one of the five shortlisted for a “finalist” award.

In her work, Yang envisions cities, towns, and villages as vital organs within the earth’s interconnected ecosystem. Protecting the environment, inspiring communities, redefining land use, and stimulating social and economic activities are seen as integral components of the planning process. In addition, by integrating intelligent technology and addressing climate change, feasible and innovative solutions for modern garden cities are created. Throughout her career, Yang has been promoting multidisciplinary collaborations by drawing on diverse expertise, fostering creativity, and maintaining a shared commitment to sustainability. “Our award-winning projects have demonstrated the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration to create a happy and healthy environment for everyone,” she said.

Her passion for 21st century garden cities has been a driving force throughout her career. As she researches, promotes, and implements innovative garden cities, they underscore the essential qualities that planners should possess: compassion, selflessness, and creativity. With that vision, Yang founded Wei Yang & Partners in 2011 to have the freedom to implement her design and planning philosophies.

Revitalizing Cultural Heritage in Urban Planning

After undertaking dozens of projects in Europe and across the globe, Yang turned to building garden cities in China. Wei Yang & Partners was chosen as the lead implementer of the U.K.-China Green and Low-carbon Small Town Pilot Project, which was jointly funded by the Chinese government and the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The project supported China’s target of developing 1,000 small towns with local characters and a focus on sustainability.

One of the projects by Wei Yang & Partners in this collaboration was located in Suining, a county in Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province, east China. Historically, Suining was in a strategic location watered by the Yellow River, one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization. However, the course of the river changed and the Suining section was left abandoned for over 800 years. Now, it is known as the “Historical Yellow River Corridor.” The corridor’s economic and social development lagged behind its peer cities and became a focus during the rural reform drive in China.

In early 2014, the government issued several guidelines on deepening rural reform and accelerating agricultural modernization to advance urban-rural integration. The Suining project was started in response to the urban-rural integration policy.

Yang and her team incorporated the 21st century garden city principles in the Suining project, blending the U.K.’s experience in building low-carbon small towns with China’s local knowledge of urbanization. The project transformed Suining, balancing growth amidst rural-urban population migration while revitalizing the Historical Yellow River Corridor to promote biodiversity and mitigate climate change.

For this U.K.-China pilot project, Yang says she emphasized low cost and localized solutions based on Chinese societal needs for sustainability. Ten years since its inception, the project has been recognized as a successful example of urban-rural integrated development, and praised for its groundbreaking approach and fruitful U.K.-China collaboration. The transformative outcomes have a positive impact on local communities, the economy, and the environment.

Yang’s team also presents local governments with technical advice. Their Technical Mannual for Green & Low-Carbon Development of Small Towns in China lists key technologies and professional technical support for small towns in urban planning, clean and renewable energy production and application, sewage and garbage treatment, and historical and cultural protection and inheritance.

Yang calls the relationship between urban planning and cultural heritage preservation symbiotic, as both contribute to the identity, vibrancy, and sustainability of cities. Innovative cultural heritage preservation plays a pivotal role in urban planning on the journey towards a zero-carbon and more inclusive society. It also helps preserve as well as create distinctive cultural assets for future generations.

To revitalize tangible and intangible cultural heritage in city planning for the future, it is essential to engage local communities. This can be achieved through participatory planning that involves residents, cultural experts, and stakeholders in decision-making. “By valuing and integrating community knowledge, traditions, and values into urban development strategies, cities can ensure that cultural heritage is not only preserved but also celebrated and utilized as a driver for sustainable development,” she said.