The conference features five internationally renowned keynote speakers who will address core questions in heritage education:

Alain Marinos

Architect and urban planner, Honorary Inspector General of Architecture and Heritage for the French Ministry of Culture

Speech Title: A Sense of Place, Meaning, and Value Today: A tribute to Françoise Choay

Remy Sietchiping

Chief of Policy, Legislation and Governance Section within the Urban Practices Branch of UN-Habitat 

Speech Title: Reimagining Heritage through Territorial Development and Urban-Rural Linkages

Randall Mason

Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design

Speech Title: Moving the profession forward

Cristina González-Longo

Director of the MSc in Architectural Design for the Conservation of Built Heritage at the Department of Architecture of the University of Strathclyde, President of the ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) International Scientific Committee on Education and Training (CIF)

Speech Title: The Epistemology of Architectural Conservation

Chang Qing

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Speech Title: Conservation and Regeneration of Built Heritage and Its Environment in Tongji's Education, Research and Practice

The programme comprises five thematic parallel forums and more than 120 specialized presentations across 19 thematic blocks, offering a comprehensive overview of contemporary thinking and practice in heritage education:

1. History of heritage conservation education, theory and practice 

Three thematic blocks:history and theory; teaching experiences; institutional programs.

2. Theories and methodologies of heritage conservation education

Three thematic blocks: challenges to heritage conservation education concepts; reshaping the framework of heritage conservation education; new methods and practices in heritage conservation education.

3. New technologies for heritage conservation education

Five thematic blocks: digital technology and heritage education; new technology empowered specific course; AI empowering and heritage education; new technology and heritage documentation; AR/VR technology empowered heritage education.

4. Traditional knowledge and heritage conservation education

Three thematic blocks: traditional knowledge and community voices in higher education; living labs, museums and apprenticeships; oral history, traditional and inclusive innovation.

5. Youth and the futures of heritage conservation education

Five thematic blocks: youth empowerment; youth and the digital future; youth and social engagement; youth and cross-cultural comparisons; youth and curriculum.

Youth Dialogues: Tangible/Intangible Debate

Building on outcomes from the 2025 Yunlong International Workshop on Tangible and Intangible Culture of Vernacular Heritage, a Special Block: Heritage After Hours: the Tangible/Intangible Debate (19:30-21:30, 25 October) will bring together young scholars for a focused roundtable discussion.  (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/z8ffEisPjNwBtlszeCN5Wg)

The conference opening will include a joint inauguration of two exhibitions that provide direct academic and practical references for delegates:

1. Heritage Educational Landscape: Higher Education on Urban and Rural Heritage Conservation for Sustainable Development 

Venue: B1 Exhibition Hall, Building C, College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), Tongji University

This exhibition frames higher education and lifelong learning through five dimensions — learning objectives, educators, learners, curriculum content and teaching methods — and showcases global practice, theoretical advances and emerging trends in heritage education. It aligns with international normative instruments and aims to propose new pathways for cross-disciplinary and cross-regional cooperation and capacity building. (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/99dOp0ytV8GIzR2C_rQ22w)

2. Exhibition on the 2025 Yunlong International Workshop on Tangible and Intangible Culture of Vernacular Heritage 

Venue: Bell Hall, Building B, CAUP, Tongji University

Presenting outcomes from the Dali Yunlong field workshop, this exhibition highlights an 11-day in-situ research programme and pilot collaborative approaches to safeguarding the tangible and intangible elements of vernacular heritage, undertaken by international, multidisciplinary teams of students and experts. 

On the morning of 27 October, three curated study routes will turn Shanghai itself into a living case study:

Route 1: Caoyang Xincun

An early model of worker housing in the People’s Republic of China: a 1950s socialist model community whose historical significance and ongoing conservation and regeneration work will be examined.

Route 2: The Bund

An in-depth reading of the Bund’s layered architectural and urban history and contemporary roles, from the Shanghai Postal Museum to the Peace Hotel.

Route 3: Yangpu Riverside

A close study of the transformation from an industrial “rust belt” to a vibrant waterfront urban space, exploring leading models of industrial-heritage regeneration.

Organisers and Supporters

Professional societies and institutions: ICOMOS China, the Conservation Planning of Famous Historical and Cultural City Division and the Urban Regeneration Division of the Urban Planning Society of China, the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture.

Contributed by｜PEI Jieting

Designedand edited by｜LIU Zhen

Reviewed by｜SHAO Yong