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Preview ｜ With a global perspective, jointly opening a new chapter in education: The International Network for Urban–rural Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions is about to be held
　 PublishDate：2025-10-14　 Hits：31
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Background

The International Network for Urban–rural Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions (UHC-HEI), initiated by Tongji University and WHITR-AP Shanghai, will hold its inaugural international conference “Reshaping Heritage Conservation in Higher Education: What, How, For Whom?” on 25–26 October 2025 in Shanghai, China. The conference aims to provide a global forum to examine and reimagine higher-education approaches to urban–rural heritage conservation.

From a Shanghai Initiative to Global Collaboration

UHC-HEI was launched in September 2023 at the International Conference on Urban Heritage Conservation and Design for Sustainable Development (more details refer to: International Conference on Urban Heritage Held) held at Tongji University. Guided by the Initiative on Urban Heritage Conservation and Design for Sustainable Development and Roadmap for Urban Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions, the Network is committed to promoting international cooperation among universities and related institutions on education, research and practice in urban–rural heritage conservation, addressing global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.

Since 2023, the Network has grown rapidly, counting more than 40 member universities and institutions across the continents. The Network organised side events at the 46th World Heritage Conference in India in 2024 and at the 47th World Heritage Conference in Paris in 2025. It also participated in the World Conference on Cultural and Arts Education (WCCAE 2024) in Abu Dhabi and the MONDIACULT 2025 conference on cultural policy and sustainable development in Barcelona, thereby steadily expanding its global influence.

Focusing on Five Core Themes

The conference will convene experts, educators and early-career scholars in the field of heritage conservation to conduct in-depth discussions across five thematic forums:

Session 1: History of heritage conservation education
Session 2: Theories and methodology of heritage conservation education
Session 3: New technologies for heritage conservation education
Session 4: Traditional knowledge and heritage conservation education
Session 5: Youth and the futures of heritage conservation education

Organisers and Supporters

Hosted by Tongji University, the conference is co-organised by WHITR-AP Shanghai, the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, and the academic journals Built Heritage and Heritage Architecture. The conference also enjoys the strong support of numerous authoritative organisations worldwide, including:

International Organizations: International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and its International Scientific Committees, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), and Several UNESCO Chairs.

Academic Institutions and Universities: École de Chaillot (France); The University of Melbourne (Australia); University of Pennsylvania (USA); Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands); University College London (UK); University of Seville (Spain), National University of Singapore (NUS); Tsinghua University; The University of Hong Kong; Southeast University China; The International University of Rabat (Morocco); The University of Cuenca (Ecuador) and more than 30 other leading universities and research institutions worldwide.

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.

Conference Outlook

This conference is not only the first major global academic assembly since the founding of UHC-HEI, but also an intellectual forum intended to reshape the concepts, methods and systems of heritage-conservation education. Through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue, the conference will foster forward-looking disciplinary consensus and development directions, contributing ideas and momentum to the renewal of heritage-conservation higher education globally.

Draft Programme

Dates: 25–26 October 2025
(Field Visit: Morning of 27 October 2025)
Venue: Tongji University, Shanghai, China

24 October (Friday)
      Registration

25 October (Saturday)
      Opening ceremony; UHC-HEI membership accreditation; opening of “Heritage Educational Landscape Exhibition”; keynote speeches; parallel thematic sessions

26 October (Sunday)
      Parallel thematic sessions; closing ceremony (session summaries and Roadmap update)

27 October (Monday)
      Field visits (Morning)

For the full agenda, please click "https://www.whitr-ap.org/index.php?classid=1725&newsid=3834&t=show&sessionid=-612213059".
Please follow the UHC-HEI official channels for the full programme and updates (https://www.whitr-ap.org/index.php?classid=1725).

 

Contributed by｜PEI Jieting

Designedand edited by｜LIU Zhen

Reviewed by｜SHAO Yong
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