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Review ｜ UHC-HEI 1st General Assembly

　 PublishDate：2025-12-29　 Hits：22

The 1st General Assembly of the Urban–rural Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions (UHC-HEI) International Network was held on Friday, 24th October 2025 at the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, Shanghai Center (WHITR-AP Shanghai), Shanghai, China. It convened in all 53 UHC-HEI Network full members and partners, 41 in person and 12 online, from 46 institutions and 21 countries.

General Assembly

The objectives of the General Assembly were to formally establish the operational and governance mechanisms of the UHC-HEI Network by collectively examining, revising, and adopting its foundational Charter, and to elect its first Steering Committee. Furthermore, the aim was to provide the Assembly with an overall report on past activities, and a platform for strategic discussions on future initiatives, including planning for the next Scientific Conference and General Assembly, thereby setting a clear and collaborative course for the Network's future.

Introduction and Opening

Professor Shao Yong, Secretary General of WHITR-AP and Director of WHITR-AP Shanghai, Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), Tongji University, Head of the UHC-HEI executive Secretariat, chaired and introduced the General Assembly, thanked the participants and then invited Professor Chang Qing, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), Tongji University, former Head of the Architecture Department and Editor in Chief of Built Heritage to open the General Assembly.

Professor Shao Yong giving her opening speech

Professor Chang Qing, in his opening remarks, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, the Academic Committee of the CAUP, Tongji University, and the Architectural Society of Shanghai, extended a warm welcome and congratulations on the opening of the 1st UHC-HEI General Assembly and the international conference on "Reshaping Heritage Conservation in Higher Education: Why? How? For Whom?" scheduled the following two days.

He recalled the inception of the International Network for Urban-rural Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions (UHC-HEI) in September 2023 at the International Conference on Urban Heritage Conservation and Design for Sustainable Development organized by CAUP and WHITR-AP Shanghai, following a foundational workshop which explored the relevance of an international Network, gaps in teaching and research as well as thoughts on the importance of promoting traditional knowledge systems. He highlighted the pressing need to rethink heritage conservation education in the face of global challenges like urbanization, climate change, and digital transformation, rethinking careers paths and new professional competencies as outlined in "Shanghai Initiative" and "Roadmap" adopted at the end of the September 2023 conference.

Professor Chang Qing noted the Network's rapid growth to more than 40 member institutions worldwide and emphasized the significance of this first General Assembly for reviewing the draft Charter and leveraging member expertise.

He expressed his hopes for the Network to become a dynamic platform for innovation in heritage education and to contribute to reshaping global systems through international collaboration. He stressed the importance of the Network’s focus for CAUP. The address ended with wishes for a successful and fruitful meeting.

Professor Chang Qing giving his remarks

Work Report

The work report was presented by Ms. Marie-Noël Tournoux, who detailed the Network's progress since its inception in 2023 focusing on the Network’s evolution, activities and key projects, with special attention given to the members active participation and commitment.

The Network had grown to 40 formal members across 24 countries. Since 2023, it had conducted online meetings and participated in major international forums like the UNESCO Global Conference on Culture and Arts Education or MONDIACULT and World Heritage Committee sessions. It was promoted through WHITR-AP's newsletter and website. The session also discussed potential activities that may be carried out in the future.

UHC-HEI Coordinator Marie-Noël Tournoux presenting the work report

Network Institutional Development

Professor Plácido González Martínez chaired the next session on the institutional framework. This session examined, discussed and voted on the adoption of the draft charter, and held the first election for the steering committee.

Professor Plácido González Martínez presenting the review process

After recalling the building of the framework’s history, its overall rational – loose and inclusive - he further explained the drafting process of the Charter, the first consultation round and the proposed document finalization method. The review process continued the former discussions of the Network’s identity and key concepts at the heart of the Network’s focus.

The Charter was discussed by all of the Assembly

On site and some of the online participants, Professor Michael Kloos (Faculty Architecture & Civil Engineering, Germany), Professor Mike Turner (Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel), Professor Paulina Kaplan (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile), Professor Sharif Anouar (International University of Rabat, Morocco), Professor Alberto Pieltain (University of Madrid, Spain), Dr. Merve Demiröz Torun (Faculty Architecture & Civil Engineering, Germany), Professor Jian Hong (School of Architecture Southeast University, China), Professor Jullia Rey-Perez (School of Architecture, University of Seville, Spain).

Professor Johannes Widodo speaking (National University of Singapore, Singapore), Professor Chen Yue (Macau University of Science and Technology, China), Professor Linda Shetabi speaking (University of Hong Kong, China), Professor Junshan Liu (Auburn University McWhorter School of Building Science, USA) Professor Giulio Verdini (Westminster University School of Architecture and Cities, London, UK) Professor Burak Asiliskender (Abdullah Gül University Faculty of Architecture, Kayseri, Türkiye) and Professor Edward Denison (University College London, London, UK), Professor Plácido González Martínez facilitating the charter discussion session.

Professor Plácido González Martínez introduced the establishment of the Steering Committee, its role and the presentation of candidates. The candidate and elected institutions and their representatives are the following, listed by region and country by alphabetical order and following the World Heritage Center’s geographic distribution.

Arab States

1) International University of Rabat, UNESCO Chair Historic Urban Landscape, Morocco, Professor Imane Bennani represented by Professor Sharif Anouar;

Asia Pacific

2) The University of Melbourne, Australian Centre of Architectural History and Urban and Cultural Heritage, Australia, Hanna Lewi represented by Professor Stuart King;

3) Tongji University, CAUP, China, Professor Zhang Peng;

4) Woxsen University, School of Architecture and Planning, India, represented by Professor Rajdeep Routh;

5) National University of Singapore, Singapore, represented by Professor Johannes Widodo;

Europe

6) École de Chaillot, France, represented by Françoise Ged and Xavier Clarke;

7) Portucalense University, Department of architecture and Multimedia Gallaecia Portugal, represented by Professor Mariana Correia;

8) University of Seville, School of Architecture, Spain, represented by Professor Ramón Pico Valimaña;

9) Abdullah Gül University, Faculty of Architecture, Turkey, represented by Professor Burak Asiliskender;

Latin America

10) University of Cuenca, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Cuenca, represented by Professor Sebastián Astudillo Cordero;

International Organization

11) Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), Alessandro Martinelli represented by Angelo Paulo Mogul.

Steering Committee (from left to right) UHC-HEI Coordinator Marie-Noël Tournoux, Professor Stuart King, Professor. Angelo Paulo Mogul, Professor. Burak Asiliskender, Professor Mariana Correia, Professor Ramón Pico Valimaña, Professor Z hang Peng, Xavier Clarke, Françoise Ged, Professor Johannes Widodo, Professor Shao Yong, Professor Plácido González Martínez

Future Plans

Professor Zhang Peng chaired the last session of the Agenda which focused on future plans. Professor Zhang Peng further insisted on the importance of experimenting pedagogies as well as advancing research and promoting it through publications.

Professor Zhang Peng speaking

A key moment of this session was the discussion on the organization of the 2nd UHC-HEI Academic Conference. The Assembly agreed the Academic conferences would beevery 2 years and the General Assembly, as determined in the Charter, would be held every year.

Professor Ramón Pico Valimaña, Dean of the School of Architecture, University of Seville, announced, Seville would be happy to host the 2nd Academic conference in 2027.

Professor Ramón Pico Valimaña speaking

The session allowed for lively exchanges and an invitation to Network members by Professor Carola Hein, Delft University of Technology to contribute to the Blue Papers journal [1], of which she is Editor in Chief, which is a biannual peer-reviewed journal which explores the complex relationship between water, culture and heritage. A proposal to develop a Network special issue for the next conference was proposed and welcomed by the General Assembly.
Notes: [1] https://bluepapers.nl/index.php/bp/article/view/178

Closing Session

Professor Shao Yong gave closing remarks, expressing gratitude to all members and the WHITR-AP Shanghai support team. She emphasized the platform's importance, drawing on her personal educational experiences to highlight the mutual benefits of international cooperation in enriching heritage knowledge and educational methodologies.

Professor Shao Yong and online participants

Some of the participants of GA: Professor Wu Meiping (School of Architecture Tianjin University, China), Professor Dai Tainchen (Future Design School Harbin Institute of Technology, China), Professor Lyu Ning (National Heritage Center, Tsinghua University, China), Professor Chen Yue (Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology UNESCO Chair in Living Heritage and Community Development, Fudan University, China), Professor Fu Shulan (College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, China), Professor Wu Xiaochan (School of Architecture Central Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, China), Christine Enrique Talidong (IFLA), Professor Jana Das Chaudhuri (Guru Nanak Dev University, India), Professor Angelo Paulo Mogul (IFLA), Professor Adi Sela Wiener (Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel), Dr. Apoorva Iyengar (KRVIA, Mumbai, India), Professor Giulia Lucertini and Professor Carlo Federico dall’Omo (IUAV, Venice, Italy)

Contributed by Marie-Noël Tournoux & Tang Zhuping (Intern)

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