Professor Huang Kangning from LOUD participated in the special discussion titled "Dialogue on Rivers between Shanghai and New York"

On the afternoon of July 26, the event "Shared Vision, Shared Future: Dialogue on Rivers between Shanghai and New York" was successfully held at the Jinjiang Small Auditorium in Shanghai. The forum, co-hosted by the Shanghai Public Relations Association, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, brought together leading experts from various fields in both China and the U.S. Using water as a medium, the dialogue explored the opportunities and challenges faced by Shanghai and New York, two international metropolises, further promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries. Professor Huang Kangning from Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science (LOUD) participated in the special discussion titled "Waterfront Planning: Drawing a Livable Urban Blueprint."

The special discussion was moderated by Zhang Yan, Director of the Shanghai Global Spatial Planning and Research Institute. Participants in the discussion included Professor Huang Kangning from the LOUD, Yin Jie, Managing Director of Design and Engineering at Tishman Speyer, and Wang Guofeng, Deputy Director and Chief Engineer of the Landscape Institute at the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute.

In his presentation titled "From Sources of Prosperity to Potential Challenges: The Impact of River and Ocean Convergence on New York and Shanghai," Professor Huang Kangning provided an in-depth analysis of the geographical advantages of New York and Shanghai, noting that both cities serve as crucial gateways for external exchanges within their respective river basins. He pointed out that due to climate change, both cities will face challenges such as rising sea levels and other climate-related disasters in the future.Currently, most research on water-related disasters caused by climate change focuses on the two-dimensional spatial distribution of population and assets. Professor Huang’s research integrates three-dimensional structural information of cities with the depth data of water-related disasters, analyzing high-risk areas on a global scale. The integration of three-dimensional structural data is essential because the impact of the same water depth varies between high-rise and low-rise buildings. High-rise buildings may sustain damage only in a small proportion, while low-rise buildings are likely to experience a higher rate of damage, requiring the early evacuation of a larger portion of residents to prevent casualties.Using satellite imagery, Professor Huang's team identified the outlines and heights of every building globally. The results showed that high-rise buildings in New York are mainly concentrated in the city center, whereas in Shanghai, they are more widely distributed. As an example, focusing on waterfront areas, Professor Huang suggested that to prevent flood damage to coastal infrastructure, urban planning should incorporate “reserved space,” maintaining adequate green space to absorb excess water from rivers and accommodate their natural movements. Finally, Professor Huang called for cooperation between New York and Shanghai in promoting efficient and low-carbon urban designs to help many developing countries build more sustainable, low-carbon cities.