back Date: 27 November 2020 (Fri) The Greater Bay Area Urban Design Conference 2020 “Wellbeing through Urban Design: A Critical Action Plan for Mega Region” Successfully Concluded with The GBA Urban Design Awards Winners Announced (Hong Kong, 25 November, 2020) Organised by The Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design (HKIUD) in collaboration with The Greater Bay Area Urban Designer Alliance (founding institutes of which are The HKIUD, CURB Center for Architecture and Urbanism – Macau, Guangzhou Urban Planning Association, Urban Planning Society of Shenzhen as well as Zhuhai Planning Exploration and Design Industry Association) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The Greater Bay Area Urban Design Conference 2020 was held in live virtual format today (25 November,2020) with the Honourable Mr. Michael WONG Wai-lun, JP, Secretary for Development of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the officiating guest.

The virtual Conference attracted over a thousand online participants from different countries and places including Hong Kong, the Mainland, Macao, Asia Pacific, Europe and America. Speaking at the event were a number of internationally renowned urban design experts and academicians from Australia, the Netherlands and the USA, who were joined by other key urban realm practitioners and decision makers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to exchange important insights for the development of responsive urban design systems that can enhance regional living quality, social equity and wellness thresholds in the GBA.

Mr. Donald CHOI, President of The HKIUD delivered the welcome remarks on the occasion. Mr. CHOI expressed his gratitude towards the event’s success and remarked that the Conference provided a useful forum for urban design experts in the GBA and overseas academicians to discuss the latest issues about city livability and sustainability in the GBA. Through analyzing the challenges and opportunities that the urban design professionals facing today, he believed that the sector can further explore the excellent urban design solutions and join together to create a high-quality livable environment in the GBA.

At the end of the Conference, the organiser HKIUD also officially announced the GBA Urban Design Awards awards winners. The winners were selected by a jury panel formed by renowned academia and practitioners in urban design after rigorous adjudication. The Immediate Past President of The HKIUD, Mr. Joel CHAN, proudly announced the Grand and Merit Award winners of the Professional Category and Gold and Silver Awards of the Student Category respectively followed by the closing remarks, bringing the event to another climax.

The objective of the first GBA Urban Design Awards is to elevate the overall urban design standard in the GBA and subsequently establishes the professional recognition for urban design practitioners in the Greater Bay Area. Through recognition of excellence in urban design related projects in the GBA and foster collaboration and exchange among urban designers, planners, architects, landscape architects, engineers, surveyors and other urban design professionals, companies and organisations in the GBA. The award presentation of the GBA Urban Design Awards is scheduled to take place in 2021 with more details to be announced in due course.