Conferences
3–4 October 2025, Hong Kong, China
Rural Revitalization Symposium 2025
Despite accelerating global urbanization, nearly half of the world’s population still resides in rural regions. Urban–rural integration (URI) is increasingly recognized as essential not only for securing resources such as food, water, and energy, but also for ensuring sustainable development including social equity and climate resilience. For Hong Kong, as part of the Greater Bay Area, URI has become a strategic priority. Rural areas like the New Territories offer valuable opportunities for ecological conservation, community regeneration, and spatial innovation.
This symposium contextualizes urban–rural integration through the lens of co-vision, co-create, and co-operate, exploring how inclusive governance and collaborative planning can shape resilient futures. It will examine how planning and positioning strategies, participatory practices, and the adaptive reuse of rural assets can unlock potential at the urban–rural interface. By highlighting cultural landscapes and heritage conservation, the symposium will also consider the evolving identity of rural territories under global pressures and urban expansion.
Bringing together academics, practitioners, and public stakeholders, the symposium creates a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and international collaboration. Through theoretical dialogue and real-world case studies from Hong Kong, mainland China and beyond, participants will address pressing urban–rural challenges and opportunities, while laying the foundation for pilot initiatives and long-term partnerships. Ultimately, the event aims to position its organizers and partners as regional and global leaders in advancing rural revitalization and sustainable urban–rural integration.
