HKU Urban Studies students win second place in Yale-NUS Global China Connection’s ASEAN-China Case Competition 2015

A team of Yr. 4 students of the new BA (Urban Studies) programme of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) won the second place in the Grand Finals of the ASEAN-China Case Competition 2015 organised by the Yale-NUS Global China Connection of Yale-NUS College in Singapore on October 17, 2015. 

The ASEAN-China Case Competition 2015 aims to develop relationships between undergraduate students and industry leaders in the region to better understand China and to seize the fresh opportunities presented by the rising nation.

Themed “Urbanisation in China: Building Eco-Cities”, the competition required participating teams to assume the perspective of a non-governmental urban development consultant and propose an implementation plan for an eco-city development project in the Liangjiang New Area to the Development and Reform Commission of the government of Chongqing. The plan should be environmentally sustainable, economically viable, while giving consideration to social aspects and liveability. The competition was carried out in three stages, with the initial stage requiring submission of a written proposal and a video online. Eight teams were then shortlisted and invited to Singapore for the Semi-finals, in which they were asked to develop a final proposal for viable, innovative and practical solutions on how to build this eco-city. Three teams were eventually selected to enter the Grand Finals and to present their final proposal to ten judges comprising of government officials, practitioners and professors.

The Case Competition had over 400 undergraduate participants from more than 60 universities in ASEAN and beyond in teams of three to five. 89 teams signed up for the competition. Eight Teams with participants from Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Philippines and Thailand were shortlisted for the Semi-finals in Singapore on October 16, and finally, 3 teams were selected for the Grand Finals on October 17. The team from Yale-NUS won the first place, HKU BA (Urban Studies) team won the second place,  and NUS Business School team came third.  

The HKU Yr. 4 BA (Urban Studies) team comprised five members including Aileen CHENG Ka Yan (Team Leader), Grace CHEUNG Yeung Mei, Ophelia WONG Cheuk Man, Alice YEUNG Wing Yee, and Janet LAM Tin Kei (Yr. 3 Medicine). Their winning entry is “SOWeco-city”, which means “Spatial + Operational = Workable”. Locating in Wangjia and Mu’er, Liangjiang, the SOWeco-city takes up 61.5km2 of slightly hilly land and is divided into 5 major zones of Qingyu Airport Free Trade Area, Qingyu Education, Research and Development Zone, Homes of Qingyu, Qingqin Hu Eco-Leisure Habitat and Grand Park. The proposal mainly utilises the strategic locational advantages of the site as a “North Gate to the inland areas of China” for developing ecotourism and building regional resilience through ensuring food security.

The winning proposal was highly praised by the Jury to be of very high professional consultant quality. The team considered participating in the competition to be a very fruitful experience because they could meet talented students from Asia and learn from practitioners and professors who are very interested in their proposal. The theories, methods, techniques, and multimedia communication skills that they have learnt from the courses and studios of HKU BA (Urban Studies) programme have helped them solve real world problems and win in the Case Competition.

HKU’s BA (Urban Studies) is a brand new undergraduate programme of the University offered by the Department of Urban Planning and Design (DUPAD) that has over 35 years of experience in post-graduate training in urban studies and planning.  Its MSc (Urban Planning) program is the only recognised professional education program by the Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in Hong Kong.  HKU’s BA (US) programme was started in 2012 and is now in its 4th year of running with the first batch of students graduating next summer. It is a multi-disciplinary and studio-based programme with emphasis on design and multi-media communication skills and problem-based learning projects which equip students to become professionals in the built environment who can approach any problem from multiple perspectives.  It will enable students to understand and face the challenges associated with cities and urban development in Hong Kong, China, and the world. The programme is recognised by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

For further information, please contact :
Miss WONG Ho Yan, Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU
(Tel: 2859-2721, Email: hywong17@hku.hk)
Prof. Anthony Yeh, Director, BA(US) Programme, HKU
(Tel: 2859-2721, Email: Anthony.Yeh@hku.hk)