CHINA DAILY | GLOBAL EDITION Monday, September 21, 2020 | 7
Creativity encouraged at Beijing summit What they say
As UNESCO event returned to capital city last week, innovation focus of discussions
By YUAN SHENGGAO national center for politics, cul ture, international exchanges and Creativity and innovation chart a scitech innovation in 2014, the The theme of this summit — path to sustainable urban develop city has been on a fast track to Creativity empowers cities, tech ment, experts and officials said at innovationdriven highquality nology creates the future — is of the third UNESCO Creative Cities development. great interest and fascination. Cre Beijing Summit last week. Government data show Beijing ativity is the engine of our history, Focusing on the digital economy, is home to more than 90 universi both individual and collective. It is the summit held at Beijing’s Shou ties and colleges with a combined the soul of our culture. It is the gang Industrial Park on Thursday school enrollment surpassing 1 product of our intelligence. We are and Friday explored how to make million, as well as over 1,000 creativity. Technology is the sign full use of technological innovation research institutions, 44 public of our times, a formidable tool and cultural creativity to improve libraries and 183 museums and that we must learn to use in a vir urban management. cultural centers. tuous way, for the good of our cit A city is a special space for union, Recent years saw about 6 per ies and for the future of our cooperation and innovation and cent of the city’s GDP spent on communities. cities’ development will determine research and development, put Virginia Raggi, Rome mayor the future of societies, according to ting Beijing in the forefront of UNESCO DirectorGeneral Audrey global cities, according to Xu Azoulay. Qiang, director general of the Bei As a UNESCO Creative City of jing Science and Technology Com Design, Beijing provides an exem mission. The third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit attracts more than 30 representatives of plary combination of profound his With Zhongguancun Science international organizations and officials from 19 cities in 13 countries and regions to share insights into tory and stateoftheart City, Huairou Science City, Future sustainable development on Thursday and Friday. ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY technology, she said. Science City and the Beijing Eco Beijing Mayor Chen Jining told nomicTechnological Develop the summit in a video speech that ment Area as key innovation resumption of production and sent a founding value of our the host city will create a better platforms, Beijing has made a business amid the prevention and democracy.” The concept of “Creativity public health safety system and series of breakthroughs in core control of COVID19 in the post “These values are all the more empowers cities, technology cre increase coordinated efforts to pro technologies, Xu said. pandemic era. important in the present historical ates the future” of the summit mote social and economic develop Since Beijing joined the UNES Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, assist phase, characterized by the evolu includes the themes of “creativity” ment amid the prevention and CO Creative Cities Network in ant directorgeneral for culture at tion of the pandemic, which has and “technology”, which are very control of COVID19. 2012, the design industry has UNESCO, unveiled the epublica made our planet suddenly smaller closely related to the city and “Digital technology and creative developed into a new growth spot tion of the UNESCO Creative Cit and our communities closer.” municipality today. We can say design have injected vigor into our in local economy, he added. ies’Response to COVID19 at the Jan Vapaavuori, mayor of Hel that creativity and innovation are city,” Chen said. “The latest technol Some 150,000 professionals summit. sinki, Finland, said: “We need new indispensable factors for urban ogies including artificial intelli worked in nearly 900 major design It provides 70 innovative cases, innovative solutions, even when management to build the sustain gence and big data serve as a key firms in Beijing in 2018. More than which the UNESCO Creative Cities they mean significant changes to able cities of tomorrow. driving force behind Beijing’s eco 3,760 cultural and related busi Network had collected from more our existing systems. This is where Can Akin Caglar, secretary nomic growth.” nesses operated in the city and Digital technology than 90 member cities in 44 coun design thinking can be of immense general of the Istanbul The mayor encouraged more their combined business revenue and creative design tries since March, to showcase how help. The ‘Three Ds’ (design, dia Metropolitan Municipality new business modes and products. increased 8.2 percent in 2019 from to respond to the pandemic logue and digitalization) also help He said the city will enhance intel a year earlier, according to official have injected vigor through culture and creativity. us fight the most crucial challenge lectual property protection and statistics. into our city. The Among encouraged responses is of our time: global warming.” utilization and create a more “Through the further integra Beijing’s online medical consulta During the twoday event, more dynamic innovation ecosystem. tion of technology and culture, we latest technologies tion platform for COVID19, than 30 representatives of interna Beijing will also advance the con will promote capital flow and real including artificial launched in early February. It took tional organizations and officials struction of a national comprehen ize economic resumption and sus six days to set up the platform, from 19 cities in 13 countries and sive demonstration zone for tainable development,” Xu said. intelligence and big where more than 1,700 doctors regions shared their insights into openingup expansion in the ser As the first international crea data serve as a key have provided consultation servi urban management and sustaina vice industry and a pilot free trade tive citiesthemed event organized driving force behind ces free of charge for over 58 mil ble development. zone, in a bid to improve its interna by UNESCO in cooperation with lion online visitors, Xu said. It was the third time that Beijing If something was clear to all of tional influence on cultural creativ local government since the COV Beijing’s economic Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, has played host to the UNESCO us, it is that “no one is saved ity and technological innovation, ID19 outbreak, the gathering of growth.” Italy, said: “We strongly believe in Creative Cities summit. The previ alone”. We have the unique possi he noted. the UNESCO Creative Cities Net international collaboration. Multi ous two were held in 2013 and bility of building a new reality and Since it was designated as a work members also addresses Chen Jining, Beijing mayor lateralism and reciprocity repre 2016. a future different from the one we had in mind. And most important ly, we can do it collectively, listen ing and giving space to all voices Science and tech highlighted as key factor in urban expansion and ideas. Enrique Avogadro, minister of culture for Buenos Aires By LIANG KAIYAN dous shock that affected many eco ing ground to share urban develop [email protected] nomic sectors, including the ment opportunities. He culture and creative sectors,” she encouraged small and medium Science and technology will play said. sized enterprises to participate in a key role in urban management, Due to the impact of the COVID such opportunities. particularly in the face of global 19, it is imperative for cities turn Yuan Feng, vicepresident of BOE challenges such as the COVID19 this crisis into an opportunity, she Technology Group, said innovation pandemic, business insiders said at said, adding it is crucial to take is key to energizing a city’s vitality. a forum last week. advantage of smart city tools to Yuan shared BOE’s ultrahigh The pandemic has accelerated advance inclusive economic definition 8K display products the shift toward a new urban para growth and people’s wellbeing. applied to some cultural events We believe that design has the digm for inclusive and sustainable Liu Hui, deputy director of the such as online concerts and the dig power to change things. For us, a cities, Lamia KamalChaoui, direct Beijing Science and Technology ital Palace Museum. Technologies welldesigned city means a func or of the Center for Entrepreneur Commission, said cities are “testing of 8K and 5G not only bring people tional city. We have incorporated ship, SMEs, Regions and Cities at ground” and “incubator” of tech fresh experiences but also upgrade the “Three Ds”, namely design, the Organization for Economic nologies. cultural consumption, Yuan said. dialogue and digitalization, in our Cooperation and Development, “Thanks to the large population “Urban life can be stressful,” he city strategy. Instead of individual told a panel during the third UNES and rich scenarios, cities promote said. “As an enterprise, it is our programs or projects, we aim to CO Creative Cities Beijing Summit technology development,” Liu said. Attendees of the third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit social responsibility to help build a take design, digitalization and dia on Friday. “Deeply integrating technologies exchange views during a break. ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY sustainable city.” logue into consideration in every The role of technology has been help cities become better, smarter The company has also developed thing we do. I am a strong believer crucial and digitization will remain and more livable.” a series of smart solutions covering in international cooperation — and a key component of a new normal, In June 2019, Beijing launched “Application scenarios are oppor and urban modernization, technol fields including transportation and that is why I also believe networks KamalChaoui said. the construction of application sce tunities for urban development, ogies help promote sustainable retails. like UNESCO Creative Cities and Many cities have normalized the narios. It has released three batches which provide platforms for tech development, Liu said. “As an internet company dedicat events such as this summit are so use of smart city tools, especially to of 60 projects, focusing on major nology enterprises to participate in The application scenarios also ed to providing intelligent products important — they help us under deliver municipal services, she said. areas such as industrial upgrading, urban development,” Liu said. help to foster new forms of business and services, we will constantly stand that everything we do, from “The use of digital tools has also urban management and livelihood With the integration of newgen in the digital economy, he added, contribute to constructing smart health to economy, has a truly helped cities address the tremen services. eration information technologies and help to form a global open test cities,” Yuan said. global context. Jan Vapaavuori, Helsinki mayor Forum takes pragmatic approach to spurring new development
By LIANG KAIYAN lises to boost its own development hence the vital need to deeply ter focuses on harmony in sectors with technology and creativity, Liu reshape our economic, social, cul incorporating city and nature, his Using a variety of approaches to said. tural, societal and even political tory and cultural innovation, social boost cities’ creativity while adher “We convert innovation into a models,” he said. life and communities, green trans The ongoing health ing to sustainable development is major driver for highcaliber devel To build another society implies portation and infrastructure, city crisis we are facing crucial to their success, officials told opment and gather core momen that people are at the core of public landscape and art innovation, and Digitalization has been a major a forum on Friday. tum for sustainable urban growth,” politics. It also means to renew the the coordination of the subcity underscores our game changer and will certainly Part of the third UNESCO Crea she said. logic on a shortterm basis to the center and BeijingTianjinHebei society’s remain a key component of a tive Cities Beijing Summit during The city has also focused on envi longterm one based on social and region. “new normal”. Actually, many cit the 2020 Zhongguancun Forum ronmental protection in pursuit of economic development, Perdriau Inspired by traditional Chinese environmental ies have normalized the use of held from Sept 17 to 20, the panel sustainable development. said. wisdom of dealing with the rela weakness and hence smart city tools, especially to forum attracted mayors and “We are sharing efficient govern “We are bound not just to imple tionship between people and deliver municipal services. New experts from home and abroad to ance to strengthen the resilience of ment a punitive ecology. We have to nature, Wu said they also put the vital need to and innovative digital tools, like share insights and experience on sustainable urban development,” build on a longterm basis while together traditional merits with the deeply reshape our smart schools and the use of managing city development. Liu said. handling scarcity and even a short modern international innovative mobility data to trace patient Liu Xiaoliu, vicemayor of Cheng Gael Perdriau, mayor of Saint age of resources. This is why the technologies in planning. economic, social, routes, were deployed in some cit du, highlighted the historic city’s Etienne in France, said urban economy and sustainable develop He explained the designing con cultural, societal and ies. The use of digital tools has thousands of years of history in design is about far more than draw ment are not contradictory.” cept as Jiayuan, a home space for also helped cities address the tre urban civilization development, ing nice objects in design weeks or Wu Zhiqiang, chief planner of the people. “In Chinese, jia means fam even political mendous shock that affected urban planning and construction. trade fairs. comprehensive design of the Bei ily, and yuan means our gardens. models.” many economic sectors, including In 2010, Chengdu was designated In SaintEtienne, society’s design jing Administrative Center, also Families and gardens together the culture and creative sectors. as a member city of UNESCO Crea is concerned with citizens’ expecta known as Beijing’s subcity center, make Jiayuan,” he said. Gael Perdriau, SaintEtienne mayor Lamia KamalChaoui, director of tive Cities Network in the field of tions in a world evolving constantly, shared his philosophy in the urban Peopleoriented planning and the OECD Centre for gastronomy. Perdriau said. development and the planning and design of the Jiayuan also focuses Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions Since then, the city has drawn on “The ongoing health crisis we are urban design for the capital’s sub on innovations such as digital diag and Cities the urban development experience facing underscores our society’s city center. nosis and intelligent facilities, he from other international metropo environmental weakness and The planning of the subcity cen said.
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