NSFC-DFG Sino-German Cooperation Group on Urbanization and Locality

(Yellow River-Rhine River)

The NSFC-DFG Sino-German Cooperation Group on Urbanization and Locality (Yellow River-Rhine River) was established with the approval of the Sino-German Center, a joint institution of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). Since its inception in 2001, fewer than 40 cooperation groups spanning diverse disciplines have been approved. This Cooperation Group is the first approved project in the planning and design field. It was jointly established by Professor Wang Fang of Peking University and Professor Martin Prominski of Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. Recognized as one of four exemplary achievements in international (regional) cooperation and exchange, the outcomes of this Cooperation Group were featured in the National Natural Science Foundation of China Annual Report 2020.

The primary objective of this Cooperation Group is to investigate how geographical environments and human activities influence the built environment under different spatiotemporal contexts, identifying corresponding patterns of response and feedback characteristics. It aims to develop strategies for mitigating the negative impacts of globalization and urbanization by emphasizing "locality" throughout the planning and design process. Grounded in diverse environmental and cultural contexts and employing empirical analysis, this research selects towns along China's Yellow River and Germany's Rhine River as case studies to foster a deeper understanding of "dynamic locality." The collaborative research between the Chinese and German teams will encompass spatial scales ranging from specific sites and towns to broader regions. The research focuses on two main aspects: Cultural Locality (including heritage/cultural landscapes, open space/urban design) and Environmental Locality (including ecosystem services/social well-being, biodiversity/land use). The research findings are intended to provide valuable insights for China, Germany, and other regions, with the aspiration of establishing the group as a leading international research institution in "Urbanization and Locality."

The research aligns with current trends in China's urban-rural development and the evolution of the planning discipline. With the advancement of ecological civilization and the restructuring of ministerial functions, urban and rural planning is now integrated under the Ministry of Natural Resources, which oversees territorial spatial planning, use regulation, and ecological conservation. This underscores that planning in the new era is fundamentally about comprehensive territorial spatial planning. This approach requires a holistic consideration of urban-rural development, resource utilization, environmental protection, and historical preservation to steward national land resources sustainably. Within this context, planning now demands both spatial integration—coordinating various spatial plans and policies—and multidisciplinary synthesis, drawing on fields like urban planning, land use planning, geography, and sociology. Consequently, research on urbanization and locality across multiple scales is therefore crucial for promoting sustainable urban development within this new planning paradigm.