Recent Activities in CIP’s China Initiative
From March 1 and 16th 2008, under CIP’s cooperation with China’s Ministry of Lands and Resources, 10 CIP planners (forming 5 teams of two each) traveled to 10 Chinese cities to provide planning advisory expertise. Each team worked with Chinese Planners in two of 10 selected cities, which had been selected from a larger group of interested cities by the Chinese Central Government.
The host cities face planning challenges from the extremes of rapid urbanization, in eastern coastal Chinese cities, to economic restructuring in interior western Chinese cities. The 10 host cities, which included Beijing and Xi’an, are home to a combined population of about 69 million people.
Dave Palubeski, Chair of CIP’s China Initiative, says the continuation of the CIP/China Planning Advisory Agreement, originally signed in 2002, is viewed by CIP and China as a key component in our mutual efforts to building relationships and involve CIP Planners with our Chinese counterparts in the continuing development of planning as a profession in China. The objective of the Agreement is to open avenues and opportunities between Canadian and Chinese planners to share experiences and best practices in our common efforts to plan for community needs and pursue building sustainable cities, towns and regions.
Under the Agreement, China will also fund a CIP Canadian mentorship program for Chinese Planners. Initially, China would like to send 10 planners to Canada, one from each of the 10 host cities, between September and November 2008 to mentor in Canadian agencies and organizations under CIP Planners. In 2009, it is expected China and CIP will expand the Canadian and Chinese collaboration to a new group of Chinese cities and a second round of Canadian mentorships for Chinese planners.