From July 21 to 25, 2025, the "Low-Carbon Transportation and Future Cities" summer academic exchange workshop was successfully held at the School of Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University. This workshop is jointly organized by the Peking University-Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy Research (Peking University-Lincoln Center), the School of Transportation at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, and the journal Urban Rail Transit. Professor He Canfei, Dean of the School of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University; Professor Qian Yongsheng, Dean of the School of Transportation at Lanzhou Jiaotong University; and Professor Zhang Chun from the School of Architecture and Art, Beijing Jiaotong University, respectively presented on behalf of the organizers and co-organizersOpening remarks. More than thirty young scholars from universities, research institutions, international organizations, and related enterprises participated in this workshop to learn and discuss cutting-edge research and the latest practices in low-carbon transportation and future cities. This issue includes eight special lectures and one field research activity, lasting five days.
Lecture 1: Dual Carbon Goals and China's Regional Development Transformation (He Canfei)
On the morning of July 21, Professor He Canfei, Dean of the School of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University, delivered a keynote speech titled "Dual Carbon Goals and China's Regional Development Transformation." Professor He used abundant data, case studies, and research findings to explain the seriousness of climate change and analyzed the necessity of dual carbon goals from the perspectives of national security and people's well-being. He gave a detailed introduction to the relationship and challenges between China's economic development model and the dual carbon goals, and proposed strategies for regional industrial development and transformation under the dual carbon background. Professor He introduced the approach to coordinated development and governance across multiple fields and systems aimed at the dual carbon goals.
Lecture 2: Travel Behavior and Urban Spatial Transformation Driven by Future Transportation (Xia Haishan)
On the afternoon of July 21, Professor Xia Haishan from the School of Architecture and Art at Beijing Jiaotong University gave a keynote speech titled "Travel Behavior and Urban Spatial Transformation Driven by Future Transportation." Professor Xia introduced the topic from the perspective of transportation and scale space, introducing urban transportation transformation and the challenges faced. He thoroughly outlined the behavioral characteristics of future transportation and spatial response strategies. Professor Xia also gave vivid explanations on hot topics such as digital mobility, autonomous driving, and low-altitude transportation. He offered prospects and suggestions on the integration of future transportation and smart cities, as well as visions for future urban spaces.
Lecture 3: Urban Transportation Planning in Response to Climate Change: Theoretical Framework and Modeling Methods for Travel Behavior Interventions (Ma Liang)
On the morning of July 22, Professor Ma Liang, a researcher at the School of Urban Sciences and Environment at Peking University, gave a lecture titled "Urban Traffic Rules in Response to Climate Change: Theoretical Framework and Modeling Methods for Travel Behavior Interventions." The content is divided into three parts: a theoretical framework for travel behavior intervention based on economics and social psychology, behavioral modeling and policy evaluation methods, and practical experiences and policy tools for global active transportation promotion. The lecture focused on "travel behavior intervention," exploring how urban transportation can achieve low-carbon transformation by influencing individual behavior. It covered behavioral decision-making theories and mechanisms, international policy practices, modeling methods, and case studies, providing references for sustainable urban mobility systems.
Lecture 4: Carbon Reduction Estimation Methods Driven by Urban Rail Transit (Wang Zijia)
On the afternoon of July 22, Professor Wang Zijia from the School of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University gave a keynote speech on "Carbon Reduction Estimation Methods Driven by Urban Rail Transit." , and shared research findings with the participants. Professor Wang analyzed the composition of passenger carbon emissions in urban transportation and pointed out that rail transit, as the transfer and contractor of passenger transport structures, is conducive to achieving emission reduction targets; He also began from the principles of rail transit carbon reduction, providing a detailed introduction to the calculation methods and models for rail transit carbon reduction; Professor Wang also discussed topics related to low-carbon rail transit planning, design, and operation management.
On-site Research: Lanzhou New Area Hydrogen Energy Bus Demonstration Project
On the morning of July 23, the workshop delegation visited Lanzhou Lanshi Group for research and inspection, with the theme "Lanzhou New Area Hydrogen Energy Bus Demonstration Project." Led by staff, the participants first learned about the history of Lanshi Group, its corporate culture, as well as its industrial layout and planning display. Next, everyone visited the digital command system and control platform of Lanshi Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd., then proceeded to the heat exchange workshop and the superalloy intelligent forging workshop to systematically learn about the application of advanced technologies. The focus of the visit was the integrated green hydrogen production, storage, and utilization pilot demonstration base. Under expert explanations, everyone gained a solid understanding of the demonstration base's layout, water electrolysis hydrogen production and distributed hydrogen production technologies, and hydrogen storage technologies. In addition, workshop members also observed the bus hydrogen refueling station and photovoltaic charging station on site. Staff also answered questions about the current cost of green hydrogen, application scenarios for hydrogen energy, and safety.
Lecture 5: Transportation and Urban Collaborative Carbon Reduction from Diverse and Inclusive Perspectives (Zhang Chun)
On the afternoon of July 23, Professor Zhang Chun from the School of Architecture and Art at Beijing Jiaotong University gave a lecture titled "Collaborative Carbon Reduction in Transportation and Urban Areas from a Diverse and Inclusive Perspective." Professor Zhang first explained the importance of multi-sector carbon reduction at the urban scale, and through case studies, introduced TOD carbon reduction cases in Asian cities, Latin American countries, and developed cities. Subsequently, Professor Zhang introduced the impact mechanisms of commuting carbon emissions from national, Beijing, Shenzhen, and other perspectives, using Urumqi as a case study to discuss the potential challenges and complexities women face in reducing transportation carbon emissions. Professor Zhang also introduced low-altitude economic technologies, including drone aerial data collection, path and road hazard identification, and low-altitude delivery for urban villages. Professor Zhang shared the development of the Urban Rail Transit journal. Finally, Professor Zhang and the trainees discussed future application scenarios of low-altitude delivery, as well as issues such as transportation challenges faced by women from a global perspective.
Lecture 6: Responses and Challenges of Urban Land Use under the "Dual Carbon" Goals (Wang Yufei)
On the morning of July 24, Wang Yufei, a researcher from Management World magazine, gave a keynote speech titled "Responses and Challenges of Urban Land Use under the 'Dual Carbon' Goals." First, she introduced the relationship between urban carbon emissions and land use, including the current status of urban carbon emissions and land use, the mechanisms by which land use affects carbon emissions, and policy recommendations for urban land use in China. Next, she introduced the carbon reduction situation for different land uses, including low-carbon governance in industrial parks, urban low-carbon building development, urban low-carbon community construction, urban transportation carbon emission development, and blue-green infrastructure construction. Finally, the lecture focused on the impact of wind and photovoltaic energy on land use, focusing on the conflict between new energy and land use and the paths to resolve them.
Lecture 7: Research on Carbon Emission Estimation and Reduction Strategies for the Transportation Industry in the Gansu Section of the Yellow River Basin (Wang Hualan)
On the afternoon of July 24, Professor Wang Hualan from the School of Transportation at Lanzhou Jiaotong University gave a lecture titled "Carbon Emission Estimation and Reduction Strategy Research for the Transportation Industry in the Gansu Section of the Yellow River Basin." The lecture discussed the current development status of road transport in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin; It explores the scale and variation patterns of carbon emissions in highway transportation in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin, including key influencing factors of carbon emissions, spatial correlations of urban carbon emissions, and mechanisms of carbon emission effects; She proposed diversified road transport emission reduction strategies suitable for the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin.
Lecture 8: Planning and Design of Transport-Resilient Communities (Liu Daizong)
On the morning of July 25, Mr. Liu Daizong, Chief Representative for East Asia at the Institute for Transport and Development Policy (IDTP), gave a lecture titled "Planning and Design of Transport-Resilient Communities." Professor Liu reviewed the course of global warming and emphasized its actionsA global issue and an important backdrop for future economic and social development. He introduced a series of concepts related to climate change and governance, such as carbon trading, carbon markets, and carbon footprints, and detailed the background and connotations of China's "carbon neutrality" and "carbon peaking" strategies. On this basis, Professor Liu discussed the relationship between transportation, urban planning, and low carbon emissions through vivid examples such as emission calculations and comparisons between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as urban planning models in cities like Atlanta, Barcelona, and Copenhagen. Professor Liu emphasized that under the broader context of climate change, scientific urban planning and transportation infrastructure layout should be used to achieve orderly emission reductions and improve the living standards of the general public.
Roundtable discussion: Low-carbon transportation and various issues in future cities
On the afternoon of July 25, the workshop welcomed a wonderful "finale" event—the roundtable forum. The forum is divided into three parts. In the first part, Dean Qian Yongsheng, Professor Liu Daizong, and Professor Zhang Chun respectively summarized the theoretical framework and core research topics of low-carbon transportation and future cities from three aspects: essential logic and logical relationships, planning for the future and key construction, and research trends and hot topics. In the second part, three teachers will be the participants of the workshop Each question was answered in detail, and the author elaborated on topics such as the actual emission reduction effects of emerging technologies, the logical relationship between transportation and urban planning, sustainable investment and financing for low-carbon transportation and future urban construction, and career development planning for young scholars. In the third part, workshop participants divided into three groups and engaged in lively discussions on three topics: how to conduct low-carbon research from an interdisciplinary perspective, what urban transformations will future transportation trigger, and whether future new quality productivity will be led by technology. After the discussion, each group selects a representative to summarize their group's views and share them with participants and teachers. The roundtable discussion further deepened the discussions between teachers and students, sparking greater sparks through exchange and collision, and bringing the summer workshop to a successful close.
After the roundtable discussion, a brief closing ceremony was held for the workshop. The meeting featured a brief video reviewing the wonderful moments of all members and teachers during the five-day workshop. Qian Yongsheng, Dean of the School of Transportation at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, and Professor Zhang Chun from the School of Architecture and Art, Beijing Jiaotong University, delivered speeches, summarizing the significance and gains of the event, and extended sincere thanks and best wishes to the attending experts, scholars, and staff. Representatives of trainees from universities and enterprises shared their gains and insights. This summer workshop concluded successfully.
Contributed by Liu Wei, Li Wenjing, Huang Youcheng, Liu Jingyi, Liu Junyang
Photography by Li Yunhe
Proofread by Zhao Min
