200+ attendees joined NCKU's 28th National Land Planning Forum to advance consensus on national land neutrality

NCKU's Department of Urban Planning and the NCKU Research and Development Foundation hosted the 28th National Land Planning Forum at the NCKU Department of Urban Planning on April 20, 2024. The theme of the conference was "Net Zero Consensus X Collaboration: Cross-domain Dialogue and Spatial Practices towards Net Zero Pathway in National Planning," echoing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Taiwan's 2050 net-zero transformation objectives. Deputy Minister of the Interior Ching-Chun Hua delivered a keynote speech. Scholars and experts in spatial planning, environmental resources, and energy, among others, gathered for the event, with over 200 attendees participating in discussions and exchanges.

The conference began with remarks from Vice President Hong-Chen Chen of NCKU, followed by a keynote speech from Deputy Minister of the Interior Ching-Chun Hua on "Taiwan's Journey towards Implementing Spatial Policies for Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050," which discussed land use, ecological conservation, architecture, and how land planning responds to net-zero goals. Emphasis was placed on strengthening cross-ministerial communication and talent development in land planning, leading to roundtable discussions on the conference theme.

The panel discussion, moderated by Professor Yen-Jong Chen of NCKU's Department of Urban Planning, included Deputy Minister of the Interior Ching-Chun Hua, Director of the Renewable Energy Division at Taiwan Power Company Ying-Sheng Tsai, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Resource Sustainable Utilization at the Council of Agriculture Yu-Chen Wang, Professor Wei-Ju Huang from NCKU's Department of Urban Planning, and Vice Executive Director of the Earth Citizen Foundation Ching-Ting Huang. They sought consensus on the vision of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and outlined the actions and cooperation required from various sectors to realize the net-zero pathway in the future.

In the afternoon session, in addition to academic paper presentations on planning-related sub-topics, a seminar and discussion session on professional courses in land planning were held, focusing on "The Evolution of Planning Perspectives and Professional Knowledge." This served as a platform for enhancing land planning capacity and talent cultivation, filling knowledge gaps, and improving contemporary planning education. A "Career Sharing Session for Planning Professionals" was also organized, allowing experts from national planning and related professions to interact with students. This innovative approach aimed to enhance planning education, foster consensus, and promote the cultivation of professional planning talents needed in the current era.

Since its establishment in 1996, the NCKU Department of Urban Planning has continuously hosted the "National Land Planning Forum" for 28 sessions. Upholding its founding purpose, the forum provides a platform for participants to discuss critical issues in current national land planning, offer policy recommendations for land spatial planning and management, and guide the direction of national land spatial planning policies.