Forty years ago, commissioned by the former Ministry of Construction, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT, formerly Harbin Architectural and Civil Engineering Institute) sent a study group to MIT. Upon their return, they initiated the development of the urban design discipline at HIT, making it one of the first universities in China to systematically establish this field.
      Over the past four decades, HIT’s urban design discipline has evolved alongside China’s urban development agenda. Guided by a human-centered philosophy and a commitment to connecting knowledge with practice, it has made significant contributions to the discipline’s establishment, practical advancement, and the cultivation of specialized urban design professionals in China.
      Currently, China’s urban development has comprehensively entered a new stage of stock renewal and high-quality development, and urban design at HIT is embarking on a new round of disciplinary transformation and innovative exploration. At this important historical juncture, this special issue comprehensively presents HIT’s explorations in the inheritance and innovation of urban design.
      First, Disciplinary Review and Pedagogical Innovation
      The opening article, “From International Introduction to Local Practice: Four Decades of Exploration and Inheritance in Urban Design at HIT” authored by two scholars from HIT’s northern and southern campuses, systematically reviews the discipline’s development from its introduction via MIT to independent innovation. It summarizes four academic characteristics: practicality, process-orientation, locality, and institutionalism, offering valuable historical insights into the development of urban design education in contemporary China. Two pedagogical papers, “Scenario-Based Teaching Innovation for Historic District Renewal under University–Enterprise–Government Collaboration: A Case Study of Urban Design Practice on Central Street” and “Application of Serious Games in Multi-Stakeholder Urban Design Teaching: A Case Study of Harbin Huayuan Street Historic Block Renewal Course”, explore new approaches to educating future urban design professionals from the perspectives of integrating research with education and innovating teaching methods.
      It is particularly worth mentioning that, as senior professors at HIT, Zhao Zhiqing and Wu Songtao did not choose to present their respective teams’ practical projects. Instead, they coincidentally selected pedagogical papers, dedicating themselves to transforming their practical experience into educational resources for the next generation of designers. I believe this serves as a vivid footnote to the academic tradition of “integrating theory with practice” in urban design at HIT.
      Second, Global Vision and Local Practice
      Urban and rural historical and cultural heritage is not only the carrier of fine traditional Chinese culture but also the common heritage of all humanity. Harbin was born due to the Chinese Eastern Railway, and HIT also possesses a distinct international gene. Conducting research on urban landscape and characteristics based on world heritage and local culture has always been a distinct direction of urban design at HIT. Arthur Chen from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre contributes the article “The Chinese Eastern Railway as Infrastructural Heritage: Harbin, Urban Formation, and the Limits of Railway Heritage Evaluation” Using Harbin as a case study, the paper proposes a new framework of “infrastructural heritage” and demonstrates the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Chinese Eastern Railway as a cross-border railway heritage nominated for World Heritage status, contributing Chinese wisdom to the renewal of global railway heritage evaluation concepts.
      In addition, papers such as “Spatial Reproduction and Urban Identity in the Study of Industrial Memory Without Physical Relics：A Case Study of the Urban Design for Dajiang Innovation and Technology City, Chongqing,” “A Study on the Historical Accumulation of Old Industrial Communities of the ‘156 Projects’ in Heilongjiang Province Based on Historical Map Translation,” “Study on the Protection and Renewal Strategies for Key Areas in Historical Districts: A Case Study of Nangang District, Harbin” and “Research on the Collaborative Mechanism and Optimization Path of“Space–Business Format– Operation”for the Revitalization and Renewal of Historic Cultural Districts: A Case Study of the Harbin Chinese Baroque District” provide theoretical support and practical pathways for the refined protection and revitalization of historical cities from various perspectives, including the community level, landscape management, and business format synergy.
      Third, Cold-Region Characteristics and Human-Centered Care.
      The severe cold climate is the fundamental context that urban design in Harbin must address. Through local practice, this collection of papers delves into the unique propositions of urban design in cold regions: “Characteristic Inheritance of Harbin’s Outdoor Advertisements and Plaque Signs from the Perspective of Ice?City Culture: Practical Reflections Based on Special Planning for Outdoor Advertisements and Plaque Signs of Harbin City” “Fine-Grained Identification of Renewal Problems in Older Residential Communities Using a Multimodal Large Language Model: A Case Study of Harbin, China” explores the pathways for expressing regional culture on street interfaces; “Urban Design Research on “One Elderly and One Child” Facilities in Harbin Community under the Background of Cold-climate City Renewal - Taking the “Culture and Sports - Installation” Complete Community as an Example” and “Planning Strategies and Practice of Public Welfare Service Facilities in Community Life Circle of Cold Cities: A Case Study of Harbin New Area” focus on the allocation of public service facilities and the creation of all-age-friendly environments under severe cold conditions. [Detail] ...