On the morning of August 25, the "2025 International Symposium on Culture and Creativity-Driven Sustainable Urban Development (Wuhan)" opened at Wuhan Institute of City Planning and Design. As the first major international event co-hosted by three international organizations - UNESCO, UN-Habitat and UNWTO - in China, this symposium marks a key step in Wuhan's journey to build itself into a "City of Design". It will further promote exchanges and interactions between Wuhan and global creative network cities, help Wuhan build an international exchange center, and provide "Wuhan Model" and "international wisdom" for the development of sustainable cities worldwide.

The symposium is co-hosted by the Secretariat of UNESCO Creative Cities Network and Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Urban-Rural Construction, supported by UN-Habitat and UNWTO, and organized by Wuhan Institute of City Planning and Design and Wuhan Urban Planning Association.

During the event, leaders of Wuhan Municipal People's Government, representatives of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, Denise Bax (Secretary-General of UNESCO Creative Cities Network), Dato Wee Hong Seng (Mayor of Kuching South City, Malaysia - a "City of Gastronomy"), and other guests attended the opening ceremony. Ge Siying (Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO) and Ernesto Ottone R. (Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO) delivered speeches via video. Approximately 60 participants attended the symposium, including representatives from over 10 countries such as Italy, Egypt, Slovenia, Indonesia and Qatar; representatives from 15 Chinese Creative Cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Macao, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Jingdezhen, Qingdao, Chongqing, Changsha, Yangzhou, Huai'an, Quanzhou and Weifang; as well as domestic and foreign experts, scholars and institutional representatives.

Wu Junqin, Director of Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Urban-Rural Construction, delivered a speech titled "Taking Green as the Vein, Envisioning the Future". He introduced Wuhan's practices in promoting green and sustainable development as a "City of Design", with a focus on sharing the innovative achievements of the Phase III Project of East Lake Greenway. This project preserves a large number of native trees and historical landscapes, and integrates elements of science, education and campus culture. Since its connection, it has received over 12,000 visitors per day on average, becoming a high-quality slow-traffic system for cultural and leisure activities. As a "Chinese case", the Phase III Project of East Lake Greenway was included in the core outcome of the symposium - Culturally Driven Solutions for Sustainable Urban Tourism, which demonstrates Wuhan's successful experience in the coordinated development of ecology and tourism and provides a "Wuhan Solution" for the development of sustainable cities globally.

In the international case-sharing session, Ljubljana (Slovenia) introduced its practice of creating in-depth creative tourism by reviving traditional handicraft workshops; Bergamo (Italy) shared its model of promoting gastronomic cultural tourism by training professionals in the dairy supply chain; Dahab (Egypt) elaborated on its vision of taking sustainable tourism as the core of urban strategy; and Kuching South City (Malaysia) shared the cross-sectoral integrated development of local culture, sustainable tourism and urban renewal.

On the afternoon of August 25, the launch ceremony of Culturally Driven Solutions for Sustainable Urban Tourism was held at Chenhu International Town. Located in the southwest of Caidian District, Chenhu International Town focuses on the themes of wetlands and design, mainly developing creative design, ecological culture and tourism, and leisure and recreation industries. It is committed to building a zero-carbon town with "international functions, ecological environment, smart supporting facilities and unique experiences". Its core projects include a permanent venue designed by international architect Kengo Kuma, a wetland exhibition center designed by Hua Li, Ruyi Lane and Linglong Tower designed by Xiang Nan. At present, the main structure of these projects has been completed, and they are expected to be put into use in November.

Culturally Driven Solutions for Sustainable Urban Tourism is jointly developed by UNESCO, UN-Habitat and UNWTO. It aims to provide methodologies and toolkits for cities around the world to transform cultural resources into a driving force for sustainable and inclusive development. The inclusion of the Phase III Project of East Lake Greenway marks the international recognition of Wuhan's practices.

On August 26, the "Creative Cities Seminar and Thematic Exhibition" will be held at D+M Industrial Design Town - a demonstration park of Wuhan "City of Design". As an innovation agglomeration area centered on industrial design in Central China, D+M Industrial Design Town has built six public service platforms including an intelligent manufacturing experience center, a supply chain integration service platform, a CMFT (Color, Material and Finish Technology) innovation research center, and a rapid prototyping center. It provides services such as new product customization, technology integration and cultural communication, helping Wuhan build a highland for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. On the afternoon of the same day, the event will arrange two on-site research routes: one is to visit the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Test Demonstration Zone in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone to experience autonomous driving technology and Internet of Vehicles (IoV) applications; the other is to inspect the Phase III Project of East Lake Greenway to study the achievements in ecological restoration, cultural integration and slow-traffic system construction. Through on-site research, the participating guests can gain an in-depth understanding of Wuhan's cutting-edge practices in the integration of scientific and technological innovation and cultural tourism.

As an important series event of Wuhan's "City of Design" construction and the 8th Wuhan Design Biennale in 2025, this international symposium not only deepens the exchanges and cooperation between Wuhan and the international creative city network, extracts and promotes the "Wuhan Experience" in urban development, but also accumulates resources and builds consensus for creating a world-class "City of Design" with Wuhan characteristics. In the future, Wuhan will take the "City of Design" as a platform, further expand opening-up and cooperation, gather global resources, promote sustainable development through innovation and creativity, and strive to build an international exchange center.