OnthemorningofNovember8,duringthe8thWuhanDesignBiennale,the2025UNESCOCitiesofDesignRoundtablewasheldattheWuhanInternationalExpoCenter.RepresentativesfrommultiplecreativecitiesintheUnitedKingdom,Mexico,Thailand,China,Japan,andothercountriesgatheredintheRiverCitytojointlyexploretheroleofartificialintelligence,digitaltechnology,andotherinnovationsinenhancingtheglobalcompetitivenessofculturalcreativity,andexchangeoutstandingpracticesforpromotingurbansustainabledevelopment.

EventOrganizationandOpeningRemarks

HostedbytheWuhanMunicipalBureauofNaturalResourcesandUrban-RuralConstruction,theroundtablekickedoffwithopeningremarks.HeMei,ChiefPlanneroftheWuhanMunicipalBureauofNaturalResourcesandUrban-RuralConstruction,statedinherspeechthatasa"CityofDesign"intheUNESCOCreativeCitiesNetwork,Wuhanisacceleratingthein-depthintegrationof"Design+Technology","Design+Manufacturing",and"Design+Life".Designisempoweringurbaninnovativedevelopment,industrialtransformationandupgrading,andtheimprovementofpeople'slivelihoodquality.

ShepointedoutthatWuhaniscurrentlyinacriticalstageofbuildinganinternationalmetropolis.Designisnotonlyanaestheticcreationbutalsoanimportantdrivingforceforurbangovernance,industriallayout,andsocialdevelopment.Throughtheopenplatformofthe"CityofDesign",Wuhanwillcontinuetodeepencooperationwithglobalcreativeanddesigncities,promotingmoredesigninnovationachievementstobenefitpeople'slivesandservedevelopment.

ThematicSharingSession

InsightsonDesignintheAIEra

DavidGrossman,formerPresidentoftheInternationalCouncilofDesign,deliveredaspeechtitled"TheNeedforClarity:Design,Creativity,Work,andProfessionalismintheAgeofArtificialIntelligence".HeemphasizedthatAIcangreatlyimprovedesignefficiencyandunlockcreativepotential,buttechnologicalprogresshasneverdiminishedthevalueofdesign.

Designisnotonlyacommercialtoolbutalsoasocialforceforimprovinghumanlife.Ithasexistedsinceearlyhumanssharpenedstonetoolsandmadeclothes,withitscorealwaysbeing"creationforlife".Henotedthattherootsofdesigndatebacknotjust200yearstotheVictorianera,butoveramillionyearsagowhenourancestorsdevelopedthecognitiveabilitiesandphysicalattributestomanipulatematerialsandreshapetheirenvironment—fromsharpenedstonesthattransformedhumansfrompreytopredators(productdesign)toanimal-skinclothingthatenabledsurvivalintheIceAge(fashiondesign).

AIApplicationinArchitecturalDesign

LorenzoBarrionuovo,founderandarchitectofARQTELBARCELONAfromSpain,sharedthefull-cycleapplicationofartificialintelligenceinarchitecturaldesign.HestatedthatAIcanrealizefunctionssuchasschemegeneration,costprediction,energyconsumptionoptimization,andsafetymonitoring,significantlyimprovingefficiencyandhelpingachievegreenandlow-carbongoals.

However,AIapplicationalsofacesriskssuchasdatabias,privacyleakage,andethicaldisputes.Thereisanurgentneedtoestablishsoundreviewandaccountabilitymechanismstoensurethesafetyandcredibilityoftechnologicalapplication.

ReformofDesignEducation

WangYunlong,ProfessoroftheSchoolofDesignatJianghanUniversity,putforwardinhiskeynotereportthatartificialintelligenceisreshapingtheboundariesandstructureofdesigneducation.Universitiesshouldbuildacompoundtalenttrainingsystemof"AI+Design",promotingthetransformationofteachersfrom"knowledgetransmitters"to"creativityguides",andcultivatinganewgenerationofdesignerswithcriticalthinkingandinnovativespirit.

Heproposedtheeducationalconceptoftripartiteintegrationof"Design—Data—Humanities",emphasizingthatartificialintelligenceshouldserveasatooltostimulatecreativityandpromotehuman-machinecollaboration,ratherthanathreattoreplacecreators.Headdedthatfuturedesignwillnotonlybevisualbutalsoinvolvemulti-levelintegrationoftechnology,culture,andemotion,requiringdesignerstofindtheiruniqueexpressioninanincreasinglyhomogenizedmarketandinterprettheworldfromdistinctperspectives.

CreativeCityCaseSharingSession

RepresentativesfromJapan,Singapore,Mexico,andothercountriesshowcaseddistinctivedesigninnovationpractices,demonstratingthediversedevelopmentpathsofglobalcreativecities.

Asahikawa,Japan:Withthetheme"ThePossibilitiesandResponsibilitiesofDesignInspiredbytheForest",representativesintroducedthecity'sexperienceindevelopingthefurnituredesignindustrybasedonforestresources.Asahikawa,withapopulationofapproximately315,000,hasseentheutilizationrateoflocalhardwoodrisefrom26.9%in2014to78%in2024,reflectingtheintegrationofsustainabledesignconceptsinecologyandindustry.Theyalsopresentedtheupcoming2026AsahikawaDesignWeek,showcasingthecity'sdevelopmentpathinspiredbyforests,withbothecologicalresponsibilityandhumanisticwarmth.

Manchester,UK:Representativesdeliveredareporttitled"FromManchester,fortheWorld",sharingthecity'ssuccessfulexperienceindrivingthecreativeeconomythroughthedualenginesof"Culture+Technology".Itdemonstratedaninnovativeecosystemintegratingurbanrenewalanddesigneducation.

ChiangRai,Thailand:Throughthe"RECODEProject",representativesintroducedtheapplicationofdesignindisasterpreventionandcommunitybuilding,presentinginternationalexperiencesofdesigninterveninginsocialgovernance.

SummaryandConclusion

Theroundtablewasheldinawarmatmosphere.ExpertsfromhomeandabroadunanimouslyagreedthatWuhan,withitsprofoundhistoricalheritageandtechnologicalinnovationvitality,isoneofthemostpromisingnodesintheglobalcreativecitiesnetwork.Wuhan'sinnovativepracticesinecologicalcivilizationconstruction,communityrenewal,anddesigneducationarebecominga"Chinesemodel"attractinginternationalattention.

WuJunqin,SecretaryofthePartyLeadershipGroupandDirectoroftheWuhanMunicipalBureauofNaturalResourcesandUrban-RuralConstruction,statedinherclosingspeechthatthe8thWuhanDesignBiennalehasfullyexpandedtheboundariesofdesign,turningthecityintoanexhibitionhallandcitizensintoparticipants,andpromotingtheintegrationofdesignintocommunities,campuses,anddailylife.

Sheemphasizedthatalthoughartificialintelligencecandrawonhumanachievements,thecoreofdesignhasalwaysbeenhumanwisdom.Thegovernmentwillcontinuetobuildplatformsandimprovemechanismsfordesigninnovation,stimulatethecreativevitalityofthewholesociety,andpromotetheconstructionofthe"CityofDesign"totakerootinpeople'shearts.

Fromartificialintelligencetoculturalinnovation,fromeducationreformtourbanpractice,the2025UNESCOCitiesofDesignRoundtableisnotonlyagrandeventofdesignbutalsoaglobaldialoguefacingthefuture.Withanopenandinclusiveattitude,Wuhanisworkinghandinhandwiththeworldtocreateanewurbanvisionof"designdrivingthefuture".