Author: Zachary Mark Jones

Politecnico di Milano, Building 12, 2nd floor, Sala Riunioni
25 September – 11:00

PhD Candidate Siyuan Li presents her ongoing research. This seminar explores how the “Singapore Model” of urban planning, characterized by its modular and state-led structure, has been selectively transferred and adapted through China–Singapore government-to-government collaborations. Focusing on the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City case studies, the presentation examines how planning knowledge is mobilized, reinterpreted, and reshaped within different institutional settings. It highlights how different components of the “Singapore Model” are selectively adopted or contested locally. The seminar also reflects on Asia’s emerging role not only as a recipient, but as a generator and circulator of urban planning knowledge.

Introduction: Davide Ponzini (Politecnico di Milano)

Discussants:
Chye Kiang Heng (DoA, National University of Singapore)
Paolo Scrivano (Politecnico di Milano)

Politecnico di Milano
9 September, 2025 – 15:00

PhD Candidate Huilei Cao presents her ongoing research on transnational projects developed in relation to heritage sites. Internationally recognized architects are often mobilized as global brands and personified symbols of design excellence. However, their design ambitions are consistently reshaped through complex negotiations with institutional, economic, and cultural conditions, especially in projects situated in historic contexts. The research by Huilei explores how transnational architecture production in heritage-related urban projects is shaped by global ambitions and local strategies and actors. The findings suggest that transnational architecture evolves not as a simple circulation of global projects, but as a dynamic process in which global ambitions are anchored and transformed within diverse local urban strategies.

Introduction: Professor Davide Ponzini (Politecnico di Milano)

Discussants: 
Professor Kan LIU (Tongji University)
Professor Jiang WU (Tongji University)
Professor Minghao ZHOU (Tongji University)