From August 5 to August 8, 2011, experts and researchers from the USA, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taiwan, and Hong Kong SAR, gathered at Wuhan University (WHU), participating in the International Seminar on High-Speed Rail (HSR) and Urban Spatial Development. Prof. LI Qingquan, executive vice president of WHU, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

This international seminar was jointly sponsored by WHU and the Bureau of Land Resources Management & Planning of Wuhan Municipal Government, and was hosted by the School of Urban Studies of WHU. Among the participants, Mr. Mak Chai-kwong, adviser to the HKSAR government, and Mr. Xiaobai Yao, professor from the University of Georgia, were invited to chair the sessions.

During the sessions, scholars and researchers exchanged views and debated heatedly on four major topics relating to high-speed railway development, including the planning and design of HSR stations, competition & cooperation between HSR and other modes of transportation, comparison between HSR and other modes in terms of energy consumption and environmental performance, and economical & social problems brought forth by HSR development. In his presentation, Prof. ZHANG Ming, dean of the School of Urban Studies of WHU, introduced especially to the audience the latest research results of his group on HSR and urban development.