A delegation of 18 mayors, urban development directors and officials from the Guangdong province in China are visiting DTU this week. The visit is part of a two-week training programme, aimed at creating sustainable cities in China.
The delegation represent around 90 million citizens in the Guangdong province—the most populous province in China. The mayors will be visiting major cities such as Copenhagen and Aarhus; and, through lectures and site visits, our honourable guests will learn about sustainable cities in Denmark and how Danish municipalities, companies, and universities address matters such as energy, lighting, water, waste, construction and indoor climate.
During their visit to DTU, the mayors will visit e.g. PowerLabDK (an experimental platform for electric power and energy) and DOLL (Danish Outdoor Lighting Laboratory) and receive lectures from a number of departments and researchers.
On September 7th, the delegation was welcomed by DTU’s President Anders Bjarklev:
“By 2050, more than 50 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. This represents new and increasing challenges such as limited—or no—access to energy, clean water, and clean air. The aim of this programme is therefore inspire the creation of more environmentally friendly, livable and prosperous cities. I believe the training programme will be a golden opportunity for the partners to share learnings, experiences, and knowledge.”
The Chinese ambassador to Denmark, H.E. Mr. Liu Biwei, also spoke to the delegation, welcoming the collaboration between China and Denmark:
“China is a country on the move. China is changing every day, so we need to bring together every good idea from all over the whole world. Denmark is a modern country with a long history of sustainability and a myriad of good ideas. I am confident that the mayors will return to China, after their two-week stay, having learned a lot about Denmark and with a lot of useful and applicable knowledge.“
The Chinese Mayors Training Programme is a collaborative effort between the Chinese Association of Mayors, Tsinghua University, Grundfos, DTU, and State of Green—a Danish public-private partnership.