HANGZHOU—June 14 saw the commencement of the “Data, Landscape, Culture Lecture Series” held by the CMIC and Harvard University. This event was conducted by professors from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was hosted by Prof. Zhang Chan of the CMIC. Its aim was to widen students’ exposure to the digital cultural landscape and to put theory into practice. The series was carried out in two parts: online lecture and group presentation. 43 CMIC students participated in this event.

The first lecture was given by Prof. Niall Kirkwood from Harvard University. He introduced the concept of landscape and gave insights about its importance by showing designs by his students. Students were able to grasp a deeper understanding through his elaboration on Kiberia and the recovery after Hurricane Sandy. In addition, Prof. Kirkwood shared about two other topics, namely “The Poetics of Construction: Seeing, Judging, Thinking in Contemporary Landscape” and “Leading the Fifth Industrial Revolution: The Roles of Design, Ecology and Nature”.

In the second session, Dr. Nie Xuanyi shared his thoughts on urban space with adaptivity and health. Dr. Nie proposed a blueprint of a highly livable environment from eight dimensions. He also discussed with students the determinants of a healthy society and the relationship between social capital and mental health.

Prof. Mary Anne Ocampo shared about “Campus Planning and Design” and her research experiences. As her team places focus on local culture, she emphasized preexisting facilities and flaws of a space and provided suggestions accordingly during the lecture. 

The five-day event concluded with a presentation session by the participants. They were divided into eight groups to discuss and explore digital cultural landscape along with guidance from the professors.