International Workshop on Urban Landscapes (IWUL) is an annual international workshop held by landscape architecture undergraduate programs from Asian universities in Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul, and Hong Kong. The aim is to enhance the research capability of scholars and students from the participating universities, and to keep them abreast of new and challenging topics of urban landscapes.
THEi’s landscape architecture undergraduate program has participated in IWUL since 2015. In 2021, the program has the honour to host IWUL, with the theme ‘Resilient Cities: Landscape Remediation’. The research site is Pokfulam Village, one of the last remaining squatter village on Hong Kong Island. The workshop had five main research themes, namely district-level water systems, village-level water systems, hygiene and waste, culture and land, and vacant land and underused sites. IWUL 2021 was held online from 2 to 10 August, including 8 public online seminars on various topics of landscape resilience, virtual site visits to Pokfulam Village and other relevant sites, design workshops, and a final presentation.
During the workshop, participants from the five universities were split into five teams assigned with one research theme. Not only did they have thought-provoking discussions and exchange ideas, they also attended insightful seminars related to sustainable planning and design of resilient landscapes. The workshop concluded with a final presentation where students presented their conceptual proposals on enhancing the resilience of Pokfulam Village.