News/Events

Ranked 12th globally and 3rd in Asia for Architecture, HKU’s MSc(SED) program blends theory with hands-on practice to shape future urban sustainability leaders. Established in 2022, this exclusive programme in Hong Kong empowers students to design resilient cities.

✨ Why Choose HKU‘s MSc(SED)?

📚 Exclusive Offering: The only programme of its kind in Hong Kong, led by top experts, integrating smart city management, urban resilience and sustainable design.

✈️ Global Exposure: A one-week field trip to Japan’s KEIO University for real-world learning on green buildings and BIM tools.

🌏 Diverse Cohort: Engage with other students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, enriching the cross-disciplinary learning environment.

👩‍🏫 Learn from the Best: International faculty with 70-80% industry experts, including Distinguished Fellow Wong Kam-sing.

🏆 Career Outcomes: 80-90% employment rate within a year, with graduates highly sought after in Hong Kong and mainland China.
 

Our MSc Sustainable Environmental Design (SED) students recently had an incredible experience visiting the Mai Po Nature Reserve (MPNR), an important nature reserve managed by the WWF dedicated to the protection of migratory birds. 🦆✨

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The day began with an enlightening lecture about the ecosystem and the ongoing conservation efforts at Mai Po. After the lecture, students were guided on an immersive tour of the wetland. During the tour, students had the chance to try their hand at bird watching and witness the diverse avian species in their natural habitat. 🐦🔭

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The trip was more than just an educational outing; it was a catalyst for future academic and professional collaborations. Inspired by the visit, some of our students have chosen WWF-related issues as the focus of their dissertation research. This partnership promises to elevate the students' research quality and contribute innovative technological and design solutions to address challenges at MPNR. 🌱🔬

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We are thrilled about the potential of this collaboration to enhance our students' learning experience while supporting WWF in their vital conservation work. Stay tuned for more updates on how our students and WWF are working together to make a difference! 🌍💚​

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Instructors: Chao Ren, Siqi Jia

Teaching Assistant: Wangyizhang Zhou

Happy new semester! On the second day of this semester, our SED students took a field trip to O PARK 2, an innovative facility that transforms food waste into renewable energy and recycled products. 🌱 We were also fortunate to have a detailed presentation given by China State Construction, sharing valuable insights into O Park 2's carbon reduction strategies from construction to operation.

Our students actively engaged in discussions with O Park 2 staff. It was an eye-opening visit to learn about the O Park 2’s operations and the significant strides it is making in reducing carbon emissions. This practical exposure not only complements our theoretical learning but also inspires us to contribute to sustainable development.

We're thrilled to be part of this journey where every day is a chance to learn something new, and every step takes us closer to a more sustainable future. 🌍

Instructors: Chao Ren, Kam Sing Wong, Siqi Jia

Teaching Assistant: Wangyizhang Zhou

Three students from the SED program were honored with the SEED6204 Dissertation Award for Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Design for their outstanding researches. The award aims to recognize their exceptional dissertations, which demonstrate innovative thinking and in-depth research. Each recipient received a prize of HK$6,000 as a testament to the excellence of their work. We congratulate these students for their outstanding academic output and sincerely wish them continued success in all their future endeavors!

Congratulations to Dr. Ren Chao for two research projects awarded in the Research and Planning Category: Research of the Green Building Award 2023 organized by the Hong Kong Green Building Council!
The Research Impact Fund project titled “Increasing the Resilience to the health impacts of extreme weather on elderly people under future climate change” has been awarded the Merit Award. It is an interdisciplinary collaborative research project to study the impacts of extreme hot weather on senior citizens and to develop guidance to help provide a better living environment and support services for senior citizens under future climate change. The main research teammates are from CUHK, HKU, HKUST and CityU.
The other research project titled "Monitoring and Assessing the Built-up Environment for Sustainable Urban Development" has been shortlisted as a finalist. The process of urbanization in China has rapidly developed in recent decades and will continue to do so, resulting in challenges for urban planning and management. By monitoring and assessing the internal morphology and environment of built-up areas, this project provides a scientific basis for urban environmental governance and the planning and construction of public service facilities to promote sustainable development. The joint research conducted has developed a multi-dimensional identification framework using remote sensing, GIS, cloud platforms, and machine learning to assess built-up area morphology and predict carbon neutrality and climate adaptation. The methods and frameworks developed have been applied successfully in high-density cities and urban agglomerations and will continue to be expanded to more cities, serving sustainable urban construction and development. Dr. Chen Guangzhao, an Assistant Research Professor in our Division, also contributed to this project. The main research teammates are from CUHK, HKU HKUST, Wuhan U, Liverpool U, Nankai U, Tsinghua U, and Sun-Yat-Sen U.

早前颱風小犬襲港掛9號波，逾1.6萬人滯留機場，政府被炮轟應變差。反觀喺香港大學任教嘅前環境局局長黃錦星先後遇到兩個颱風，都話要應變喎。佢嘅應變方法有冇效呢？本身係環保人士嘅黃錦星，離開官場後，依家喺港大執教鞭，教嘅當然同環保有關。佢喺社交平台貼文，劈頭第一句就話「處處風波風雨浪接浪？」唔通校內有風波？唔係，係講緊打風。

佢話港大今個學期，佢第二年幫手任教「可持續環境設計」（MScSED）碩士班，原定9月1、2號連續雙日開課，竟撞正超強颱風「蘇拉」！自然要應變，延遲咗日期開課。

撞正蘇拉後，佢話近周末嘅最終考察日，又險些撞上10月秋颱「小犬」！兩個颱風之間，更經歷咗500年一遇嘅非常世紀黑雨，引致廣泛嚴重水淹山崩等極端事故！唔單止咁，佢話其實今年9月，不忘仲有破紀錄嘅高溫熱浪。
 
倡市民支持氣候行動

佢話呢啲本地實景有力「教材」，非同小可，或者可助力啟發今屆碩士生學習氣候行動！但佢覺得市民都要同行支持氣候行動，事關應對全球氣候變化嘅挑戰巨大，要全民皆兵，包括低碳生活人人有責，佢亦希望年輕人好好學以致用，快啲投入職場氣候行動。
 

早前颱風小犬襲港掛9號波，逾1.6萬人滯留機場，政府被炮轟應變差。反觀喺香港大學任教嘅前環境局局長黃錦星先後遇到兩個颱風，都話要應變喎。佢嘅應變方法有冇效呢？

​

本身係環保人士嘅黃錦星，離開官場後，依家喺港大執教鞭，教嘅當然同環保有關。佢喺社交平台貼文，劈頭第一句就話「處處風波風雨浪接浪？」。唔通校內有風波？唔係，係講緊打風。

​

佢話港大今個學期，佢第二年幫手任教「可持續環境設計」(MScSED) 碩士班，原訂9月1、2號連續雙日開課，竟撞正超強颱風「蘇拉」！自然要應變，延遲咗期開課。

​

撞正蘇拉後，佢話近周末嘅最終考察日，又險些撞上10月秋颱「小犬」！兩個颱風之間，更經歷咗500年一遇嘅非常世紀黑雨，引致廣泛嚴重水淹山崩等極端事故！唔單止咁，佢話其實今年9月，不忘仲有破紀錄嘅高溫熱浪。

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佢話呢啲本地實景有力「教材」，非同小可，或者可助力啟發今屆碩士生學習氣候行動！但佢覺得市民都要同行支持氣候行動，事關應對全球氣候變化嘅挑戰巨大，要全民皆兵，包括低碳生活人人有責，佢亦希望年輕人好好學以致用，快啲投入職場氣候行動。

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Dr. Ren Chao and Dr. Chen Bin from the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture, Division of Landscape Architecture are named in the 2023 world’s top 2% of Scientists List that was released on 4 October 2023 by Elsevier published data-update for “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators”.

Dr. Ren Chao specializes in applied climatology and climate design and uses GIS, spatial modeling methods, and remote sensing techniques to study urban environmental performance and develop climate response design strategies and guidelines. Dr. Chen Bin has been named in the list for 3 consecutive years since 2021. He specializes in most aspects of geoscience and remote sensing, specifically multi-source data-model fusion and geospatial big data analysis in the field of urban and environmental health science to investigate the interaction loop between environmental change, human activities, and public health.

This database provides standardized information on various citation metrics, such as citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, and a composite indicator called c-score. The database classifies scientists into different scientific fields and sub-fields and also includes career-long data updated until the end of 2022 and data for the single recent year (2022). The selection of scientists in the database is based on their c-score or a percentile rank of 2% or above in their respective sub-field.

Congratulations to Dr. Ren Chao, Dr. Yang Yiyang, and Miss Tsang Ka Lai for being the finalists of the RTPI “2023 RTPI Awards for Research Excellence”! The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is an international professional organization for town planners, with a membership of over 27,000 in 88 countries. The RTPI Awards for Research Excellence celebrate outstanding research within the planning community.

Dr. Ren Chao and Dr. Yang Yiyang’s Publication: The Sir Peter Hall Award for Excellence in Research and Engagement
- Title: Moderation effect of visible urban greenery on the association between neighborhood deprivation and subjective well-being
- Description: This interdisciplinary research team utilizes urban data and techniques to investigate the intricate connection between urban greenery, neighborhood deprivation, and subjective well-being in high-density Asian contexts. The study reveals that subjective well-being is negatively impacted by social fragmentation but positively influenced by overall greenery and visible greenery. The research emphasizes the importance of visible greenery in mitigating the negative effects of social fragmentation on well-being, offering insights for urban planners and designers to address health inequalities and achieve Sustainable Development Goals in planning practice.

Miss Lilian Ka Lai Tsang's Thesis Project: Student Award
- Title: Re-examination and Optimization of Green Infrastructure Quality: Creating Heat Resilient Neighborhood in a High-Density City
- Description: This research develops an evaluation framework to assess the quality of green infrastructure (GI) and proposes strategies for enhancing GI quality and creating heat-resilient neighborhoods in high-density cities. The study focuses on the Yau Mong neighborhood as a representative case study and suggests design strategies to systematically improve GI quality and create a thermally comfortable environment at both the neighborhood and city levels.