Concordia and Shanghai cement a relationship
(From left) Noted Montreal architect Dan Hanganu, architect, Wei Li (M.Eng 1999) and Clarence Epstein pose in front of a statue of Norman Bethune at the opening of the Norman Bethune Exhibition in the Montreal Pavilion in Pudong Century Park, Shanghai.
Twenty years ago, Concordia became the first university in the western world to establish a joint doctoral program with an institution in China. Now the university is deepening that relationship by pursuing an exchange of ideas about universities in the urban environment.
On April 12, Urban Planning professor John Zacharias and Special Projects Director Clarence Epstein represented Concordia University in Shanghai, China, at the unveiling of an exhibit on Canadian doctor Norman Bethune.
Included in the exhibit at the newly reopened Jardin de Montréal in Shanghai is a display on the proposed changes to Place Norman Bethune on the corner of de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Guy St., in the heart of Quartier Concordia.
A joint project by Concordia University and the City of Montreal, Quartier Concordia is the urban renewal project for the area surrounding the Sir George Williams Campus that will position the university as one of the gateways to downtown Montreal.
Zacharias and Epstein travelled in China with Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay as part of an urban development mission.
While in Shanghai, the Concordia representatives signed a memorandum with Werkhart International, a top private architectural firm in China, to create an annual graduate scholarship in urban studies. Starting this fall, Werkhart will award a Chinese student up to $14,000 for a year of study at Concordia.
More than 1,000 Chinese students are currently attending Concordia on student visas.
At Tongji University, Zacharias gave a public lecture on the importance of involving university researchers and specialists in urban planning.
Epstein made a presentation on the partnership between the City of Montreal and Concordia on the Quartier Concordia Project. The mayor preceded these talks with a visual presentation on Montreal: City of Knowledge.
The mayor’s mission was intended to strengthen ties with Shanghai, which is Montreal’s sister city in China.
There are plans to hold an international conference in Shanghai in winter 2007, involving that city, Montreal and Paris, on the role of universities in major cities.