Urban Systems Institute (USI) Summer Programme: Urban Intelligence

Organiser: Urban Systems Institute (USI) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Theme: Urban Intelligence – Integrating urban observation, theoretical modeling, AI agents, and socio-environmental-economic systems to support sustainable urban development.

Faculty

• Prof. Bin Chen, Associate Professor in the Division of Landscape Architecture, HKU

• Prof. Bo Huang, Chair Professor in the Department of Geography, HKU

• Prof. Xiaohu Zhang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU

• Prof. Yimeng Song, Assistant Professor in Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU

• Prof. Chao Ren, Professor in the Division of Landscape Architecture, HKU

• Prof. Chris Webster, Chair Professor (Urban Planning and Development Economics) in Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU

• Prof. Alec Kirkley, Assistant Professor in the School of Computing and Data Science and Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU

(Continuously updated)

Programme Date: 20 July 2026 – 24 July 2026 (Monday – Friday)

Daily Themes

• Day 1: Urban Observation and Sensing

• Day 2: Urban Theory and Modeling

• Day 3: AI + Urban Agents

• Day 4: Urban Social-Environmental-Economic Integration

• Day 5: Unfolding Hong Kong – Final Projects

Detailed Schedule

Day 1 (20 July 2026) – Urban Observation and Sensing

How cities are "seen" – from traditional data to real-time intelligent sensing

09:30–10:00

Opening Ceremony + USI Welcome Address + Ice-breaking Session

10:00–11:00

Lecture: The "Eyes" of Urban Intelligence – IoT, Remote Sensing, Mobile Big Data, and Citizen Science

11:10–12:30

Workshop 1: Hands-on with Hong Kong Open Data (QGIS + Air Quality, Traffic Flow, Population Heatmaps)

14:00–17:00

Field Trip: West Kowloon Cultural District (tentative)

Day 2 (21 July 2026) – Urban Theory and Modeling

Cities are not static – complex systems theory and computational modeling

09:30–10:30

Lecture: Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems (Prof. Chris Webster)

10:45–12:30

Workshop 2: Introduction to Urban Modeling with NetLogo / Python (Land Use, Traffic Flow, Population Dynamics)

14:00–16:00

Group Work: Project Brainstorming + Building a Basic Urban Model

16:00–17:00

Mentor Feedback Session

Day 3 (22 July 2026) – AI + Urban Agents

Letting cities "think" and make autonomous decisions – AI agents and digital twins

09:30–10:30

Lecture: AI-Empowered Urban Agents (Dr. Chao Huang or other AI faculty)

10:45–12:30

Workshop 3: Building Simple Urban AI Agents (Traffic Signal Optimisation, Emergency Evacuation, Generative Design)

14:00–16:00

Group Work: Integrating AI Agent Rules into Projects

16:00–17:00

Project Iteration + Mentor Feedback

Day 4 (23 July) – Urban Social-Environmental-Economic Integration

Human-centred intelligence beyond technology – triple bottom line assessment

09:30–10:30

Lecture: The Triple Bottom Line of Urban Intelligence (Social Equity, Environmental Resilience, Economic Vitality)

10:45–12:30

Workshop 4: Multi-Criteria Assessment Tools (GIS + Excel + Simple Decision Models)

14:00–16:00

Group Work: Integrating Outcomes into a Complete Intelligent Solution

16:00–17:00

Mentor Feedback + Project Synthesis (Integrated Urban Intelligence)

Day 5 (24 July) – Unfolding Hong Kong: Final Projects

Bringing theory to Hong Kong – unfolding real urban contexts from multiple dimensions

09:30–11:30

Final Presentations and Defence

11:30–12:00

Closing Ceremony: Certificate Presentation, Best Project Award

14:00–17:30

City Walk + Field Trip: Zero Carbon Park

Programme Details

• Application Deadline: 30 June 2026 (Rolling admission)

• Programme Fee: HK$11,600 (Early bird HK$9,600 by 31 May 2026)

• What the Fee Includes & Excludes:

  • Includes: Shuttle bus to West Kowloon Cultural District, teaching materials

  • Excludes: Meals, other transportation, insurance, accommodation

• Cancellation Policy: Full refund for cancellations made by 8 July 2026; no refund for cancellations made after 8 July

• Eligibility: Current Undergraduates

• Application Link: https://onlinepytsysprd.feo.hku.hk/event/111869?code=95b16c7d97194f9989dba9b6266c5f99

• Application Documents: CV required

• Participant Rewards:

  • All participants who complete the programme will receive a certificate of completion

  • Winners of the "Best Project Award" will receive an additional award certificate

  • Outstanding performers will be considered for priority admission to relevant USI master's programmes