Urban and Public Space Design Lecture Successfully HeldTime：2026-05-13
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On May 12, 2026, the keynote lecture titled "Cities Like Books: The Narrative of Urban Space", focusing on urban and public space design, was successfully held across the two cities of Florence, Italy, and Ningbo, China. The event was jointly organized by the Ningbo Yinzhou District Association for Science and Technology, the Sino-Italian Design Exchange Centre (SIDEC), and DoBe Italy. It was co-organized by the Ningbo Yinzhou District Civil Engineering and Architecture Society and the Ningbo Yinzhou District Planning and Design Institute, with official support from the City Council of Florence.
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The event brought together leading professional forces from the architectural and design sectors of both China and Italy. Senior leadership from the Ningbo Yinzhou District Association for Science and Technology, the Yinzhou District Civil Engineering and Architecture Society, and the Yinzhou District Planning and Design Institute attended the event. They were joined by industry experts, scholars, and corporate elites from both Ningbo and Florence to engage in a high-level academic dialogue on urban renewal, cultural identity, and spatial narratives.
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The keynote was delivered by Professor Stefano Follesa, a professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Florence and an "Italian Design Ambassador" appointed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Professor Follesa also serves as the Director of the Design Relations Spaces Laboratory (DSR Lab) at the University of Florence, a Professor of Interior Design at the Florence Free Academy of Fine Arts (LABA), and a Visiting Professor at several world-renowned institutions, including Tongji University and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He possesses profound academic expertise in the fields of cultural diversity, local identity, and spatial narrative design.
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In his lecture, Professor Follesa used "Cities Like Books" as a core metaphor to systematically explain how narrative design serves as a powerful tool to activate the cultural essence and economic value of a city. He noted that with global tourism contributing nearly one-tenth of the global GDP, cultural uniqueness has become the core of urban competitiveness. In an era dominated by digital life, there is a growing desire to return to authentic physical spaces with emotional resonance. Narrative design, he argued, acts as the thread that weaves cultural fragments into a continuous experience, allowing designers to transcend being mere "givers of form" to become "collectors and narrators of local memory."
During the interactive session, designers and academic representatives from Ningbo engaged in deep discussions with Professor Follesa on topics such as the "localized application of narrative design in China’s urban renewal" and the "contemporary revitalization of cultural heritage." Addressing the challenges of homogenization faced by Chinese cities during rapid modernization, Professor Follesa shared insights from his teaching practice in China: "Every city has its own unique 'chapters.' Design should strive to uncover those forgotten stories. Narrative design can serve as a 'soft bridge' connecting historical legacy with future visions, endowing spaces with enduring vitality."
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The year 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Ningbo and Florence. Over the past two decades, cooperation between the two cities in technology, culture, and economy has continuously deepened. As the second event in this series, the lecture continued the deep exploration of Sino-Italian design collaboration models, vividly demonstrating the complementary strengths and innovative practices of the two cities in architecture and spatial design. As a vital link in this exchange, the Sino-Italian Design Exchange Centre remains committed to connecting top academic and industrial resources from both nations. Moving forward, the Centre will continue to build high-level international platforms, using "design" as a cross-cultural language to help Chinese cities find their voice in the global dialogue and jointly write new chapters in urban spatial narrative.