The recent CUPUM conference was an incredibly rewarding experience for the research team from HKUST (Guangzhou), marking their first collective participation at this prestigious international forum. Among the highlights was Minwei Zhao, a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Cai Wu at the Urban Morphology Studio, who was awarded the Best Early Career Paper Award—a delightful and unexpected recognition of her outstanding research contributions.

The team’s presence was marked by several impactful presentations and workshops across the four-day event. On Day 1, Dr. Mingshu Wang, Dr. Ziqi Li, and Dr. Cai Wu co-organized a well-received workshop exploring cutting-edge applications of AI and Machine Learning in urban planning, sparking insightful discussions and laying the groundwork for future collaborations.

Day 2 featured a presentation by Minwei Zhao, showcasing a novel GeoAI-based GGNN model designed to predict urban Origin-Destination (OD) flows. The work demonstrated substantial promise for enhancing urban mobility analytics.

On Wednesday, master’s student Guosheng Yang presented a poster on the innovative use of street-view heterogeneity in urban design, offering new perspectives on how visual variation in urban streetscapes can inform planning and design strategies.

The conference concluded with a presentation by PhD student Yunlei Su, who introduced pioneering research leveraging VR-based eye-tracking to capture urban perception, opening new methodological avenues for immersive urban studies.

The event also offered a meaningful opportunity for the team to reconnect with familiar faces at UCL CASA and build new relationships within the global urban research community. Their participation not only strengthened academic ties but also highlighted HKUST Guangzhou’s growing role in advancing interdisciplinary urban research.

Our team extends their sincere appreciation to UCL CASA for organizing such a successful and welcoming conference. The experience has undoubtedly laid a strong foundation for continued exchange and future advancements in the field.