Planning for the metropolitan countryside: reflections from the Sino-UK symposium on rural planning and spatial governance

Abstract

Abstract The Sino-UK Symposium on Rural Planning and Spatial Governance, held at Tongji University, Shanghai, on the 21 and 22 June 2026, brought together scholars based in China and the United Kingdom to present research, and debate issues of shared concern, focused on understanding and delineating the ‘metropolitan countryside’. The Symposium put three critical issues under the spotlight: firstly, forms of planning appropriate to these areas; second, spatial governance, state capacity, and the role of communities in the future of the metropolitan countryside; and lastly, the importance of international knowledge networks in informing solutions to the complex challenges of such countryside areas. This paper extends the discussion started at the Symposium, drawing together insights from the UK participants and highlighting issues of common concern and the potential for further exchange.