Shenzhen Unveils New Urban Governance Blueprint: Urban Index Contributes Chinese Wisdom to Global Discourse

SHENZHEN, CN / ACCESS Newswire / February 13, 2026 / On January 30, at the 10th Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of UrbanismArchitecture, the “Shenzhen Urban Index Agenda (UIS)” was officially launched globally. Jointly developed by institutions including the Liaowang Institute under Xinhua News Agency, the agenda has been formulated with intellectual support from authoritative international bodies such as UN-Habitat and Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities, as well as guidance from Chinese and international experts and scholars. It embodies both a global vision and grounding in Chinese context.

The global governance system currently faces numerous challenges. China’s proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative provide direction for addressing these complex issues. The introduction of UIS represents a direct response to these global governance calls, transforming Shenzhen’s 45 years of experience as a Special Economic Zone into a public good for urban governance worldwide.

As a pioneering “testing ground” for reform and opening-up, Shenzhen has compressed centuries of urban development seen in advanced economies into just 45 years. It has comprehensively undergone critical phases like industrialization and urbanization, proactively tackling numerous complex challenges inherent in megacity growth. Rooted in this distinctive practice, UIS has distilled and formed an urban development assessment tool. Its core breakthrough lies in moving beyond the singular focus on rankings found in traditional city indices, fundamentally shifting the evaluation paradigm from “material-centric” to “people-centric.” It establishes residents’ actual experiences, sense of gain, sense of belonging, and quality of life as the ultimate metrics for urban success.

Diverging from internationally recognized indices that prioritize rankings, UIS focuses on “what kind of future a city is moving towards” and “how it can progress toward a better future.” Its constructed “6+19+50+X” indicator framework encompasses six core value dimensions-“Innovation, Livability, Beauty, Resilience, Civilization, and Intelligence”-along with 19 secondary dimensions, 50 specific indicators, and an open-ended ‘X’ category for future expansion and iteration. Additionally, it comprises a suite of components including the agenda framework, the “Three Wisdoms of People-Orientation” methodology, case studies, and dialogue platforms, effectively bridging macro-level concepts with actionable measures.

Mr. Shan Liang, Director of the Shenzhen Urban Planning & Land Resource Research Centre, emphasized that UIS serves as a navigation system, providing a “sextant” for positioning, a “compass” for direction, and a “dashboard” for strategy implementation. Its distinctive feature is that “it not only systematically reviews the past and assesses the present but, more importantly, is oriented toward the future.”

The launch of UIS has garnered extensive attention and high recognition from the international community. Lorenzo Barrionuevo, an expert from UN-Habitat, commented that a city must look beyond mere economics; it should not be treated solely as an economic machine. It is, more significantly, a habitat for citizens’ daily lives-a place where culture can flourish and life can prosper. UIS provides a “replicable and referable Chinese model” for global urban governance.

Professor Yu Keping of Peking University noted the crucial role of urban civilization and governance in global development. He expressed hope that the Shenzhen model of civilization could be extended nationwide and promoted globally.

UIS was pre-released at the 2025 China Marine Economy Expo and the “Understanding China” International Conference, where it attracted considerable interest. With 2026 designated as the APEC China Year, UIS is slated for further presentation at the UN World Urban Forum in May and the World Cities Summit in June, where its concepts and practical applications will be systematically elaborated.

Company: Xinhua News Agency Liaowang Institute
Contact: Zhong Guowu
Email: 1428201303@qq.com
Website: https://www.global-uis.cn/

SOURCE: Xinhua News Agency Liaowang Institute

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