On the morning of May 24, the 2026 SEU-PENN International Summer School officially kicked off at the Sipailou Campus, SEU. More than 70 faculty members and students from 金沙娱乐城 (SEU), 金沙 of Pennsylvania (PENN), and Zhejiang 金沙 (ZJU) gathered together to embark on a two-week Sino-U.S. joint research and academic innovation journey.
The SEU–U.S. Summer School is an innovative initiative launched in active response to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s major initiative of “inviting 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study over five years,” and to implement the spirit of his important reply letter and encouraging remarks. Centered on the theme“Global Wholesale-Evolving Rural-Urban Communities within Distributed Networks of Flows”, this year’s summer program marks the third consecutive year that SEU and PENN have jointly built this high-level international platform for teaching and academic exchange, following the successful programs of “Design with Nature in 2024” and “Innovative Rural-scape in 2025”.Taking “mobility” as its perspective and “interconnectivity” as its guiding thread, the program brings together renowned scholars and young students from China and the United States in the fields of architecture, planning, and design. Focusing on the profound transformation of urban and rural spaces in the context of global trade restructuring and the digital economy, the program promotes in-depth interdisciplinary and cross-regional research, learning, and collaborative innovation.
At the opening ceremony, representatives from SEU and PENN jointly addressed all participants, expressing their hope that young scholars would cultivate a global perspective, deepen their expertise, broaden their academic horizons, and strengthen their innovative capacities through cross-cultural exchange and field-based practice, thereby contributing professional insight to the sustainable, equitable, and inclusive development of urban and rural communities.A representative of the School of Architecture, SEU, noted that the transformation of global wholesale trade and the restructuring of global supply chains are continuously reshaping urban and rural spatial forms and community structures. Focusing on the dynamics of urban–rural interaction driven by commodities and industry, this year’s summer school not only carries forward the century-long academic collaboration between the two universities but also serves as an important initiative for advancing international talent cultivation and promoting innovation in urban and rural studies.
This year’s summer school centers on key topics such as global commodity metabolism, manufacturing spaces, transnational labor symbiosis, and the reconfiguration of digital spaces, offering a systematic program of teaching and research. Through an integrated approach combining theoretical lectures, thematic workshops, academic seminars, and multi-site field investigations, the program provides participants with a comprehensive platform that deeply connects academic learning with practical innovation. It aims to support young scholars in exploring the mechanisms behind the reconfiguration of urban–rural boundaries while cultivating interdisciplinary talent with global perspectives and cross-cultural communication skills.During the program, renowned scholars from leading Chinese universities and the 金沙 of Pennsylvania were also invited to deliver a series of cutting-edge academic lectures. Topics covered included new bottom-up urbanization, iterative design for science and technology cities, global digital trade hubs, and innovations in logistics spaces. Together, these activities offer participants an international curriculum that combines academic depth with practical relevance.
The summer school will take place from May 20 to June 3, with Shanghai, Nanjing, Yiwu, Dongyang, and Hangzhou serving as the primary sites for study and research activities. The program will conduct thematic field investigations and joint teaching sessions in multiple stages. The event is hosted by SEU, organized by the School of Architecture and the International Cooperation Department, and co-organized by theStuartWeitzman School of Design at Penn and the Center for Balance Architecture at ZJU.
The architectural ties between SEU and PENN span more than a century. In the early twentieth century, pioneering Chinese architects such as Yang Tingbao and Tong Jun studied at PENN before returning to China to teach and conduct research at SEU, laying a vital foundation for modern architectural education and practice in China. Building on the success of the previous two summer schools, the 2026 program further strengthens its dual-track model by integrating theory and practice. Using the urban and rural spaces of the Yangtze River Delta and the dynamic settings of global commerce as living laboratories, the program promotes in-depth exchange and collaborative innovation among young scholars from China and the United States. It continues to develop an internationally influential joint education platform, cultivating future global talent in urban planning and architectural design while injecting new vitality into research and practical innovation in trade-driven urban and rural spatial development.
Source: SEU News Network
Translated by: Melody Zhang
Photos by: Liu Li
Edited by: Leah Li
