On July 27, a launch event for PRINCIPLES OF URBAN ERGONOMICS and SHENJING GONGCHENG GUANLI DAOLUN, both published by China Architecture & Building Press, was held in Beijing. The event brought together core members of the books' authoring and editorial teams from Tsinghua University, Chongqing University, Central South University, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, and other universities. Under the overarching theme of "Building Foundations through Textbook Development and Cultivating Talent through Interdisciplinary Education", the event featured the launch of the two specialized interdisciplinary textbooks, discussions on teaching, and other related activities. It aimed to advance textbook development and talent cultivation in interdisciplinary fields such as urban ergonomics and neuromanagement in engineering. Attendees from China Architecture & Building Press included General Manager Yue Jianguang; Chen Hua, Deputy Director of the Education and Textbook Publishing Division; Senior Editor Zhang Jing; and Associate Senior Editors Mou Linlin and Bai Mingze.

The new books Principles of Urban Ergonomics and SHENJING GONGCHENG GUANLI DAOLUN are launched.

   

Covers of Principles of Urban Ergonomics 

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was chaired by Chen Hua, Deputy Director of the Education and Textbook Publishing Division of China Architecture & Building Press, who extended a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to the participating experts on behalf of the textbook editorial committees and the publisher.

In his address, Yue Jianguang, General Manager of China Architecture & Building Press, noted that, in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the housing and urban-rural development sector is accelerating its transition toward people-centered, high-quality development, while demand for professionals with expertise spanning multiple disciplines continues to grow in urban and rural development. The two textbooks launched at the event closely address the needs of this industry transition and represent key achievements in the publisher’s strategic expansion into interdisciplinary publishing. He added that the publisher would develop accompanying digital teaching resources and a repository of engineering case studies, further strengthen an integrated teaching support system, and promote the adoption of the textbooks in relevant degree programs at universities nationwide, thereby supporting the cultivation of professionals with multidisciplinary expertise for the industry.

Li Kaimeng, President of the Chinese Society of Technology Economics, emphasized that specialized textbooks provide an essential foundation for the development of emerging interdisciplinary fields. The two textbooks fill a gap in systematic theoretical works in their respective fields and establish a standardized, unified framework of knowledge, providing a solid theoretical foundation for academic exchange, talent cultivation, and industrial applications.

Professor Fang Dongping of Tsinghua University, President of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction  (CIB) and Chief Reviewer of SHENJING GONGCHENG GUANLI DAOLUN, observed that the two textbooks focus on different application contexts while sharing a common underlying logic. Together, they establish a foundation of knowledge for interdisciplinary research integrating neuroscience and ergonomics in urban and rural development, providing a solid academic basis for incorporating these areas into integrated undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Yue Jianguang, General Manager of China Architecture & Building Press, delivers an address.

Li Kaimeng, President of the Chinese Society of Technology Economics, delivers an address.

Professor Fang Dongping of Tsinghua University delivers an address.

Chen Hua, Deputy Director of the Education and Textbook Publishing Division of China Architecture & Building Press, chairs the opening ceremony.

Textbook Presentations and Teaching Discussions

During the textbook presentations and teaching discussions, lead editors of the two textbooks delivered academic presentations, systematically explaining the rationale behind their development, their contributions to disciplinary innovation, and practical approaches to incorporating them into university education and talent cultivation.

Professor Zhang Li, Dean of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, gave a thematic presentation on Principles of Urban Ergonomics. Included in the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development’s textbook development plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the book is also China’s first systematic specialist work in urban ergonomics. Grounded in the strategy of people-centered new-type urbanization and aimed at improving the quality of urban and rural living environments, it establishes a comprehensive theoretical framework, quantitative analytical methods, and application paradigms across multiple contexts for urban ergonomics research. It thereby provides systematic support for optimizing urban and rural spaces and creating better living environments.

Professor Zhang Li, Dean of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, introduces the textbook Principles of Urban Ergonomics.

Professor Ye Gui of Chongqing University delivered a presentation on SHENJING GONGCHENG GUANLI DAOLUN, tracing the development of neuromanagement in engineering from technological exploration to its formal establishment as a discipline. He explained the essential value of neuroergonomics technologies in addressing shortcomings in the management and control of human factors within conventional engineering management. Jointly edited by Professors Fu Hanliang, Ye Gui, and Chen Huihua, the book is a textbook planned and recommended by the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Guidance Subcommittee for Engineering Management and Construction Cost Engineering. It is also China’s first systematic textbook at the intersection of brain–computer interfaces and engineering management. Closely aligned with the national strategic plans for the brain–computer interface industry under the 15th Five-Year Plan, it integrates theories from multiple disciplines to establish a comprehensive body of knowledge encompassing fundamental theories, core technologies, and applications throughout the entire engineering project life cycle.

Professor Ye Gui of Chongqing University introduces the textbook SHENJING GONGCHENG GUANLI DAOLUN.

At the subsequent expert roundtable, Professors Fang Dongping, Zhang Li, Ye Gui, Zhang Yunhong, and Dong Weihua engaged in in-depth discussions on textbook development, disciplinary development, and improvements to curriculum structures. They offered views and recommendations on the development of the relevant academic fields and the cultivation of talent.

Expert roundtable discussion

The meeting also included a kickoff session for drafting a series of standards on interdisciplinary neuroergonomics technology systems. Participants reviewed proposals for two of the standards.

Group photo of meeting participants

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