(Correspondence: Zhang Zhiqiang) On 17OCT, 2019, The Institute of urban and regional economics (hereafter IURE) of School of Economics holds a conference on the theory as well as practices of regional economics.

Professor Manqi Jiang, Director of urban economics teaching and research association of China, preside over this conference. Professor Yicai Yuan, director of urban studies of ShenZhen social science academy, District Party Secretary of FuTian of Shenhen, Yuyin Lv makes the key notes speech respectively. The alumni that come from Hongkong SAR, Macao SAR as well as other provinces of China attend this conference.

Professor Yicai Yuan delivers a keynotes speech about the development of urban clusters for Hongkong, Macao and Guangdong Bay area. He analyzes the status quo of the bay area and the advantages and challenges for the core city of the bay area. He suggests that the development of bay area should be focusing on the macro development strategy, financial innovation, industry restructuring. So that the core city can act as a growth pole to dissipate the economic development spillover effect in a sound way.  

Yuyin Lv(PhD), District Party Secretary of FuTian of Shenhen, summarize the main experiences as well as achievement of ShenZhen, which is mainly innovation oriented for all regional economic development policy. Except for opening-up, institutional arrangement reform and in the neighborhood of HongKong,  ShenZhen is also the center of agglomeration of unique, high-skilled thinker and practitioner. As the first PhD in the fields of urban economics since opening-up , YuYin Lv also appreciate and retrospect the spirit of tireless exploration of the older generation of urban economic and regional economic scholars of NanKai, as well as the academic philosophy of serving the major needs of China's reform and opening-up, and innovating the theory of urban and regional economy, encourage the students in school to continuously innovate their research perspectives, apply new ways of thinking and research methods, and solve practical problems.

President of urban economic society of ShenZhen, Yun San Chen(PhD), LiXin Yuan, Director of Shenzhen housing fund management center, share their ideas about learning and working based on their personal experience. They sincerely hope that all the students of IURE should pursuing their academic research rigorously and earnestly. Furthermore, theory should be mingling practice vigorously for your future work.  Professor ChengKun Liu of The business school of Macao University of Science and Technology share his ideas about doing frontier research in urban economics. 

Huang Yuangui, Vice-President of Guangzhou Yuemin investment management company, talk about the self-driving technology on public transportation. He suggests that we can use the AI to analyze the spatial structural changes of cities. XiaoHong Jin, Liu FeiHong, KaiZhou and other alumni of IURE joints the panel discussion.

The alumni, faculties as well as students share their ideas about regional economic development theory and practice under scenario of new normal for the conference. Moreover, some alumni also share their thoughts about how to improve the quality as well academic reputation of IUER in the near future. This conference is beneficiary and thought-provoking for the double A class initiatives of the regional economics of IURE of School of Economics in the foreseeable future.