József Benedek’s visit to Hong Kong and Guangzhou strengthens METU’s academic connections

Four universities, guest lectures and research discussions connected Central European experience with the development challenges of major cities in southern China. In October 2026, József Benedek, Professor at Budapest Metropolitan University, presented his research on the geography of sustainable development, urban development and territorial inequalities in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The visit strengthened METU’s international academic visibility and laid the groundwork for further teaching and research connections.

The programme took Professor Benedek to the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou and Hong Kong Baptist University. Alongside the guest lectures, personal meetings provided opportunities to explore connections between European and Asian research experience. For METU, the value of the programme lay in the opportunity to discuss sustainability, economic transformation and tourism in different social and urban contexts.

Urban development from a Hong Kong perspective

The first academic engagement, on 7 October, took place at the Department of Urban Planning and Design in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. At the invitation of Professor Shenjing He, József Benedek delivered a guest lecture on urban and housing development as part of a course examining urban and housing transformations. Presenting Central European experience enabled students to explore urban change through examples from a different institutional and historical context.

For METU, this teaching engagement represents a practical example of international knowledge exchange. Experience gained through such encounters can also enrich teaching at home, enabling comparisons between approaches to urban development and providing new case studies for understanding a sustainable economy, urban services and territorial development.

A full day of academic dialogue with CUHK researchers

On 8 October, a full-day programme followed at the Department of Geography and Resource Management of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, at the invitation of Professor Henry Yeung. A campus tour was followed by an academic discussion on the societal significance of research. The day concluded with a departmental seminar, moderated by Professor Jack Harris, exploring the geography of sustainable development as a distinct geographical discipline.

The approach presented focuses on how sustainability can be measured and understood at the level of regions, cities and local communities. Combining geographical information systems, satellite Earth Observation and socioeconomic data can help reveal differences concealed by national averages. For METU, this perspective could broaden international academic connections in sustainability teaching and research.

From personal meetings to shared research questions

Discussions with CUHK colleagues identified several potential areas of collaboration. Professor Yuan Xu expressed an interest in comparing planning systems, while Professor Yan Liu’s urban modelling research offers connections with the study of urban growth and sustainable land use. Zhengke Zhou’s interest in green industrial development paths, alongside Jack Harris’s interest in green industrial transition and negative lock-in, raised further questions for joint research.

These themes are also significant for METU because they connect economic transformation at business and regional levels with the social consequences of sustainability. Agreeing on research topics and data, and preparing comparative case studies, could provide a starting point for future joint work. Beyond building personal connections, the meeting therefore helped establish an academic foundation for potential international research collaboration.

A guest lecture in Guangzhou linking sustainability and tourism

On 12 October, the programme continued at the School of Tourism Management of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. At the invitation of Professor Liu Yi, Assistant Dean of the School, József Benedek delivered a lecture on the geography of sustainable development and the case for a new geographical discipline. The visit also provided opportunities for academic exchanges with staff and students.

The Guangzhou engagement offers a particularly relevant connection with METU’s teaching in tourism and business. A territorial approach to sustainability helps explain how tourism development relates to local communities’ quality of life, resource use and regional inequalities. Historic brick buildings and a campus rich in greenery gave this stage of the visit a distinctive atmosphere, combining academic activities with an introduction to the university environment.

Convergence and polarisation at the Hong Kong seminar

The lecture delivered as part of Hong Kong Baptist University’s Distinguished Geography Seminar Series examined the relationship between economic convergence and territorial polarisation. Organised at the invitation of Charlotte Chan, the event drew attention to how different dimensions of economic development can coexist with persistent or widening disparities between regions.

For METU, the visit to four universities provided an opportunity to showcase academic work and establish new professional connections. Alongside opportunities for exchanges among academics, joint publications and future research initiatives, the experience could also benefit students through the incorporation of international examples and comparative perspectives into teaching. The Hong Kong and Guangzhou programme laid the personal and academic groundwork for these developments.