On May 6, 2017, the “Design city: Hub Network City for Guangzhou” Roundtable Forum was held in South China University of Technology (SCUT) by Guangzhou Social Science Association, Department of Social Science (SCUT), School of Architecture (SCUT) and 《Urban Insight》Journal. Prof. Chaolin GU from Tsinghua University, Prof. Zilai TANG from Tongji University，Prof. Jixian WANG from Shenzhen Research Institute of Peking University were invited to give keynote speeches. After the keynote speeches, Prof. Xueqiang XU from Sun Yat-sen University presented overall reviews and directed the roundtable discussion. Prof. Yimin SUN, Prof Huanfeng DING, and Prof. Yuting LIU also participated in the roundtable discussion.

In the cooperating and competing city network, National Central Cities play an important role in attracting and influencing global economic activities. They also function as hubs of the system of city network, which requires special conservation and development strategies. As a historical commercial city, Guangzhou not only habitats the Cantonese culture, but also serves the portal hub of the “Reform and Open Up”. In “the Belt and Road Initiatives”, Guangzhou will receive more opportunities in linking the global economic and local culture. In this context, the roundtable forum was held to invite influential researchers to discuss urban spatial development and planning in the new trend of Globalization and Informatization. The theme of the forum was “link global city network, reshape world city”, which is a response to the “Hub Network City” concept.