Ain Shams University celebrated the conclusion of the World Design Studio project 2023 at the Faculty of Engineering at the university, in the presence of Prof. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Planning Affairs, Mr. Lu Zhongsheng, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, Prof. Ahmed Al-Sabbagh, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Akram Farouk, Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Shahira Samir, Executive Director of the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector at the university, and a group of representatives of Egyptian universities and faculty staff at the faculty.

The activities of the closing ceremony began with the opening of the exhibition of projects presented by the Egyptian team, where the attendees inspected the exhibition, listening to the explanation of the projects of the Egyptian students participating in the studio. Ahmed Khaled, coordinator of the World Design Studio and representative of the Architectural Engineering Department at the International Cooperation Office of the Faculty of Engineering, in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Al-Iraqi and Dr. Karim Bayoumi and the rest of the Egyptian International Design Studio team, including assistants and students, and the participation of the supervising professors from the American and Chinese sides through video conference.

Prof. Ayman Ashour, explained that there are 16 years of cooperation with Ain Shams University, which began with cooperation with the American University and then followed by cooperation with the Chinese University, adding that there is international cooperation in the field of higher education and scientific research in the field of inter-studies, stressing that the students of the three universities cooperated and developed good solutions Despite the different methodology in thinking.

His Excellency pointed out that the university is no longer limited to receiving education only, but includes many educational and research activities in addition to other activities that support the surrounding community, so the university has a role in serving society through openness to the outside world.

He also indicated that he had received requests from several European universities to join the International Design Studio.

Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, shed the light on the fact that the World Design Studio is distinguished in its inclusion of multicultural educational systems, in addition to the studio's promotion of digital transformation and student and cultural exchange at the international level.

He praised the competitive level of the faculty and studio students from the university and the participating foreign universities, which enhances the sustainability and expansion of international cooperation as one of the pillars of the vision of developing Egyptian universities, allowing the participation of more interdisciplinary disciplines. He also pointed out the importance of integrating students internationally, which contributes to addressing various important issues in order to enrich the educational experience.

Prof. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Education and Student Affairs, confirmed that the Worled Design Studio has achieved remarkable success for its distinguished architectural and urban outputs as a result of academic cooperation between the participating universities that extends over 16 years, pointing out that the project is the result of cooperation between Ain Shams University Clemson University has continued since 2007 in which students participated in many international and national projects, the most important of which is the development of the cities of Luxor and Rashid, the development of the pyramids plateau, the Fustat region, Maspero Triangle, the tourism development of the cities of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, as well as the problem of rising water levels in the city of Charleston in the United States of America and facing epidemics in The Chinese city of Wuhan and how to overcome it through a reformulation of urban planning and urban coordination in the city.

Students of architecture and urbanism programs at the three universities participate in the World Design Studio in developing visions and solutions for various urban problems within their countries, provided that they are national projects.

It is worth noting that the International Design Studio is the first of its kind in the field of inter-engineering studies that combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, urban and environmental design, and site coordination, and links them to many other engineering disciplines.

This year's project revolves around smart and sustainable development with the aim of revitalizing cultural and heritage tourism along the Chinese Grand Canal region, which has a long history and is registered as a World Heritage area by UNESCO. The development also aims to protect the targeted sites from current pollution problems and the risks of accelerating climate changes.

It also includes a proposal and design for other development projects that serve different sectors that contribute to supporting and revitalizing tourism, protecting heritage, sustainable development, and climate adaptation, within a framework that serves the strategic plan of the Chinese city of Yangzhou, where Ain Shams University, Clemson University, and Huajong, China, present the findings of each team.