Prof. Fulong Wu chaired the event and explained the event agenda. Prof. Roger Keil as the editor first gave an introduction to the book. He illustrated the importance of studying suburban areas and the focus of the book. 

Prof. Nicholas Phelps shared his research journey about studies on suburbia. He shared some research experience in Fareham, Croydon and Melbourne. He pointed out the diversity of suburban areas and highlighted the centrality of suburban in policy making. 

Prof. Christian Schmid proposed a comparative perspective in understanding urban peripheries. Through identifying urbanisation processes in various cities, he noticed various comparative categories in urbanization processes. He explained two categories in detail: bypass urbanism and multi-layered patchwork urbanization. 

Prof. Jennifer Robinson reflected on the book and focused on how to conceptualise “suburbs” in further urban studies. She explained reformatting comparison: starting anywhere and thinking elsewhere. Through deploying comparative tactics, new concepts can be built to work from and across different contexts. 

Dr. Robin Bloch commented on how this book could work for practices. He highlighted the governance dimension in urban expansion. He also proposed that a new way of planning was needed. 

Prof. Fulong Wu explained a grounded view of suburban governance in China. Based on his research, the state has occupied its centrality across different scales in China.

The discussion session was mainly about the terminology ‘suburbia’ itself and the social aspect of suburban research.