 Thank you Volkang. It's my happy duty to open on behalf of the London School of Economics, this Urban Age Conference here in Hong Kong. I'm Tony Travers as Volkang has said, from the school's government department and an associate of LSE cities. I'd like to add on a personal note how happy I am to be sharing this introductory event, or introductory session with Volkang maen nhw'n gweithio ddau'r sgolig yng ngyreun y Sgol Llywodraeth, a'r ddiolch yn ymweld, lle o'r inisiatifeth. Ond yna, gyda'n ymolffgawr y LSE City's yn y Llywodraeth i'r ddweud a'r ddweud cyflaen o'r newid yn gweithio'r siwtio. Mae'r ffrindio'r sgol, mae'r ffrindio'r llwyddoedd, a'r unrhyw o'r cyflaen o'r Nwy, Johannesburg, City of Mexico, Berlin, Chicago, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, and Mumbai. Here in Hong Kong we've worked with the University of Hong Kong, and on behalf of LSE, I would like to acknowledge all the assistance and cooperation we've enjoyed in preparing this event. I should mention the very strong links that exist between the LSE and London and Hong Kong. For a start, there are just under 2,000 LSE alumni here in Hong Kong, a remarkable total. Hong Kong has one of the world's longest-standing and most active LSE alumni groups, which started in the 1980s. Each year, around 350 Hong Kong students are admitted to the LSE, and they are, it goes without saying, enormously welcome. LSE alumni have been prominent in public affairs here in Hong Kong, filling roles such as permanent judge in the Court of Final Appeal, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, Attorney General and, since 1997, as a member of the new Executive Council in the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The school, I can say, honestly takes great pride in these and all other alumni taking part in government and commercial roles in Hong Kong. LSE is based in London, at one time described as the biggest city the world had ever known. Not that any longer, many cities far closer to here can claim that crown now, but it was nevertheless an early contender for this kind of role. And it is still today Europe's largest metropolis with a fast-growing population of 8 million. The urban age conferences have been coordinated from London, initiated by my colleague Ricky Burdett and Richard Sennett, who's also in the audience here today. Today, today and tomorrow, this event is about cities, health and well-being, and it's the 10th conference since 2005. The format of these conferences has changed somewhat recently and is now concerned with a particular issue, as well as with the host city itself. The urban age is an international investigation, as Wolfgang has said, the spatial and social dynamics of cities centred on this annual conference, but there is also a research initiative and publications of various kinds, one of which is here available today. These are co-organized by the LSE city's unit at the LSE, but also with the help of Deutsche Bank's Alfred Harehausen Society. Urban age events are about deep comparative urbanism and sharing best practice. We've also, throughout our work, remained aware of the pivotal importance of architecture and design in cities, the way buildings and streets are put together, profoundly affects the lives of the people who live and work in them. The conferences provide a laboratory to test and sample the social and physical characteristics of global cities, and here in Hong Kong I'm sure that we will have much to learn. So LSE cities extends the LSE's century-long commitment to understand the reasons for things, notably in this case cities. We're now based in London, one of the most complex multicultural places on earth, and have a great opportunity here to compare and contrast major urban agglomerations in all continents. Finally, just to add this, this is a time of great economic turbulence in the global economy, particularly in the Eurozone and to some extent in the United States. Many of the longer established cities such as London, New York, Paris, Berlin and Los Angeles will find themselves faced with several years of economic constraint. In China, India, Latin America and parts of the Middle East, rapid development and growth should continue, but it would be naive not to note that the resolution or otherwise of the Eurozone crisis will have implications for all major cities in the world for some time to come. Having said that, and more optimistically, history suggests that the world's great cities will continue to grow and to act as poles of economic and social progress. Here in Hong Kong, I'm sure we will learn much. So on behalf of the London School of Economics and Political Science, I'd now like to hand over to John Burns from Hong Kong University, who will add his thoughts to the start of this, the Urban Age Hong Kong Conference. Thank you very much.