Welcome to my personal website!

I am a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University (see my profile). I earned my Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell in August 2024.

Teaching and Courses

At Cornell, I teach a series of quantitative and spatial analysis courses that equip undergraduate and graduate students with the skills to analyze urban and regional challenges using GIS, spatial data science, econometrics, and machine learning. My teaching emphasizes the integration of emerging technologies (e.g., GeoAI, remote sensing, machine learning) with urban planning theories to address issues such as urbanization, equity, and environmental sustainability.

My courses include:

• Introduction to GIS (CRP 4080/5080) – Fundamentals of GIS for spatial analysis and urban planning.
• Intro to Urban Data Science (CRP 4680/5680, DESIGN 4680/5680)** – Applications of data science in urban planning and design.
• Mapping and Counter-mapping (CRP 4280/5280) (co-taught with Prof.Wenfei Xu) – Web & Cloud-based GIS and countermapping.
• Neighborhood Change and Quantitative Methods (CRP 2100) (co-taught with Prof.Wenfei Xu) – Housing policy debate & Statistical techniques for analyzing housing and neighborhood change.
• Introduction to Statistics for Urban Studies (CRP 1200) – Statistical foundations for urban and regional studies for undergraduates.

Research Interests

My research focuses on regional-scale land use planning and governance, with a particular interest in how planning institutions, regulatory environments, and land use policies can effectuate more sustainable and equitable spatial patterns in both developed and developing countries. My dissertation studied regional polycentricity, with an emphasis on the impacts of polycentric development & policy on

• economic development & regional disparities
• quality of life, commuting patterns, and accessibility to public services
• environmental sustainability, including urban heat island effect and air pollution.

Methodologically, my work integrates GIS/remote sensing, spatial econometrics, and urban data analytics to explore urban dynamics at different spatial scales across diverse global contexts.

Current Research Projects

• Sustainable Urban Forms in Sub-Saharan Africa – Investigating how different urban development patterns impact environmental sustainability and equity in Sub-Saharan Africa cities.
• Regional Cooperation and Governance in China and the U.S. – Analyzing governance mechanisms and their influence on urban-regional coordination.
• Valuation of Environmental Amenities – Assessing how clean water and air quality contribute to social well-being in areas experiencing environmental degradation.

Professional Background

Before my Ph.D., I worked as a Project Assistant at the Tompkins County Department of Social Services, contributing to the Mobility-as-a-Services (Maas) pilot project, funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC). My work focused on developing more equitable and affordable multi-modal mobility solutions for socially vulnerable communities, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low-income populations.

I hold a Master’s in Regional Planning (MRP) from Cornell University, where my research focused on green justice and non-market environmental valuation using hedonic modeling.