Yupeng Ren

‌Public participation in planning: the Chinese experience

Synopsis

rren-200.jpgFor the past 30 years, China has made great advances that have attracted the world’s attention. Urban planning, as a reflection of the society and the political and economic context, has experienced fundamental change during the country’s shift from a planned to a market economy.  Before 1978, the Chinese planning system was regarded as a government tool for achieving its socialist ideology in term of spatial development and the implementation of industrial projects. After this date, its role gradually changed in a market-oriented economy. My general research focus is on the Chinese approach to planning and the emergence of collaborative planning and public engagement within the processes of urbanization in China.  I am keen to gain a theoretical understanding of the role of the public in planning governance, to examine the structural and institutional and other factors which shape opportunities for the public to participate in urban planning decisions, and to develop indicators to measure ‘transparency’ and ‘capability’ of public participation in planning.

Biography

I am currently a PhD student in the department of Town and Regional Planning. I have taught and trained in both China and theUK, and have a wide range of knowledge of architecture, urban design and urban planning. In 2008, I graduated with a bachelor degree in urban design and I have been pursuing a career in architecture and urban design in practice since then. My early career stated in HUAWEI Senior Architecture Design Institute in Dalian, China, where I was extensively involved in many local architecture design projects and the production of detailed development plans. In 2010, I achieved the professional title of Assistant Urban Designer, which is chartered by the Ministry of Personnel in China. In 2011, I was offered a place at the University of Dundee to study the MSc Spatial Planning with Sustainable Urban Design. I joined the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a student member in the same year. After graduation, I was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship to carry out my PhD studies at Dundee University.

Supervisors

Barbara Illsley and Deepak Gopinath