Joseph H.S. Zhao
Planning for Sustainable Cities
Hello from Dr Joseph Hongsheng Zhao. I am an urban planner and social scientist researching sustainable urban transitions, migration, and planning for post‑industrial cities. As an experienced lecturer and grant‑winning researcher with an emerging international profile, I am currently working as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Town Planning at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) at Paisley, Greater Glasgow, Scotland.
Originally from Qingdao, an industrial city in eastern China, and having lived in global urban centres such as Hong Kong, Montreal, and Singapore, I have experienced first-hand the processes of urban transition -ranging from mass migration and environmental transformation to the social consequences of deindustrialization. These experiences have profoundly shaped my academic approach, leading me to adopt a comparative and fieldwork-based perspective to understand the interplay between place, people, and the evolving urban dynamics.
I hold an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge, and served two post-doc in Glasgow and for EU Horizon project. My academic journey so far includes working and traveling across 30 countries. Beyond academia, I enjoy communication and synoptical reading in six different languages, rambling across city's back alleys the to investigate urban hidden gems, and playing the traditional instrument xiao.
Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, or email me via jhszhao@cantab.net for collaboration and consulting opportunities.
