GaWC Research Network: Xingjian Liu

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Xingjian Liu

GaWC Associate Director (Asian Cities)

Xingjian Liu joined GaWC in 2010, when he first worked with Peter Taylor and Ben Derudder on the robustness of the interlocking network model (Urban Geography, 2011; Geographical Analysis, 2012). At that time Xingjian was completing his PhD thesis on ‘Rises and Falls of Cities in a Global Urban Network’ and benefited immensely from the GaWC network. In his GaWC-related research, Xingjian has broadly focused on (1) modeling spatial and temporal changes in world city networks; (2) charting inter-city connections in Asia in general and China in particular; and (3) understanding how cities’ network positions are related to their economic competitiveness, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. More recently, Xingjian’s research focuses on intercity connections at the city-regional scale. These lines of research have been published in a number of major journals, including Urban Studies, Regional Studies, Environment and Planning A/B, and Papers in Regional Science.

Xingjian Liu is Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong. He is also an associate director of Beijing City Lab - a virtual research community, dedicated to studying Chinese cities quantitatively.