Papers by Yawei Chen
International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 2019
This article contributes to the discussion about learning from group methods in design education.... more This article contributes to the discussion about learning from group methods in design education. Based on action research results, it presents and reflects on teaching activities related to urban and regional design in TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, conducted and coordinated by the authors. Constructive alignment of the teaching triangle and feedbacks from students and teachers are used to assess the effectiveness of learning from group methods in these courses from the perspective of teaching quality. The evaluation does not aim for revealing missing components or links in theory on design education. Instead, it is using existing theories to analyse education practices, for a better understanding and performance of group work in a specific field of design education. The conclusions of the article focus on pros and cons of group work in urban and regional design education, with highlighted common challenges for teaching, such as assessment on individual performance, as well as specific ones, such as stimulating 'out of the box thinking' and supervising interdisciplinary groups.
International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 2019
To understand and deal with real urban development problems, urban planners, designers , and mana... more To understand and deal with real urban development problems, urban planners, designers , and managers need to combine and synthesize a variety of academic and professional knowledge. As our urban challenges grow more complex, learning how to do this effectively becomes ever more important. For educators, this means teaching students how to work in interdisciplinary settings, i.e. how to jointly discover the different disciplinary dimensions of an urban problem, and how to reflectively design courses of action. In this paper, we explore and evaluate the components of such interdisciplinary experiential learning , develop a framework to design and analyse this type of courses, and use it to position and evaluate a specific urban development management course. Results show that, by performing and reflecting upon specific professional roles, the course stimulates students to both integrate different disciplines and reflect on an array of academic and practical insights. Based on our evaluation, we discuss several didactical aspects that may help lecturers to improve their interdisciplinary teaching in urban planning, design, and management courses-particularly when creating learning experiences in an increasingly diverse professional, societal and educational setting.
The Routledge Companion to Urban Regeneration, 2010
Creative Knowledge Cities, 2012
Planning Practice and Research, 2013
ABSTRACT Mega-event strategies and their impact on the development of host cities have drawn incr... more ABSTRACT Mega-event strategies and their impact on the development of host cities have drawn increasing interest as they have become part of wider city development strategies. Studies of mega-event strategies have tended to focus on a single perspective such as economic rationale and impact. As greater attention is paid to their long-term impact, there is a need for more comprehensive evaluation combining economic, social and environmental perspectives, and assessing the management of competing objectives. This paper proposes a comprehensive analytical framework for examining the multiple long-term impacts of mega-events on host cities. It illustrates the use of the framework through two examples of the Summer Olympics as the archetypal mega-event.
Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, as organisi... more Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, as organising large-scale urban events has become part of a deliberate urban policy strategy to promote local economic growth and put the host city on the world agenda. Thus far, the research addressing what strategies can be adopted and to what extent the strategies can produce a catalyst
Mega-event strategies and their impact on the development of host cities have drawn increasing in... more Mega-event strategies and their impact on the development of host cities have drawn increasing interest as they have become part of wider city development strategies. However, many city leaders are challenged by a gigantic and complex task after the events: how to deal with the post-use of large event venues and facilities? How to use the events as a catalyst to facilitate urban development? Mega-event strategies may provide a stimulus for wider urban investments and change. They help to provide host cities an engine for economic growth, facilitating city revitalisation and even urban physical restructuring, enhancing city image, and transforming a city into a globally competitive city. Whereas every host city expects to experience some form of short- and long term impact, the so-called ‘legacy’, it is however difficult for most host city organisers to think beyond the Games in any systematic fashion due to the pressing nature and planning complexities involved. Therefore, although the post-Games period is by far the longest period that stretches for decades after the Games to affect a host city, it is “clearly the least-planned period”. Due to time pressure, poor consideration of the long-term impact may make Olympic venues ‘white elephants’ after the Games have taken place, isolated in their city landscapes. These possible negative impacts raise the following questions: 1) what strategies can help a host city improve post-event usage of event-related facilities? 2) What strategies should a host city follow to facilitate post-event development in a more sustainable way? Based on the examination of legacy creation strategy of a number of Olympic host cities, with Beijing and London in particular, the research aims to identify what urban strategies lead to the improvement of the post-event usage of event-related facilities and long-term benefits for the city development of host city.
Since China adopted the Open Door Policy and economic reforms in 1978, Chinese cities have underg... more Since China adopted the Open Door Policy and economic reforms in 1978, Chinese cities have undergone a dramatic transformation. A series of land reforms has been implemented in China, resulting in an emerging market
mechanism and the diminishing of the traditional allocation system used in the centrally planned economy. As land has become more marketised and commodified, however, there are increasingly indications that land reform strategies have failed to tackle various transitional problems and create credible institutions. There is a risk that the emerging institutions will benefit the wealthy few, rather than the masses. This paper examines the development of an
emerging land institution in Shanghai, and analyses the extent to which credibility has been established in the local institutional land system during the last two decades. This paper suggests that, in order to improve the system’s
credibility, Shanghai needs to address the issue of land justice and social goals. We argue that the state can, and should, play an important role in this process.
Sustainable Cities by Yawei Chen
As global cities, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing operate in international economic networks; how... more As global cities, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing operate in international economic networks; however, they are also each firmly embedded within a regional context and are surrounded by less populous and less internationally recognized neighbors. Together they form so-called mega-city regions referred to as the Greater Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Bohai Rim, each encompassing a dozen or so cities. In the wake of staggering economic growth and threatening pollution, these cities are compelled to respond to the challenge of ecological modernization (EM): aim for higher economic value added at lower environmental cost. Cities have particular industrial and regional profiles; consequently they follow different developmental pathways. In order to attract coveted investors, green and high-tech corporations, well-endowed residents and talented workforce, these cities engage in city branding practices. In this contribution, a typology of EM developmental pathways is presented and the 41 cities in the three Chinese mega-city regions are analyzed in terms of their respective pathways and city branding practices. We argue that different industrial and regional profiles allow for different developmental pathways making different city branding strategies likely. Most cities brand themselves in comformity with what their pathway would lead us to predict, except cities with a strongly manufacturing oriented profile; the brands of the latter type deviate markedly from their current reality. Cities adopting branding strategies that contrast sharply with their historical legacy and current profile risk promoting themselves in ways that the outside world is likely to perceive as lacking in credibility. Crown
Book Reviews by Yawei Chen
Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2019
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Papers by Yawei Chen
mechanism and the diminishing of the traditional allocation system used in the centrally planned economy. As land has become more marketised and commodified, however, there are increasingly indications that land reform strategies have failed to tackle various transitional problems and create credible institutions. There is a risk that the emerging institutions will benefit the wealthy few, rather than the masses. This paper examines the development of an
emerging land institution in Shanghai, and analyses the extent to which credibility has been established in the local institutional land system during the last two decades. This paper suggests that, in order to improve the system’s
credibility, Shanghai needs to address the issue of land justice and social goals. We argue that the state can, and should, play an important role in this process.
Sustainable Cities by Yawei Chen
Book Reviews by Yawei Chen
mechanism and the diminishing of the traditional allocation system used in the centrally planned economy. As land has become more marketised and commodified, however, there are increasingly indications that land reform strategies have failed to tackle various transitional problems and create credible institutions. There is a risk that the emerging institutions will benefit the wealthy few, rather than the masses. This paper examines the development of an
emerging land institution in Shanghai, and analyses the extent to which credibility has been established in the local institutional land system during the last two decades. This paper suggests that, in order to improve the system’s
credibility, Shanghai needs to address the issue of land justice and social goals. We argue that the state can, and should, play an important role in this process.