Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Coordinate and conduct research projects

Member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development (2012 -- )

Qualifications

BA Urban Development Administration, Chongqing (China) University of Architecture & Engineering

MSc Project Management, Northumbria University

PhD Urban and Regional Development, Newcastle University

Certificate European Spatial Planning, Newcastle University

Previous Positions 

2008 – 2010, Research Assistant (part-time), Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURDS), Newcastle University

2005 – 2008, Secretary General and Director of Organisational Development, China Association for Management of Technology (CAMOT) (UK)

2004 – 2005, Advisor to Newcastle City Council on the Project of Chinese Ceremonial Arch

1986 – 2001, successively working as Planning officer, Manager, and Chief Engineer at the planning department of a provincial level government in China

Memberships 

Regional Studies Association

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

I am also a professional of Certified Public Valuer, Registered Consultant Engineer, Registered Cost Engineer; Certified Property Economist; Civil Engineer in China

Research Interests

My research concerns the relationship between the sustainable urban and regional development and the institutional framework and policy of planning in contemporary China. This consists of two strands of work. First, I am interested in planning policies relating to urbanisation, industrialisation, land use, housing, employment and social services and security in the absence of carefully and systematically designed, institutionally consistent, and publically informed and involved frameworks. More specifically, I am interested in exploring the possibility of adopting the concept of the city-region which could arguably be developed under the guidance of strategic spatial planning as a model for China to manage its urbanisation and territorial governance. The second theme of research seeks to develop a holistic understanding of development, which encompasses the social, economic, cultural, and environmental dimensions in more sustainable and progressive ways drawing on the experiences, lessons, and knowledge from elsewhere in the world. My interest focuses on knowledge-based development where knowledge is not limited to a factor of enhancing economic growth but human wisdom for balanced social, economic, cultural, and environmental development.

Specifically, my research interests are:

• Spatial planning
• City region
• Institutional frameworks for planning
• Governance of regional development
• Knowledge-based development
• Strategies and policy for industrialisation
• Land use policy
• Sustainable housing
• Employment, social services and security in the process of urbanisation

 Projects and Funding 

04/2010 – date, coordinator of the research project: The Review of Urbanisation and Regional Development in Henan, China (£152K with John Tomaney)

11/2009 – date, working with professor John Goddard on Higher Education and Regional Development in China to prepare two papers for journals Environmental Planning (C) and Higher Education Management and Policy

02/2009 – 06/2009, involved in the Study of the development of the ICT in EU rural development and regional policies (project leader: David Bradley)

09-10/2008, involved in the UK national Foresight Land Use Projects at Newcastle University (project leader: John Goddard)

09/2006 – 05/2007, RMB500K (about £35K), Development Strategy for Langfang Wanzhuang New Town Development, Hebei Province (94 square kilometres, close to Beijing, designed by ARUP)

02/2006 – 01/2007, RMB500K (about £35K), Development Strategy for Shanghai Dongtan Chenjia Town New Town Development (86 square kilometres in the eastern end of Chongming Island, the mouth of the Yangtze River, designed by ARUP)

05/2005 – 12/2005, RMB300K (about £22K), Development Strategy for Xinxiang (Henan) Pingyuan New Town Development

Contribution lectures to MA Local and Regional Development

• Wang XF. City-region: The way forward to China’s urbanisation?. In: Regional Studies Association Annual International Conference. 2011, Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Wang XF. Evolvement of Urbanisation Patterns in Developed Countries and Its Application to China. Journal of Areal Research and Development 2011, 30(4), 54-60.
• Pike A, Rodriguez-Pose A, Tomaney J, Wang XF (trans.). Local and Regional Development (Chinese translation). Shanghai: Higher Education Press, 2011.
• Wang XF. Metropolitan Growth and Uneven Development in China. In: European Urban Research Association Annual Conference. 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Wang XF. The Review of Urban and Regional Development Policy in Henan, China. Newcastle upon Tyne: Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, 2011.
• Wang XF. Knowledge-Based Urban Development in Wuhan, China. In: Regional Studies Association Annual International Conference. 2009, Leuven, Belgium: Regional Studies Association.
• Wang XF. Knowledge-Based Urban Development, an Equal Opportunity for All? A Comparative Analysis between 22@Bcn, Barcelona and Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou. In: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference. 2009, Manchester.
• Wang XF, Lihua R. Examining Factors of Knowledge Management in the Creation of New City: Empirical Evidence from China. Journal of Technology Management in China 2006, 1(3), 243-261.
• Wang XF. Knowledge-Based Urban Development? The Case of Zhengdong New District (Zhengzhou, Henan) Development. In: International Association of Management of Technology (IAMOT) Annual Conference. 2006, Beijing, China.
• Wang XF. The Study of Development Strategy for Shanghai Dongtan Chenjia Town New Town Development. 2006.
• Wang XF. The Study of Development Strategy for Xinxiang (Henan) Pingyuan New Town Development. 2005.