Personal Statement
I joined the Liverpool School of Architecture in April 2010. I am an urban morphologist and urban designer. I am interested in how physical spaces, particularly public spaces, affect people's sense of identity, place value, quality of life, health and wellbeing. I am also interested in urban design governance across various planning cultures, and operationalised in new development, conservation and regeneration practice.

I lead the Urban Form and Social Space research group in Architecture and am the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Urban Management (Elsevier). I was the inaugural Director of the European Chapter of the International Association for China Planning (IACP) and am a key member of the International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF).

I am currently working on a £2.5m UKRI-funded project--Arts4Us, led by Professor Vicky Karkou at Edge Hill University, in collaboration with other academics, the Integrated Care Systems and a large number of community organisations (https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/research/healthresearchinstitute/research-centre-for-arts-and-wellbeing/arts4us/). It aims to tackle the mental health challenges of children and young people through place-based arts initiatives.