Dr Kevin Wang

Postdoctoral Affiliate

Affiliations:

School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography
Centre of Migration, Policy and Society

Kevin Wang is a researcher specializing in the politics of urban governance and state planning in contemporary China. His research primarily examines the social and economic transformation of the Chinese developmental state, with a specific focus on urban futures, state-led development, and the contradictions inherent in large-scale urban projects.

Research Interests

Urban Governance and State Planning: Investigating how the Chinese state imagines and governs "future cities," particularly through the lens of new development zones like Xiong’an New Area.
Social Restructuring: Examining the displacement of traditional urban forms (such as urban villages) by planned modernities and the resulting social impacts.
Political Economy of China: Analysing the enduring influence of public institutions and work units on employment, welfare, and urban life.
Environmental Geography: Exploring the intersections of geographical knowledge, ecosystem services, and environmental policy in the context of sustainable development.

Selected Publications

Wang, K. (2022) "Changing nature of the work units and urban governance in China: The enduring influence of public institutions," Transactions in Planning and Urban Research, Vol. 1, No. 1-2, pp. 167-183 (https://doi.org/10.1177/2754122322110937).
Deng, Y., Qi, W., Fu, B. and Wang, K. (2019) "Geographical transformations of urban sprawl: Exploring the spatial heterogeneity across cities in China 1992-2015," Cities, Vol. 92, pp. 1-12 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102415).
Li, T., Han, Z., Wang, K., Wang, Q. and Wang, S. (2025) "Social-ecological changes with long-term ecological restoration in a typical red-soil hilly city of Southern China," Land Degradation & Development (https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70265) (Accepted and in production).
Han, Y., Liu, Y., Wang, C., Wu, X. and Wang, K. (2023) "Assessment of the cultural-natural importance of the scenic spots from a network perspective," Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol. 239, 104861 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104861).
Zhang, R., Fu, B., Wang, K. and Zhao, W. (2021) "Objective indicators contribute more than subjective beliefs to resident willingness to pay for ecosystem services on the Tibetan Plateau," Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 285, 112048 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112048).

He is currently preparing a monograph titled Urban Futures and State-Led Development in China: Governance and Contradiction in Xiong’an.

Teaching and Expertise

Kevin has extensive experience delivering teaching on China’s political economy and global development. He is available to provide lectures and tutorials on Human Geography.

Background

Kevin holds a DPhil in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford (funded by the ESRC GrandUnion DTP Studentship), where his doctoral thesis investigated the unfolding urban future of Xiong’an New Area (passed with no corrections). He also holds an MSc with Distinction in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford and a First Class BA in Geography from King’s College London. Beyond academia, he has served as a Policy Research Associate for the UK Government, supporting the integration of academic research into policymaking.