Ying Wang

School of Geography and Planning

Research Associate

Ying Wang
Profile picture of Ying Wang
ying.wang1@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Ying Wang
School of Geography and Planning
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
Profile

I am a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the School of Geography and Planning, the University of Sheffield. I obtained both my BEng in Urban Planning and MSc in Urban and Rural Planning from Nanjing University and completed my PhD in Geography at the University of Southampton. I joined Sheffield in 2025 and am working on the ESRC funded URBAN RETROFIT project. I look at how to scale up place-based adaptations to the built environment through the planning and development systems to address 'wicked' urban problems and achieve more just and sustainable futures. I am committed to an interdisciplinary approach to planning research, drawing on theoretical insights and methodological tools from geography, sociology and political science.

Research interests

I am advancing two main research directions. The first investigates green transitions in urban environments, aiming to evaluate how urban planning and spatial interventions can enhance environmental sustainability and social justice. The second examines urban restructuring in the post-growth era, with a focus on grassroots, bottom-up initiatives such as community-led regeneration, informal economies, and collective property management.

Publications

Journal articles