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Professor Ying Jin is the Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Cambridge, specializing in city planning, urban modelling, and transportation research. He directs the Cities and Transport Research Group and the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, focusing on data-driven policy assessment.
Professor Ying Jin is the Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Cambridge, where his expertise lies at the crucial intersection of city planning, urban design, and quantitative urban modelling. His research focuses on developing sophisticated computer models as experimental platforms to understand how complex factors—including technology, policy, pricing, and human behaviour—influence the development of cities and their critical infrastructure. This work is directly aimed at generating new, evidence-based design solutions.
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Beyond his fundamental research on urban complexity, Professor Jin holds significant leadership roles. He directs the prestigious Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies and leads the internationally recognized Cities and Transport Research Group. His career is distinguished by extensive industry and policy engagement, having directed multi-disciplinary teams in applying these models for strategic planning across the UK, the European Union, China, and South America, ensuring his academic insights translate into high-impact, practical policy advice.
Biography
Professor Ying Jin is a highly influential academic in urban studies, holding the title of Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Cambridge. He is also the current Director of the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies. His professional background is characterized by extensive experience bridging academia and industry, where he has led teams in building and utilizing computer models of cities for policy appraisal. This application-focused approach was highlighted in a University of Cambridge case study in REF2014, showcasing his group’s policy impact.
Professor Jin’s research has had a global reach, informing strategic planning in London, the English Midlands, and the European Union, as well as long-term city-region plans in China and South America. His intellectual interests also span urban history, with a focus on European Renaissance cities and Chinese cities since the Tang Dynasty. Within the collegiate system, he serves as the Director of Studies for Robinson College. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he notably led the urban analytics and small spaces modelling efforts for the Royal Society’s RAMP (Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic) programme.
Core Profile Details
Contact and Availability
Research and Expertise
Professor Jin’s expertise is centered on Advanced Urban Analytics and the development of Urban Computer Models as strategic platforms for foresight and policy testing. His research combines engineering rigor with a deep understanding of urban dynamics and history.
Key Research Areas
- Computational Models of Cities (Urban Modelling): Creating conceptual and practical models for cities and city-regions to assess complex policy scenarios (investment, regulation, pricing).
- Cities and Transport Research: Leading one of the world’s major centres for analyzing the interaction between urban development and transport infrastructure.
- Urban History: Research on the historical development of cities, notably European Renaissance cities and Chinese cities from the 7th Century onwards.
- Policy Appraisal: Applying urban models to strategic planning for regional growth, transport, energy scenarios, and mapping urban poverty.
- Data Science for Urban Resilience: Leading city-scale data science applications, including work on smart infrastructure and pandemic modelling (RAMP programme).
Supervision and Teaching
Professor Jin lectures extensively on city planning, urban design, and urban modelling. He supervises graduate students whose research aligns with his core interests in quantitative urban studies, city complexity, urban history, and the creation and use of large-scale urban models.
Teaching Responsibilities
- Subject Areas: City planning, urban design, and urban modelling.
- Collegiate: Director of Studies for Robinson College, overseeing academic progress for students in his field.
Associated Funding and Opportunities
Professor Jin leads and participates in numerous large-scale, funded research collaborations with direct policy impact:
- Leadership Roles: Director of the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies; Lead of the Cities and Transport Research Group.
- Major Funding/Projects (2011–2020):
- EPSRC Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC): Leading city-scale data science and urban modelling applications.
- Combined Authority of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: Principal Investigator for a project assessing alternative growth scenarios (2016–2020).
- EPSRC Co-Investigator: Managing Air for Green Inner Cities (2016–2018).
- Global Alliance Initiative (Cambridge-UC Berkeley-NUS): Co-Investigator for Smart Urban Design research (2016–2018).
- Royal Society RAMP Programme: Leading COVID-19 related urban analytics.
- Symposia: Lead convenor of the international symposia on Applied Urban Modelling since 2011.
Key Publications
Professor Jin’s research is typically disseminated through technical reports and academic papers focusing on urban modelling methodology and policy application (as noted in his CV reference). His published work reflects his long-term focus on practical insights through advanced urban analytics.
- COVID-19 Urban Analytics: Work related to latent geography for commuting and small spaces modelling in the Royal Society RAMP programme.
- Policy Impact Reports: Key findings and policy scenarios for the Combined Authority of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, London, and the European Union (The specific academic papers are detailed in his CV, which is referenced in the source text).
- Research Papers: Contributions to Applied Urban Modelling symposia and journals in the fields of transport and city planning.
