PhD studentship
Institution
Department
Supervisors
Application
Deadline
Funding
Availability
Project Title
(Full-time)
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Department of Urban Planning and Design
PhD Supervisor: Dr Giulio Verdini (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool
University)
Co-supervisor: Dr. John Sturzaker (Department of Civic Design,
University of Liverpool),
Open until the position is filled
funded PhD project (world-wide students)
Planning the urban fringe: comparing China and Western Europe
Project description
The Department of Urban Planning and Design of Xi’An Jiatong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
based in Suzhou, China, is looking for one +3 PhD candidate to undertake a comparative research
regarding the issues of urban growth containment policies and urban-rural fringe planning
with a specific focus on China to start approximately from September-October 2012.
Student doctoral research will primarily be based at XJTLU but the research will also be mentored
by supervisors at the University of Liverpool (UoL) and at the South China University of
Technology (SCUT). The PhD degree will be awarded on satisfactory completion by the University
of Liverpool.
The student is expected to complete his/her PhD thesis publishing regularly in scientific academic
journals and taking part in international conferences. Moreover he/she is expected to participate
directly in on-going research, and especially at XJTLU giving a contribution in the teaching
activities of the department (especially for the research-based modules).
Research theoretical background
In the long-lasting literature on urban growth management in Western Countries urban
containment policies have for a long time been at the centre of the attention. This is due to the
widely recognised negative impact of urban growth on farmland reduction, unsustainable urban
sprawl, loss of environmental quality and rural landscape transformations.
Nowadays this has apparently emerged as a new concern of the China public agenda of
sustainability, producing, among the other things, a huge reform of the national land management
law by the end of the ‘90s with the clear purpose of reducing drastically urban growth.
In spite of this the conversion from rural to urban land use in the Eastern Coastal Area of China
seems to continue unabated due, in particular, to the dangerous combination of a land-consuming
economic growth, more evident in areas like the Yangtze River Delta in Jiangsu or the Pearl River
Delta in Guangdong, and the peculiar urban policy structure that encourages local governments in
transforming land, often illegally.
Considering the current high rate of economic growth of China and the forecast of growing
countryside-city migration this will be clearly one of the most critical side effects of urbanization
process for coastal China.
The future of fringe rural areas lies at the crossing of different but interrelated strategic questions
which are still open: the challenge of urban-rural governance in China inside a land management
system which is still strongly centralized; the raising of a still timid local demand for inclusion in the
decision-making process, especially in the rural villages or peri-urban settlements around the
cities; the weight of the political discourse on urban-rural integration and countryside modernization
that is still affecting strongly the policies for rural areas but is today unable to distinguish between
undeveloped areas in the west, and more complex transitional rural areas in the urbanized east of
the country.
Precise details of the focus of the research will be developed during year one by the student with
support from their supervisors. At this stage we are seeking outline proposals (750 words) and
an indicative bibliography (6-10 references) indicating a preferred research focus based on
the research background outlined.
Entry Criteria
Candidates would normally be expected to have a Masters in a relevant discipline of social
sciences or humanities e.g. urban planning, geography, economics, architecture, social or/and
cultural studies (minimum 60% or international equivalent). However first degree holders with a first
class honours will also be considered. Candidates must be fluent in English (IELTS 6.5 or
equivalent) and Mandarin will be regarded as an asset.
How to Apply
Interested applicants are advised to email the following documents to postgraduate@xjtlu.edu.cn.
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CV
Two reference letters
Personal statement outlining your interest in the position
Proof of English language proficiency (an IELTS score of above 6.5 or comparable) is
required
Verified school transcripts in both Chinese and English (for international student, only the
English version is required)
Verified certificates of education qualifications in both Chinese and English (for international
student, only the English version is required)
We will acknowledge all applications by email. Should you have any questions or queries regarding
your application, please feel free to contact us.
Informal enquiries may be directed by email to Dr Giulio Verdini, Department of Urban Planning
and Design, (giulio.verdini@xjtlu.edu.cn), whose personal profile is linked as below:
http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/faculty/academic-subject-staff/item/56-verdini-giulio.html