Southeast University

Professor Elisabete A. Silva and Kelvin MacDonald

Revealing digital divide through spatial analysis of social media data in rural China

Dr. Jin Xu is an associate professor at Southeast University, China, specializing in urban and rural planning. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. Jin is a member of the Women’s Planning Committee and a young member of the Urban Planning Institute of China. She holds a BA in architecture and a PhD in urban and rural planning from Tsinghua University, along with an MPhil degree in PGR from the University of Cambridge.

Jin’s research spans interrelated areas critical to addressing challenges of spatial inequality, including land use, digitalisation, gender differences, public policy and planning evaluation. She has provided consultancy widely to a diverse range of local governments and planning institutions, and has actively participated in voluntary collaborations on neighbourhood planning and community development.

Dr. Jin Xu’s recent research interests focus on the application of data-driven approaches to understand and uncover the spatial patterns of inequality between urban and rural areas. She is particularly interested in the disparities arising from the digital divide and investigates this interdisciplinary field, combining insights from spatial analysis, rural studies, planning and public policy, information and communication technology (ICT) studies, sociology, and economics. Research on the digital divide serves as a foundation to foster a more inclusive and equitable digital society and to promote more sustainable planning strategies.

• Authored books

XU, J. (2021) Evaluation of Planning Performance: Theory, Principle and Method. Nanjing: Southeast University Press.

Xu, J. and Zhou, X. (2021) Shaoxing Taimen Dwellings. Beijing: Chinese Literature and History Press.

Zhang, T., Wennersten, R., Gu, Z., Xu, J. and Yin, M. (2019), Aqua-Urbanism: A Joint Planning Studio of Sustainable Urban Development. Nanjing: Southeast University Press.

• Articles in peer-reviewed journals

Xu, J. (2020) Elements and Methods: An Analysis Framework for Evaluation of Plan Implementation. Modern Urban Research, (12):36-44.

Xu, J., Wang, C. and Shi, X. (2020) Research on Legislation of Public Participation in Rural Planning and Governance. Planners, (23)：18-25.

Zhang, T. and Xu, J. (2019) Frontier Exploration of Sustainable Urban Development and Architecture in Swede. Architecture Techniques, (01):7.

Xu, J. and Wan, T.(2017) Research on the Rural Governance Model of Outsiders-to-Rural Elites: A Case Study of G Village, H Province. Urban Planning, 41(368): 65-72.

Liu, J. and Xu, J.(2016) Research on Mutualistic Symbiosis of Universities and Cities in Time of Globalization: Experience from UK. Urban Development Studies, 23(08):68-75.

Xu, J. and Gu, C. (2015) New Reform of the English Planning System, Urban Planning International, 30(03):78-83.

Xu, J., Lin, C. and Wang, Y. (2016) Design in and with Nature: Planning and Design of the South Changshui Airport District in Kunming, China. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Research, 08.

Xu, J. and Yao, Y.(2016) Characteristics and Patterns of Land Development in Hilly and Urban Fringe Areas: A Case Study of Fangshan District in Beijing, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning III, 73-77.

Lin, L., Ye, S. and Xu, J. (2016) Design of Futian People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, Architecture Techniques, (12): 100-105.

• Article in edited books

Xu, J. and Da, Y. (2023) Place Attachment and Community Impacts of 24-H Convenience Stores: A Case Study in the Central City of Nanjing, China. In Arif Hasan & Christian Benimana (Eds.), Design for Health (pp. 197-206). Springer Nature.