I am Honorary Associate Professor of the Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong. I served as the first Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty from 2011 to 2016. My field of research is regional and urban development with a primary focus on China. One main area of my research interest is urban and regional development theories as applied in China, with special reference to urban agglomerations. Another main area is in cooperation and competition among cities and regional economic development, which includes a systematic study of the economic interactions between Hong Kong and her neighbouring economic districts in the Greater Pearl River Delta region.

I had been primarily involved in the teaching of postgraduate courses on urban and regional planning and supervising research postgraduates. In 2014, I was awarded the Doris Zimmern HKU-Cambridge Hughes Hall Fellowship and was a visiting scholar to the Department of Land Economy, Cambridge University. I am recipient of the University Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award in 2014. I also hold visiting appointments at Department of Geography, University of Szeged, Hungary and several tertiary institutes of China. I am appointed as visiting professor of the Peking Normal University, Zhuhai.

Professionally, I am a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, UK and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. I have also served on various professional bodies, including being elected as Chairman of the Hong Kong Geographical Association (1999-2001), honourable member of the Institute of Shopping Centre Management (Hong Kong). Member of the International board of directors of Asian Urban Research Association. I am member of the editorial boards of The China Review, Sustainable Development, Asian Geographer, ICE Planning and Design.