Dr Wojciech Kębłowski is Assistant Professor in HKU’s Department of Urban Planning and Design. In his work Wojciech combines urban research and photography to explore three inter-related themes.

First, Wojciech unravels the political dimension of urban transport policies, planning strategies and practices that carry the label of “sustainability.” Wojciech has advanced the notion of critical transport studies, attending to urban transport and mobility as part and parcel of production of space and society. This involves exploring its economy and governance; the ideologies and power relations that underpin it; the labour and informalities on which it depends; the social and spatial inequalities it creates or mitigates; and the geopolitics by which it is embraced. Wojciech is particularly curious about practices of fare evasion and control, and the policy of fare abolition, otherwise known as fare-free public transport — a policy he has explored in Brazil, China, Cuba, Estonia, Luxembourg, and the United States.

Second, Wojciech studies diverse alternatives to the capitalist mode of producing urban space and society. These include practices inspired by the notion of circular economy and degrowth, and various examples of citizen participation, for instance the policy of participatory budgeting. Wojciech has explored how, why and for whom these “alternatives” emerge, and how they are transferred and “mobilised” between urban contexts — which he has researched in Belgium, France, Poland and Spain.

Third, Wojciech analyses the local and urban dimension of the global China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In particular, he has explored how the geopolitical and geoeconomics agendas of the BRI materialise locally “on the ground” and interact with the development of transport infrastructure in Western and Eastern Europe, generating growth coalitions, affecting labour conditions, and leading to local support and resistance. This research has focused on transport infrastructure at the Poland-Belarus and in Belgium.

Wojciech has published and co-edited special issues in journals across geography (Geoforum, Antipode, Environment and Planning C), urban studies (Urban Geography, Urban Studies), as well as transport and mobilities (Journal of Transport Geography,Transportation Research Part A, and Mobilities).

Prior to joining HKU in June 2025, Wojciech worked as Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). He obtained his PhD in Sciences (Geography) in 2018 from Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2018) and MSc in Urban Studies (4cities), a joint master of universities in Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, and Vienna (2012). Throughout his career, Wojciech completed numerous research stays at academic institutions in Austria, Estonia, France, Cuba, China, and Singapore.

Wojciech is currently accepting applications for Postdocs, PhD students, and Research Assistants working along his lines of research. Applicants are strongly encouraged to send their CV and a statement of research interests to wojciech@hku.hk