Emerging New Asian Urban Residential Environments: Mass Housing and the City in Japan, South Korea and China (1980s-2010s)

In the previous 50 years and especially during the last 3 decades the regions of East Asia have seen an impressive socio-economic and urban development. This phase of enormous growth of the Asia Pacific region has been heralded by the Japanese rapid economic expansion of the 1960s, followed by the Korean “Han River” miracle of the 1980s-90s, and then consolidated by the current gigantic industrialization and urbanization process of China.

With a focus on the large urban conurbations of Tokyo/Kanto, Osaka/Kansai regions (Japan); Seoul/Kyeonggi-do conurbation (South Korea); Shanghai-Suzhou, Beijing-Tianjin areas (China), among the densest, most dynamic and vibrant urban areas of East Asia and in the world, this PhD research project aims at analyzing and re-evaluate how modern and contemporary Japan, South Korea and China have resolved to provide the growing urban population with adequate and modern housing organized in efficient, well planned and attractive urban districts. It also intends to review the relationships between the development of mass housing blocks as large urban estates/mega housing projects or master-planned communities (MPCs), and their relation with the main models of urban residential communities and current development and transformation of the urban fabric in the contemporary city.

The research will thus embark in an interdisciplinary-multidisciplinary comparative study of the main models of large scale urban residential complexes developed in Japan, China and Korea in the last 30 years, their impact on the evolution of the urban morphology and relationship and reciprocal influence and interaction (in terms of formal, functional and socio-cultural interplay) with the principal models of community aggregations, social and urban milieu in the urban fabric of the Asian Pacific city.

For more information about doctoral scholarship and PhD programme at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU): Please visit -
http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/phd.html

http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/phd/feesscholarships.html

Requirements
The candidate should have a first class or upper second class honours degree, or a master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) in History and Theory of Architecture and Urbanism, Architectural Design, Urban Design, Urban Planning or Landscape Architecture, or related disciplines. Evidence of good spoken and written English is essential. The candidate should have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above, or an equivalent qualification, if the first language is not English. This position is open to all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality.

Preference will be given to all qualified applicants who have knowledge of Chinese and/or Japanese and Korean languages and culture. Candidates must have excellent communications skills, both verbal and written, and evidence of strong competence in graphic representation (both manual and digital), and experience in delivering presentations.

Degree
The student will be awarded a PhD degree from the University of Liverpool (UK) upon successful completion of the program.

How to Apply
Interested applicants are advised to email [Email Address Removed] (principle supervisor’s email address) the following documents and copy [Email Address Removed] (please put the project title in the subject line).
• CV
• Two reference letters
• Personal statement outlining your interest in the position
• A Portfolio (in pdf format of max 8 pages) containing a selection of the applicant’s personal works, and /or samples of writing scripts/papers
• Proof of English language proficiency (an IELTS score of above 6.5 or equivalent is required
• Verified school transcripts in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
• Verified certificates of education qualifications in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr. Raffaele Pernice ([Email Address Removed]), whose personal profile is linked below:
http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/departments/academic-departments/urban-planning-and-design/staff/raffaele-pernice