Dr Yang Wang

Dr. Yang WANG has deeply engaged in China’s high-speed and challenging urbanization process over the past three decades through multiple roles.

As an urban planner, he has long contributed to national strategies such as the ecological development of cities and towns in the Yellow River Basin and the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. His lead projects include Research on Urban Development along the Shaanxi Yellow River under Basin Governance (2018), Ecological Urban Belt Planning for the Area along the Yellow River in Shaanxi Province (2015), and Guanzhong Urban Agglomeration Development Research (2013), which focus on ecological cultivation and urban identity issues in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Projects like Digital Urban Style Control System for Xiongan New Area (2022) and Conceptual Design of Landmark Buildings in Xiongan New Area’s Starting Zone (2022) provided technical support for urban image innovation in Xiongan New Area, a pivotal initiative for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordination.

As a researcher, Dr. Wang’s work centers on urban sustainability. He spearheaded Configuration Standards for Public Service Facilities in Shaanxi’s Urban Old Residential Communities (China Building Materials Industry Press, 2021) and Configuration Standards for Urban Domestic Waste Classification Facilities (China Building Materials Industry Press, 2021), the first technical standards in these fields in Shaanxi. His contributions to Public Art Policies and Urban Cultural Renaissance (National Social Science Fund Art General Project, 18BH158, 2023) and Ecological Development Planning of Characteristic Urban Spaces in Shaanxi (Shaanxi Tourism Press, 2020) explore innovative pathways for sustainable urban development. During his PhD at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, his dissertation Yan’an Urban Image Shaping Strategies (2024) analyzed six key elements—basic conditions, systematic positioning, ecological pattern, cultural heritage, artistic identity, and spiritual character—providing design-driven insights for the sustainable development of Yan’an, China’s revolutionary landmark.

As a manager, his leadership roles include Vice President of Xiongan Urban Planning and Design Institute (2020–2022), Part-Time Vice President of Xiongan New Area Survey and Design Association (2021–2022), Vice President of Shaanxi Urban and Rural Planning and Design Institute (2019–2020), and Deputy County Magistrate of Shenmu County (2016–2018, secondment). These experiences have fostered his comprehensive and analytical understanding of contemporary Chinese urban development challenges.

In an era of turbulence and rapid change, Dr. Wang is pioneering humanistic and artistic urban design methodologies to drive sustainable development. He is currently contributing to Research on Chinese Urban Image Design (National Social Science Fund Art Major Project, 22ZD18).