Growing up in a bustling city like Hong Kong, I have a keen interest in how city inhabitants interact with the urban space they live in
Email: kycchan1@sheffield.ac.uk
Supervisors: Professor Malcolm Tait and Dr Zheng Wang
Twitter: @Y3Carlo
I graduated with a BScoSc in Geography and Resource Management and completed a MA in Intercultural Studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Upon graduation, I was involved in various research in historical GIS, urban planning and social policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Science and Technology and University of Hong Kong.
Before starting my PhD in Sheffield, I had been teaching the common core curriculum at the University of Hong Kong for 6 years. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, available for students from all disciplines including engineering, medicine, dentistry, law, finance, art and social sciences. It was a valuable experience that nurtured my passion for teaching. Apart from this full-time job, I also volunteered and worked (part time) as a consultant for research projects on public space, street management and walkability in a local think tank.
Growing up in a bustling city like Hong Kong, I have a keen interest in how city inhabitants interact with the urban space they live in. As an ardent believer of Jane Jacobs’s ideas of community-based planning, I’m more interested in looking at urban issues through the lens of ordinary people, than that of city planners or architects. I strongly believe that urban problems can only be solved through collective efforts of local residents, professionals and local authorities.
Research interests
- Sociology
- Cultural geography
- Historical GIS
- Urban studies
- Community planning
- Geographical gerontology
- Social policy
PhD Research: A Comparative Study on the Age-friendly policy in Manchester and Hong Kong
My PhD study is a qualitative study on how age-friendliness is translated and manifested in different political, social, economic and cultural contexts, with a neo-institutionalist lens. I’m interested in understanding the interplay between top-down and bottom-up forces in creating an age-friendly environment for older adults, particularly the role of street-level bureaucrats in the policymaking process. While the WHO published a guideline on creating age-friendly cities, the interpretation of the idea varies in places, resulting in different policy manifestation. Hence my research also looks into how similar and different these age-friendly discourses are geographically, as well as on different levels of institutions and bureaucracies. A qualitative approach is adopted in my study, involving in-depth interviews with older people, local authorities, scholars and experts, as well as field observation, and participatory observation.
Past research projects
Researcher. (2009-2010) “Beijing in Transition: A Historical GIS Study of Urban Cultures, 1912-1937”. Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Researcher (part time) (2010) “Young Photographers: A case study in Hong Kong”. Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Researcher (2011) “Understanding Non-Engaged Youth: a Mixed Approach”. University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong.
Researcher (part time) (2015-2017) “Mapping Colonial Justice of Early 20th Century Hong Kong (1900-1941): A Historical GIS Study”. University of Hong Kong.
Consultant (2017) “Street Management Policies for Hong Kong”. Civic Exchange, Hong Kong.
Publication
Chow, T.E., Ng, M., Wong, D.W.S. & Chan, C.C. (2019). Exploratory multivariate space–time analysis of colonial justice in Hong Kong during 1900–1930. GeoJournal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-019-10066-6.
Chan, C. C. (2019, June). Greying in the Orient: The Manifestation of Age-friendliness in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 56th International Making Cities Livable Conference on “A Healthy City for All”, Portalnd, United States.