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Chia-Lin Chen

Dr Chia-Lin Chen

Senior Lecturer in Transport, Territorial Development, and Strategic Planning
Geography and Planning

Professional activities

Conference Roles

  • Rethinking Planning, Place, and Travel Behaviour for a Net Zero Future at Keynote Speech for 2025 International Environmental Education Conference, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Taipei, Taiwan, 2025)
  • Celebrating History, Shaping the Future of Rail Travel, by Invitation (Victoria Gallery Museum, Liverpool, 2025)
  • “Rethinking public transport systems: Scale-up proximity from people-centred perspectives in sustainable communities, cities and regions at International Bilateral Workshop "Springboard Programme" - Going Global Partnerships: Bilateral UK-France partnerships (Roxby Buildling, 2025)
  • Transborder and Cross-border Transportation: Connectivity, Accessibility, and Mobility at Quantifying border effects in Trans-European Transport Network: A simulation approach (Vienna, Austria, 2025)
  • Rethinking Transit-Oriented Development: Integration, Equity, Strategic Planning and Investment at Reshaping Socio-Economic Geography through Mass Rapid Transit: Longitudinal Evidence from Taipei (Birmingham UK, 2025)
  • Rethinking public transport systems through a vision of scalable proximity, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Wuhu China, 2025)
  • Rethinking public transport systems: Scale-up proximity from people-centred perspectives in sustainable communities, cities and regions (Roxby Building 6th Floor Conference Room, 2025)
  • SS04: Regional Rail and Infrastructural Regionalisms at Stuck on Infrastructure? Planning for the Transformative Effects of Transport Infrastructure (London, 2024)
  • HSR and Economic Growth at The Effect of High-Speed Rail on Inter-Regional Knowledge Sharing and Developing an Inter-Connected High-Tech Science Landscape in Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry (Online, 2024)
  • Transportation networks over the long run at Rethinking borders in cross-border railways: from a geographic perspective (Dublin Ireland, 2024)
  • Geographies of High-Speed Rail at Understanding the complexity of making new tracks of high-speed rail in the UK: The case of HS2 and Northern England (Dublin, 2024)
  • Sustainable transit-oriented development (STOD): new perspectives and advances at Long-term evolution of transit-induced gentrification: Evidence from London. (Dublin Ireland, 2024)
  • Unpacking the complexity of making new tracks of high-speed rail: The case of HS2 planning disaster (Huddersfield, UK, 2024)
  • Rail-induced urban development (London, 2024)
  • 2023 PGR Conference organisation SOES (Hilton Hotel Liverpool Central, 2023)
  • HSR: Competition vs Integration vs Inclusion at The 3rd HSR socioeconomic impacts Conference, International Railways Union (UIC)., by Invitation (Online, 2023)
  • Rethinking regional mobility: Modal interactions, social and territorial inequalities at Has high-speed rail reduced or widened regional inequalities- A comparative analysis? (Barcelona Spain, 2023)
  • Spatial Impacts of Transport Innovations at Has high-speed rail reduced or widened regional inequalities- A comparative analysis? (London, 2023)
  • ‘High-speed rail development and regional cohesion in Europe’ at International Symposium on Disciplinary Development and Innovation of Transport Geography 2023, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Dalian, China, 2023)
  • ‘Transit Oriented Development – Improving Urban Sustainability’, by Invitation (Taipei, Taiwan, 2023)

Editorships

  • Special Issue on "Journal of Transport Geography": Rethinking Transit-Oriented Development: Territorial restructuring, intermodality and governance (Executive Guest Editor, 2025 - 2027)
  • Geographies of High-Speed Rail (Forthcoming Autumn 2026) (Co-editing, 2024 - 2026)
  • Special Issue on "Cities": Sustainable Transit-Oriented Development: New Perspectives and Advances (Executive Guest Editor (with Professor Richard Knowles), 2024 - 2026)
  • Journal of Transport Geography (Editorial Board Member, 2018 - present)
  • Journal: Built Environment; Theme: "Impacts of High-speed Rail: Hub, Linkages and Development" (Invited Guest co-editor of special issue, 2019 - 2020)
  • Edward Elgar's Handbook of Research in Contemporary China : "Transport and Urban Transformation in China" (Invited lead editor, 2016 - 2019)

Examination Roles

  • External Examiner for MSc Urban and Regional Planning (Joint Programme between University of Glasgow UK and Nankai University China, 2021-2026) (PGT, 2021 - 2026)
  • University of Westminster, External Examiner for MSc Transport Planning and Management (University of Westminster, 2019-2023) (PGT, 2019 - 2023)
  • University of Malta, MA Dissertation Non-Visiting External Examining (Darren Caruana, Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, University of Malta, 2025) (PGT, 2025)
  • Université Gustave Eiffel, PhD External Examining (Dylan Moinse, LVMT, Université Gustave Eiffel, April 2025) (2025)
  • University of Malta, MA Dissertation Non-Visiting External Examining (Natalia Vella, Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development, University of Malta, 2023) (PGT, 2023)
  • PhD External Examining (Yi-Chen Huang, Robert Gordon University, April 2022) (2022)
  • PhD External Examining (Jeffrey Martin Howard, University of Westminster, November 2021) (2021)
  • University of Malta, MA Dissertation Non-Visiting External Examining (Ritianne Buhagiar, Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development, University of Malta, 2021) (PGT, 2021)
  • PhD External Examining (Shaoli Wang, Curtin University Australia, 2016) (2016)

Expert Opinions

  • International HSR expert panel for high-speed rail California consultation, Invited (University of California, Davis, 2022 - 2023)
  • Attended Public Bill Committee for oral evidence of research, Invited (Parliament of United Kingdom, 2013)

External Administrative or Committee Roles

  • Chair and Steering Committee Member of IGU Transport and Geography Commission (International Geographical Union, 2024 - 2028)
  • NWSSDTP Planning and Environment Pathway Lead (2022 - present)
  • Best Student Paper Award Review Panel, Invited (International Association for China Planning (IACP))
  • The RSA Award Committee, Invited (Regional Studies Association, 2018 - 2019)
  • Secretary and Steering Committee Member of IGU Transport and Geography Commission (2020 - 2024)
  • Vice Chair of IGU Transport and Geography Commission (2016 - 2020)

Grant Application Assessments

  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), NWSSDTP, 2025)
  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), NWSSDTP, 2024)
  • External Post-submission (University of California, Los Angeles, 2023)
  • Internal Post-submission (University of Liverpool, 2023)
  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), 2023)
  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), 2023)
  • Internal Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), 2023)
  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), 2022)
  • External Post-submission (Research Grants Council (RGC), Hong Kong, 2022)
  • External Post-submission (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), 2022)

Internal Administrative or Committee Roles

  • Interview panel member (Senior Lecturer/lecturer in Transportation Engineering) (Faculty, 2023)
  • Shortlisting panel member (Senior Lecturer/lecturer in Transportation Engineering) (Faculty, 2023)
  • UG Planning Applicant Additional Activities (ADD) (Department, 2023)
  • NWSSDTP Planning and Environment Pathway Institutional Representative (University, 2021 - present)
  • PGR lead in Planning (School / Institute, 2021 - present)
  • Travel and Transport Working Group (University, 2020 - present)
  • Programm Director of MSc Urban Planning (Department, 2019 - 2020)
  • Co-organiser: Lecture Series "Comparing Cities" in London Campus (University)

Media Appearances

  • What the decision to curtail HS2 and embrace cars means for the UK’s cities, The Conversation (October 2023)

Organisations I have been associated with

  • Transport and Geography Commission, International Geographical Union (2016 - present)
  • International Transport Forum, OECD (2017 - present)
  • Asian Development Bank (2013 - present)

Professional Body Memberships

  • Higher Education Academy, UK (Fellow, 2018 - present)
  • Royal Geographical Society (RGS) with the Institute of British Geographers- Transport Geography Research Group (Member, 2015 - present)
  • Town and Country Planning Association (Member, 2012 - present)