I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Geography, within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s College London. Prior to this, I completed my first postdoctoral position at the Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University in Germany.
I received my Ph.D. in Spatial Planning from the Technical University of Dortmund in 2024. In 2020, I earned a Master's degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Leibniz University Hannover, and in 2018, I obtained a five-year Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the China Academy of Art.
My research interests lie in geographic information science, urban spatial perception, spatial equity, informal settlements, active travel behavior, and spatial data prediction and modeling. My work focuses on applying advanced technologies—such as computer vision, deep learning, graph neural networks, and large language models—to the quantitative analysis and prediction of residents’ behavior and urban space, aiming to inform data-driven urban intervention strategies.
I currently serve as a reviewer for 18 academic journals, including Nature Cities, a sub-journal of Nature. Additionally, I am a guest editor for the special issue Spatial Data Analysis and Geographic Information System for Urban Land Use in the journal Land, where I actively promote interdisciplinary collaboration and the application of geospatial technologies in urban land use research.
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PUBLICATIONS
Rui, J.* and Cai, C., 2025. Plausible or misleading? Evaluating the adaption of the place pulse 2.0 dataset for predicting subjective perception in Chinese urban landscapes. Habitat International, 157, p.103333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103333
Rui, J.*, Xu, Y., Cai, C. and Li, X., 2025. Leveraging large language models for tourism research based on 5D framework: A collaborative analysis of tourist sentiments and spatial features. Tourism Management, 108, p.105115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105115
Rui, J.*, Xu, Y. and Li, X., 2024. Destigmatizing urban villages by examining their attractiveness: Quantification evidence from Shenzhen. Habitat International, 150, p.103120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103120
Rui, J.*, 2023. Measuring streetscape perceptions from driveways and sidewalks to inform pedestrian-oriented street renewal in Düsseldorf. Cities, 141, p.104472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104472
Rui, J.* and Xu, Y., 2024. Beyond built environment: Unveiling the interplay of streetscape perceptions and cycling behavior. Sustainable Cities and Society, 109, p.105525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105525
Rui, J.* and Li, X., 2024. Decoding vibrant neighborhoods: Disparities between formal neighborhoods and urban villages in eye-level perceptions and physical environment. Sustainable Cities and Society, 101, p.105122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.105122
Rui, J.*, 2023. Exploring the association between the settlement environment and residents’ positive sentiments in urban villages and formal settlements in Shenzhen. Sustainable Cities and Society, 98, p.104851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104851
Rui, J.* Cai. C and Wu. Y., 2024. Towards equal and valuable neighborhood evolution? A longitudinal study of soundscape and visual evolution and housing value fluctuations in Shenzhen. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, p. 122829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122829
Gong, W., Rui, J.*, and Li, T., 2024. Deciphering urban bike-sharing patterns: An in-depth analysis of natural environment and visual quality in New York's Citi bike system. Journal of Transport Geography, 115, p.103799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103799
Xu, Z. and Rui, J.*, 2024. The Mitigating Effect of Green Space's Spatial and Temporal Patterns on the Urban Heat Island in the Context of Urban Densification: A Case Study of Xi'an. Sustainable Cities and Society, p.105974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105974
1Zhang, Q.*, Rui, J., & Wu, Y., 2024. Encouraging cycling through the improvement of streetscape perception: A bottom-up investigation into the relationship between street greening and bicycling volume. Applied Geography, 171, 103388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103388
Rui, J. and Othengrafen, F.*, 2023. Examining the role of innovative streets in enhancing urban mobility and livability for sustainable urban transition: A review. Sustainability, 15(7), p.5709. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075709
Wang, Z., Zhou, R., Rui, J. and Yu, Y., 2024. Revealing the impact of Urban spatial morphology on land surface temperature in plain and plateau cities using explainable machine learning. Sustainable Cities and Society, p.106046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.106046
Zhang, X., Rui, J., Xia, G., Yang, J., Cai, C. and Zhao, W., 2025. Revealing disparities and driving factors in leisure activity segregation of residents and tourists: A data-driven analysis of smart phone data. Applied Geography, 176, p.103513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103513
PROJECTS
LECTURES
In 2024, I delivered a lecture titled “Employing Innovative Street Measurement Methods to Foster Pedestrian-Centered Street Planning” at the University of Hong Kong.
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In 2025, I delivered a lecture at the China Academy of Art titled “How Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Drive Urban Planning Research”.
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In 2024, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation in Germany and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering (Dr.-Ing.) with the distinction of magna cum laude (very good).
