Ran’s research focuses on heritage preservation planning and heritage-led urban regeneration, particularly in China. She is currently working on how government exploits heritage to build national image and conduct culture promotion, and how that affects the heritage policies and conservation projects. Built on her master’s thesis looking at original residents’ willingness to relocate in historic districts in Beijing due to the state-led regeneration projects, she is interested in the state-led relocation and gentrification in heritage areas in China and the implications of gentrification on heritage conservation, and social equality and accessibility of heritage areas. As China now owns the most World Heritage sites listed by UNESCO, she is also interested in the nomination and conservation of World Heritage sites in China, particularly the rationalities of selecting heritage sites for the World Heritage Sites Tentative List and how the designation affects the conservation, management and adaptive reuse of the heritage sites.

Prior to joining the PhD program at LSE, Ran worked as a research fellow at the Division of Cultural and Natural Resources of the Department of Historical and Cultural City, Tsinghua Tongheng Planning & Design Institute, Beijing, China. Ran holds an MS in Historic Preservation from the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, the US and a BE in Urban Planning from the College of Urban and Environmental Science at Peking University, China. Ran is on the LSE PhD Studentship.

Publications 

Wei, R., & Wang, F. (2022). Is colonial heritage negative or not so much? Debating heritage discourses and selective interpretation of Kulangsu, China. Built Heritage, 6(21). Doi:10.1186/s43238-022-00069-7.  

Wei, R. (2021). Tyrannical participation approaches in China’s regeneration of urban [WR1] heritage areas - A case study of baitasi historic district, Beijing. International Journal of Heritage Studies. DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2021.1993310.

Wei, R. (2021). Urban locality and liveability based on the experience of Zhangdefu City of Anyang in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. China Ancient City, 35(9), 43-49.

Wang, F., Peng, X., Wei, R., Qin, Y. L., & Zhu, X. H. (2019). Environmental behaviour research in resources conservation and management: A case study of Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 141, 431-440.

Wang, F., Jiang, C., & Wei, R. (2017). Cultural landscape security pattern: concept and structure. Geographical Research, 36(10), 1834-1842.

Read Ran's CV

Supervisors

Dr Nancy Holman

Dr Alan Mace