Main Research Areas:

• Urban development and redevelopment in China
• Heritage conservation and management
• Creative and cultural industries

Mengke Zhang is trained as an urban geographer. Her research interests span across urban, cultural and social geography, especially in the fields of urban heritage conservation, culture-led regeneration, and creative and cultural industries in cities. She is currently a PhD student at EPFL, the Institute for Area and Global Studies.

She received a Master of Arts in China Development Studies from The University of Hong Kong. Her masters dissertation discusses the heritage discourse in urban China with a case study of the Hangzhou Section of the Grand Canal. Recently, she has been involved in research projects related to the spatial and social transformation of the Chinese danwei (work units), as well as live music and the digital platform in contemporary China.

Studies:

• 2015-2016 Master of Arts in China Development Studies, Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong
• 2011-2015 Bachelor of Arts in Chinese, Zhejiang University, China
• 2013 National Central University, Taiwan (Exchange Programme)

Publications:

• Zhang, M., & Lenzer Jr, J. H. (2020). Mismatched canal conservation and the authorized heritage discourse in urban China: A case of the Hangzhou Section of the Grand Canal. International Journal of Heritage Studies.
• Zhang, M., Zhang, T., Xiao, Z., & Chai, Y. (2021). Property rights redistribution and the spatial evolution of the Chinese danwei compound: a case study in Beijing. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment.