Jie Qi
Researcher
Summary
Jie Qi is a Researcher at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), specialising in evidence synthesis, environmental psychology, planning, and urban informatics. She is currently completing her PhD at the University of Sheffield’s School of Information, Journalism and Communication, where her doctoral work investigates the mechanistic and conditional pathways through which public space shapes social interaction and cohesion across urban settings.
About
Jie brings a strong quantitative focus to her research, drawing on machine learning, multivariate modelling, and spatial data science. Prior to her PhD, she worked on planning and evaluation projects on Transit-Oriented Development, 15-minute neighbourhoods, walkability indices, and examining how urban form influences housing prices. She has led systematic and structured reviews and is particularly interested in methods that support synthesis of diverse forms of evidence using interdisciplinary approaches. Her current work explores the use of participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) and data visualisation to strengthen realist evidence synthesis and support inclusive, evidence-informed decision-making.
At CRESR, Jie contributes to the Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness (C4), helping to build capacity for interdisciplinary, policy-relevant evidence synthesis to inform interventions that strengthen social cohesion and community connectedness.
Jie's research interests include:
- Evidence synthesis and mixed-method evaluation
- Spatial analysis and geospatial modelling
- Environmental psychology and public space
- PPGIS and urban informatics in policy evaluation
- Community connectedness and wellbeing
Research
- Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research
Public space, social interaction, and cohesion (PhD research)
Mixed-method investigation using systematic review, survey modelling, behavioural mapping, and focus groups
Community wellbeing and spatial inequality (C4/CRESR)
Supporting applied evaluations through evidence review approaches and frameworks development, grey literature synthesis
Publications
Journal articles
Qi, J., Mazumdar, S., & Vasconcelos, A.C. (2024). Understanding the Relationship between Urban Public Space and Social Cohesion: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Community Well-Being, 7 (2), 155-212. http://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-024-00204-5
Mazumdar, S., Qi, J., Thakker, D., & Goodchild, B. (2023). Understanding urban planning outcomes in the UK. International Journal of E-Planning Research, 12 (1), 1-40. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijepr.326126
Conference papers
Qi, J., Mazumdar, S., & Vasconcelos, A.C. (2023). Datafication in Smart Cities: Understanding How the Public Experience Urban Environments. Proceedings of the European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management Studies, 2023-September, 260-263.