Professor Shin’s research on geography and urban studies has involved the re-thinking of various concepts that are produced out of the development experience of post-industrial/Western cities, and aimed at understanding how the experience of Asian urbanisation propelled by strong states re-writes the social and physical landscape in the context of global uneven development. His research has profoundly influenced critical urban theory and practice, particularly in non-Western contexts and broadly spans four key areas: gentrification, urban political economy, urban struggles, and the circulation of Asian urbanisms.
(1) Gentrification
First, his work on gentrification redefines gentrification as a global yet context-specific process, challenging Western-centric paradigms in urban studies. In Planetary Gentrification (2016), he frames gentrification as diverse and uneven, unfolding through local-global dynamics, from slum upgrading to mega-displacement. His research in China and Seoul highlights state-driven urbanisation and speculative accumulation, showing how displacement operates through coercion and the class remaking of space. Shin critiques universalizing Anglo-American models, advocating for “provincialising” gentrification to account for its plural, place-specific forms while retaining its core link to class and power struggles. His work foregrounds social justice in understanding the inequalities of global urban change. Read more here.
(2) Urban Political Economy
Second, by focusing on mega-events and megaprojects, Shin’s work on urban political economy reveals the complex interplay of state power, capital, and urbanisation in Asia. He demonstrates how these phenomena serve as tools for achieving developmental goals while exposing the socioeconomic inequalities and risks embedded in such strategies. His analyses contribute to a deeper understanding of the multiscalar politics of urban growth, the tensions between developmentalism and neoliberalism, and the far-reaching implications of state-orchestrated investment in the built environment. Through these lenses, Shin not only critiques the socio-spatial consequences of these processes but also re-theorizes the role of mega-events and megaprojects in the political economy of urbanisation in East and Southeast Asia. Read more here.
(3) Urban Struggles
Third, his work on urban struggles and social justice consistently emphasises the importance of localized, context-sensitive understandings of urban struggles and rights discourses. His work challenges universalist interpretations of “the right to the city,” urging scholars and activists to consider the socio-historical specificities that shape rights awareness in non-Western contexts. Central to his analysis is the idea of cross-class alliances, which he views as indispensable for confronting the structural injustices of urban development, speculative accumulation, and state hegemony. Shin’s scholarship not only critiques existing inequalities but also envisions pathways for collective resistance, offering a profound and hopeful vision of urban transformation grounded in solidarity and justice. Read more here.
(4) Circulation of Asian Urbanisms
Fourth and last, Shin’s work on the circulation of Asian urbanisms and real estate capital highlights how development experiences of East and Southeast Asia, conceptualised as the “global East,” are shaping global urban futures. He argues that urbanism in the global East in these contexts is, by and large, a state project deeply tied to land-based accumulation and ideological imposition, with state actors and real estate developers closely collaborating. Shin critiques these processes’ speculative and uneven nature and highlights how urban models like South Korea’s rapid urbanization and China’s urban accumulation strategies are transplanted globally, often reinforcing inequalities in destination places. His work exposes urbanism’s role as a political, economic, and ideological tool within global capitalism. Read more here.
Research Keywords
urban political economy; urban studies; urban geography; politics of displacement; gentrification; urban growth politics; urban injustice; urban struggles; urban spectacles and mega-events; circulation of urbanism; Asian urbanisms; politics of housing; real estate; property hegemony; speculative urbanisation; East and Southeast Asia; global East; global South
Research Grants
2019 – 2020 Principal Investigator, “Asian Capital and the Rise of Smart Urbanism in Kuwait”, GBP 33,999, Kuwait Programme Research Grants, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science.
2019 – 2020 Principal Investigator, Tackling the UK’s International Challenges 2018 Grant: “The Urban Spectre of Global China: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Alternatives for Urban Futures”, GBP 49,998, The British Academy. Co-Investigators include Dr Yimin Zhao (Renmin University of China) and Dr Sin Yee Koh (Monash University Malaysia)
2017 – 2021 Co-Investigator, with 17 others led by Bae-Gyoon Park, PI (Seoul National University). “A Study on a New Urban Paradigm in the Era of Post-developmentalism: Towards the East Asian Cities of Commoning, Peace and Sustainability,” KRW 1.8 billion (c.£1.2 million) held at PI’s institution. Social Sciences Korea programme, National Research Foundation of Korea
2016 – 2017 Principal Investigator. “Property before People: Real Estate Assets, Inequalities and Contestation of Property Rights in Southeast Asia,” £7,500. Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre Research Fund, LSE
2016 – 2017 Principal Investigator. “Why do People Speculate on Housing? Changing Practices of Housing Consumption in East Asia,” £3,000. Department of Geography and Environment Seed Fund, LSE
2014 – 2017 Co-Investigator, with a dozen others led by Bae-Gyoon Park, PI (Seoul National University). “Crisis and Transformation of East Asian Cities in the Age of Globalization,” KRW 689.7 million (c.£400,000) held at PI’s institution. Social Sciences Korea programme, National Research Foundation of Korea
2011 – 2014 Co-Investigator, with four others led by Byeong Yu Jeon, PI (Hanlim University, Korea). “Theory, Evidence and Cases of Reproduction Structure and Socio-Political Agenda-Setting of Multiple Disparities,” KRW 300 million held at PI’s institution. Social Sciences Korea programme, National Research Foundation of Korea
2012 – 2013 Principal Investigator. “Field Research Method Lab: Addressing Field Research Constraints,” £1,450. LSE Researcher Development Fund
2011 – 2012 Co-Investigator, with Loretta Lees, Hilda Herzer and Ernesto López-Morales. “Towards an Emerging Geography of Gentrification in the Global South,” £19,960. Urban Studies Foundation Urban Seminar Series Competition
2007 – 2008 Principal Investigator. “Pushing ahead with Mega-events: the Housing Outcomes of Mega-event Hosting on Low-income Families in China,” £7,420. The British Academy Small Research Grant
2007 Co-Investigator, with Jong-Gyoon Seo, PI. “Case Study of Social Enterprises for Community Regeneration in UK (영국의 사회적 기업 방식을 통한 지역재생 사례 연구),” KRW 10 million. Housing and Urban Research Institute and Korea National Housing Corporation