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Dr J.Y. (Julie) Ren

Assistant Professor of Urban Geography
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
GPIO : Urban Geographies

Visiting address
  • Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
Postal address
  • Postbus 15629
    1001 NC Amsterdam
  • Profile

    Dr. Julie Ren is an Assistant Professor with the Urban Geographies Group at the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development, University of Amsterdam and an Assistant Professor at the Departement Gesellschaftswissenschaften, Universität Basel as part of her SNF Starting Grant "Aspirational Urbanism and the Recodification of Defiance" from 2025-2029. The project explores the cruelty of hope and ways of recognizing aesthetic possibilities in the face of inevitability. It engages with cities like Hong Kong and Taipei, and the practice of urban theorizations at the very small scale.

    Previously, she has held postdoctoral posts at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, London School of Economics, the City University of Hong Kong and the Universität Zürich, where she completed her habilitation (2023). Her research on art events and spaces has used comparative urbanism as a means to contribute to a more global urban theory. Her latest book is Engaging Comparative Urbanism: Art Spaces in Beijing and Berlin (Bristol University Press, 2021).

    She is book forum editor at the journal Urban Geography.

  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Non-peer reviewed publications

    Ren, J. (2024) The City after Property: a conversation on critical geographies of race and property. Urban Geography 45 (5): 895-896. Availabe online: https://www.urbangeographyjournal.org/journal/book-reviews/the-city-after-property-a-conversation-on-critical-geographies-of-race-and-property.


    Dimitrakou, I., H. Hilbrandt and J. Ren (2023) Research-based collaboration: A toolkit for teaching and learning. Zurich: University of Zurich. Available from: www.zueri-urban.com/toolkit.

    Dimitrakou, I. and J. Ren (2023) Boring dystopias in fictional geographies: affective atmospheres of enclosure. Lo Squaderno 66: 29-33. Available online: http://www.losquaderno.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/losquaderno66.pdf

    Ren, J. (2023) “Editorial: Reviving a Platform: Book Review Forums.” Urban Geography 44(4): 567-569.

    Ren, J. and R. Sancarlo (2023) “’We can’t be provincial about Venice’: An interview with Jane da Mosto.” Third Text: Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Art and Culture Online. Available online: http://www.thirdtext.org/interview-damosto.

    Ren, J. (2021) “Understanding Local Impact.” In Past Present Futures of Urban Change. ACT Magazine. Berlin: MitOst e.V. Available online: https://www.actorsofurbanchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ACT_Magazine2021_Digital_Spreads_Small.x47702.pdf

    Ren, J. (2021) “The Wounds of Utter Otherness: Asian Exclusions and the Need for Solidarities.” Society and Space Magazine. Forum on Anti-Asian Violence. Available online: https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/the-wounds-of-utter-otherness-asian-exclusions-and-the-need-for-solidarities

    Ren, J. (2020) “Book Review: Making Urban Theory: Learning and Unlearning Through Southern Cities by Mary Lawhon. Urban Studies 57(14): 3002-3005.

    Ren, J. (2016) Segregation Research on Urban China. CityU on Cities Working Paper Series, No. 1/2016. City University of Hong Kong. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3277.4644

    Ren, J. (2013) “Gentrification Disco No. 9.” In M. Eddy and F. Lazaridou-Hatzigoga (eds.) 附录 Appendix. 家作坊 HomeShop, 55-57.

    Ren, J. (2008) Interview with Sir Peter Hall. SP3, Spring(4), 16-18.

    Ren, J. (2008) "Youth Centres in Immigrant Neighbourhoods: A Case Study." SP3, Spring(4), 26-30.

  • Publications

    2023

    • Ren, J. Y. (2023). Comparative geographies. In L. Lees, & D. Demeritt (Eds.), Concise Encyclopedia of Human Geography (pp. 69-73). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800883499.ch14
    • Ren, J. Y. (2023). Exceptionalism and theorizing spatial inequality: Segregation research on cities in China. Journal of Urban Affairs, 45(7), 1225-1237. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2021.1921592
    • Ren, J. Y. (2023). Making a Comparative Case. In P. Le Galès, & J. Robinson (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Comparative Global Urban Studies (pp. 185-194). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429287961-15
    • Ren, J. Y., Dimitrakou, I., Gehriger, L., Grafe, F.-J., & Hilbrandt, H. (2023). Langweilige Dystopien in fiktiven Geographien: Eingeschlossensein in affektiven Atmosphären. sub\urban: zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung, 11(1-2), S. 205-234. https://doi.org/10.36900/suburban.v11i1/2.737
    • Ren, J. Y., Matter, C., Sancarlo, R., & Marano, V. (2023). Crisis and Collectives Shaping Art Events: From Events that Matter to Events that Care. Third Text, 37(5-6), 601-615. https://doi.org/10.1080/09528822.2023.2297626

    2022

    2021

    2020

    • Forrest, R., Ren, J. Y., & Wissink, B. (2020). The City in China: New Perspectives on Contemporary Urbanism. Bristol University Press.
    • Ren, J. Y. (2020). Engaging Comparative Urbanism: Art Spaces in Beijing and Berlin. Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529207057.001.0001
    • Ren, J. Y. (2020). Conclusion: Everyday Cities, Exceptional Cases. In R. Forrest, J. Ren, & B. Wissink (Eds.), The City in China: New Perspectives on Contemporary Urbanism (pp. 231-245). Bristol University Press.
    • Ren, J. Y. (2020). Postcolonial Urbanism. In R. Dilworth (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Urban Studies Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780190922481-0018

    2019

    2017

    • Luger, J., & Ren, J. Y. (2017). Art and the City: Worlding the Discussion through a Critical Artscape. Routledge.
    • Ren, J. Y. (2017). Introduction: Disruptions of a Critical Artscape. In J. Luger, & J. Ren (Eds.), Art and the City: Worlding the Discussion through a Critical Artscape (pp. 1-12). Routledge.

    2016

    • Ren, J. Y. (2016). ‘Creative class' subversions: Art spaces in Beijing and Berlin. In J. Wang, T. Oakes, & Y. Yang (Eds.), Making Cultural Cities in Asia: Mobility, assemblage, and the politics of aspirational urbanism (pp. 177-190). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315726052

    2015

    2010

    • Ren, J. Y., & Langhout, R. D. (2010). A Recess Evaluation with the Players: Taking Steps Toward Participatory Action Research. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46(1-2), 124-138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9320-2

    2023

    Prize / grant

    • Ren, J. (2024). Swiss National Science Foundation Starting Grant.

    2015

    • Ren, J. Y. (2015). Locating mobilities and possibilities: art spaces in Beijing and Berlin. [Thesis, fully external, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin]. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. https://doi.org/10.18452/17539
    This list of publications is extracted from the UvA-Current Research Information System. Questions? Ask the library or the Pure staff of your faculty / institute. Log in to Pure to edit your publications. Log in to Personal Page Publication Selection tool to manage the visibility of your publications on this list.
  • Ancillary activities
    • Urban Geography
      Book Reviews Editor
    • Urban Geography
      Book Reviews Editor