Graduated from the Peking University of China and received a doctor's degree of human geography in 2007, and has worked at the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design(CAUPD) till now. Major in urban and regional planning, and research directions including regional economics and planning, master planning, urban geography. He has published about 20 articles in academic journals, and a theoretical book named 'Economic Performance of Spatial Structure in Metropolitan Regions' published in Chinese Architecture Industry Press. Rui has participated in about 30 projects of urban planning in China.
His research will examine another pattern of urbanisation in China that is different from those formal ones leading by the local government, as we name it informal development. Informal urbanisation always happens in areas with weak government but have active private sectors, who play the most important role in city construction and local economic growth.
Wenzhou and Yiwu are typical cases of informal development. Both of them lie in the edge of the mainland of China, without any advantageous of location, transportation, resources or national policies, but they have become famous commodity trading center of the world. As we observe in Wenzhou, the city spatial structure is more scattered and function-fixed than those developed by governments, and civil society and NGOs are more developed also. The entrepreneurs in Wenzhou have become a special group, who have deep impact on the economy and society of China and even many western countries.
China is now undergoing a deep transition period in the development of market economy and society. The relationship between government and society will change significantly with this transition. That is to say market will play a major role in economic development, that will make informal development being more important to Chinese urbanisation in the future. We will be confronted with much more conflict of space, resources, environment, and social problems.