The Making of Hong Kong:
3D pedestrian network as the critical walking infrastructure
The three-dimensional pedestrian network, enabling multi-level city living in a vertical metropolis, is a fundamental consideration in urban planning and design practices for high-density cities.
The Making of Hong Kong:
3D pedestrian network as the critical walking infrastructure
The three-dimensional pedestrian network, enabling multi-level city living in a vertical metropolis, is a fundamental consideration in urban planning and design practices for high-density cities.
A research team within HKUrbanLabs, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong
"My research interests focus on public transport and urban redevelopment and their health impact on older people in Hong Kong. Before starting a doctoral degree, I had three-year working experience as a research assistant in sociology and housing studies."
Current Research
Yao's thesis investigates causal links between public transport changes and older adults' travel behavior, social engagement, and well-being. Older people face mobility challenges, so transport modifications can impact accessibility, social connections, and well-being. She explores how interventions shape travel adaptation and how psycho-social and environmental factors mediate behavior change impacting well-being.
She applies mixed qualitative/quantitative methods using a natural experiment to compare pre/post-transport intervention differences in older adults' mobility and health. In-depth interviews aid in understanding the behavior adaptation process and pathways from changes to subjective well-being. Findings can help policy support age-friendly, healthy aging by supporting older adults' transport needs.
Selected Publications
Du, Y., Sun, G., Choe, E. Y., & Kwan, M. P. (2022). Mediation effects of social isolation on pathways connecting public transport use with subjective wellbeing among older people. Journal of Transport & Health, 25, 101378.
Du, Y., Sun, G., & Kwan, M. P. (2022). Transit-oriented development for older people: Does using multiple public transport options improve their physical and mental health?. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 15(1), 729-753.
Sun, G., & Du, Y. (2023). New metro and subjective wellbeing among older people: A natural experiment in Hong Kong. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 169, 103592.
Choe, E. Y., Du, Y., & Sun, G. (2022). Decline in older adults’ daily mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of individual and built environment factors. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1-10.
Sun, G., Du, Y., Ni, M. Y., Zhao, J., & Webster, C. (2021). Metro and elderly health in Hong Kong: protocol for a natural experiment study in a high-density city. BMJ open, 11(3), e043983.