My work has focused on understanding the dynamic relationship between the spatial organization of urban areas and its mobility and accessibility needs. The supply of transportation infrastructure, the plan and control for land development, the micro level travel behavior and the macro level traffic patterns and public health are all difficult policy subjects.  Decision making around these subjects requires sounding research support. For example, to what extent can commuting time increase and congestion in today’s metropolitan areas be attributed to spatially decentralized development? What format of spatial development is desirable from the perspective of travel demand management and public health? How can affordable information technology help carry forward the dialogue of regional planning and city management? Around the globe, is there a linkage between governing and planning institution and spatial patterns of urban development? Understanding the concepts and relationships associated with those questions is an overarching theme in my past and ongoing scholarly work.

Recent Publications

• Yang, Jiawen, Qing Shen, Jingzhen Shen and Canfei He, 2012, Transport Impacts of Clustered Development in Beijing: Compact Development versus Overconcentration, Urban Studies, 49(6): 1315-1331

• Yang, Jiawen, Steve French, Xingyou Zhang, James Holt. The Travel-Obesity Connection: an Investigation from the Perspective of Individual Time Use and Energy Expenditure. Environment and Planning B. in press.

• Jiawen Yang, Steven French, James Holt & Xingyou Zhang (2012): Measuring the Structure of U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1970–2000, Journal of the American Planning Association, 78:2, 197-209.
• Yang, Jiawen, Qing Shen, Jingzhen Shen and Canfei He,  2012, Transport Impacts of Clustered Development in Beijing: Compact Development versus Overconcentration. Urban Studies, 49(6): 1315-1331.
• C. L. Ross, J. Yang, C. Fang and G. Song (2011) Assessing China’s Mega-Region Mobility: In a Comparative Context, Transportation Research Record, 2244: 61-68.
• Shen, Jingzhen and Jiawen Yang, 2011, “The Internationalization of Architecture Design in Beijing: Touching the Pulse of Globalization”, Journal of Architecture and Planning Research, 28: 17-27.
• Yang, J. (2010). The Spatial and Social Characteristics of Urban Transportation in Beijing. Transportation Research Record, 2193: 59-67.
• Yang, J. (2010). A Review of “Conceptions of Space and Place in Strategic Spatial Planning. Journal of the American Planning Association, 76(4): 524.
• Yang, J., & Ferreira, J. (2009). Informing the Public of Transportation-Landuse Connections. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 17(1), 27-37. doi:10.1016/j.trc.2008.05.001
• Yang, J., Feng, J., & Gakenheimer, R. (2009). The Physical and Social Dimension of Job-Housing Balance in Urban China. Smart Growth in China. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Press.
• Yang, J. (2009). Spatial Planning in Asia: Planning and Developing Megacities and Megaregions. In Ross, C. (Ed.), Megaregions: Planning for Global Competiveness. Washington, DC: Island Press.
• Yang, J., Lu, X., Yu, G., & Gakenheimer, R. (2008). Land Use and Transport Access. Schipper, L. (Ed.), Sustainable Urban Transportation in China: Context, Challenges and Solutions.  China communication Press, Beijing, China.
• Yang, J. (2008). Policy Implications of Excess Commuting: Examining the impacts of changes in US metropolitan spatial structure. Urban Studies, 45(2), 391-405. doi:10.1177/0042098007085969
• Yang, J., & Ferreira Jr, J. (2008). Choices Versus Choice Sets: A commuting spectrum method for representing job- housing possibilities. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 35(2), 364-378. doi:10.1068/b3326
• Yang, Jiawen and Ralph Gakenheimer, 2007, “Assessing the Mobility and Accessibility Consequences of Land Use Transformation in Urban China”, Habitat International, 31: 345-353.
• Yang, J., Feng, C., & Cao, G. (2007). Land and Transportation Development in China: Economic Analysis of Government Behavior. Transportation Research Record, 2038, 78-83. doi:10.3141/2038-10
• Yang, Jiawen, 2007, “Letter to editor: Understanding Urban Planning in China,” the Journal of American Planning Association, 73: 2, pp. 238
• Yang, J., & Gakenheimer, R. (2007). Assessing the Transportation Consequences of Land use Transformation in Urban China. Habitat International, 31, 345-353. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2007.05.001
• Yang, J., & Ross, C. (2007). Implementing Spatial Planning in China’s Market Economy. Urban Planning Forum (in Chinese), 6.

Funded Projects

• Collaborative Data Development for City Asset Management, funded by the Atlanta City Government. 
• Aerotropolis Atlanta Project, Co-PI (with Bert Bras and Nancey Leigh), the Ford Company and the US Department of Transportation/Georgia Transportation Institute.
• Impacts of Large Scale Built-Environment on the Obesity Epidemics, 2009, Co-PI (with Steve French as PI), research grant from the Center for Disease Control and the Institute for Biological and Biomedical Research
• Location Dynamics of Manufacturing Activities: Pulp-paper Industry in China, 2009, Alfred P Sloan Foundation grant (through the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies)
• Spatial Structure and Transportation in China’s Megacities, 2009, internatioanl fellowship project, supported by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
• Megacity and Transportation Planning, co-PI (with Catherine Ross as PI), 2007, sponsored by USA Federal Highway Administration
• Metropolitan Planning for Evolving Life Styles, 2007, sponsored by Georgia Tech Foundation.