Dr. Kon Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), where he also serves as Programme Director of the MSc Urban Planning (Urban Design Pathway). Educated as an architect at the Korea National University of Arts (RIBA Part I & II accredited), he expanded his expertise into urban regeneration and planning through an MSc at University College London (RTPI-accredited) and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Design at the University of Westminster, supported by the South Korean Ministry of Education.

He is a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Before joining XJTLU, Dr. Kim held positions as Research Professor of Urban Humanities at the University of Seoul and Visiting Lecturer in Architecture at the Korea National University of Arts, with earlier professional experience at Suwon City Research Institute, Innocean Worldwide, and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.

Dr. Kim’s research sits at the intersection of architecture, planning, urban humanities, and digital cultures. His work explores four interrelated strands: (1) sustainable urban regeneration and digital futures, (2) counter-urbanisation and Asian urbanism, (3) community building and social infrastructure, and (4) inclusive urban design and architecture. His current projects examine how young people in small and secondary cities/towns across East Asia reconfigure migration trajectories, local communities, governance structures, and social innovations in response to socio-economic precarity and demographic change.

1. Sustainable Urban Regeneration and Digital Futures: (Exploring adaptive reuse, smart technologies, and innovative governance in the transformation of cities).

2. Counter-Urbanisation and Asian Urbanism: (Investigating migration, peripheral growth, and alternative trajectories of urbanisation in East Asia).

3. Community Building and Social Infrastructure: (Understanding how spaces, institutions, and networks sustain collective life and everyday resilience).

4. Inclusive Urban Design and Architecture: (Designing environments that prioritise equity, accessibility, and human-centred experiences).

Programme Director, MSc Urban Planning (Urban Design Pathway), 2024-Present

Deputy Programme Director, MSc Urban Planning (Specialization in Urban Design), 2023-2024

Assistant Professor, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 2023-Present

Research Professor, University of Seoul, 2021-2023

Visiting Lecturer, Korea National University of Arts, 2022-2023

Urban Researcher, Suwon City Research Institute, 2016

Architectural Coordinator, Innocean Worldwide, 2010-2014

Designer, STX offshore shipbuilding, 2010

BNV 402 Urban Design Inquiry (Studio)

BNV 403 Dissertation

UPD 110 Neighbourhood Planning

UPD 201 Environmental Sustainability

UPD 305 Final Year Project and Dissertation

UPD 407 Place-Making and Urban Design (Studio)

UPD 409 Dissertation

ENT 405TC Work Placement (Smart City Pathway)

Planning Policy and Design Intervention (Studio)

Planning Research: Methods and Skills

Critical Thinking in Architecture

Seminar in Architectural Criticism