About Kerry Fang
Kerry Fang biography
My work focuses on economic development and land use. I ask questions like “Why some regions are rich while others are poor?” and “What policy tools can help create jobs and boost innovation?” I also examine the consequences of economic development, such as the encroachment into agricultural areas, sprawling development patterns and pollution. My work is both interdisciplinary and international. I adopt methods from economics, statistics, geography, sociology and computer science, and have studied countries including the United States, China, Australia and Russia.
Education
- PhD, Urban and Regional Planning and Design, University of Maryland, College Park, 2018
- MA, Land Management, Zhejiang University, 2013
- BA, Land Management, Zhejiang University, 2011
Research and publications
Ongoing and upcoming research
Ongoing and upcoming research
- Corruption in economic development projects
- Land use programs for coastal resilience
- The stratification effects of urban agglomeration that reinforcing barriers for minority-owned businesses
Selected publications
Wen, Y., Fang, L., Hou, J. Evolution of the Urban Planning Research Landscape: Mapping 30-Years' Meaning Shifts of Key Terms in JAPA, JPER, JPL. Journal of Planning Literature. Online First.
Fang, L., Linkous, E., Holmes, T., Lammers, A.* Transfer of Development Rights for Managed Coastal Retreat: Conceptual Design and Practical Applications. Journal of Planning Education and Research. Online first.
Fang, L., Wen, Y.,* Zhang, J., Xu, C., Erlebacher, G., Staley, S. Power of Persuasion: How Planners Shape Decisions through Communication. Journal of the American Planning Association, 2025, 91(3), 449–464.
Fang, L., Wen, Y., Zhang, J., Erlebacher, G., Staley, S. Network Power or Power Penetrated Network? An Analysis of the Communication Network in an Economic Development Project. Journal of the American Planning Association. Online first.
Finio, N., Fang, L., Prendergast, C., Knaap, G. Data on Minority-Owned Business: What’s Out There and What Can Be Done with It? Economic Development Quarterly. Online First.
Fang, L., Green, J., Ye, X., & Shi, W. Time to Upgrade Our Tools: Integrating Urban Data Science into Economic Development Research and Curriculum. Journal of Planning Education and Research. Online first.
Fang, L. How Are Economic Development Districts Riding the Waves of Economic Development Strategies? Economic Development Quarterly, 2022, 36(4): 371–384
Fang, L., Adelakun, F., & Goetemann, T. Brewing Entrepreneurship: Coffee and Startups. Journal of Planning Education and Research. Online first.
Fang, L., Rao, F. When Industry Diversity Meets Walkability: An Analysis of Innovation in Baltimore, USA and Melbourne, Australia. Journal of Planning Education and Research. Online first.
Fang, L., Drucker, J. How Spatially Concentrated are Industrial Clusters? A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Planning Literature, 2021, 36(4): 526-542.
Fang, L. Land Preservation Under the Transfer of Development Rights Program: A Study of Montgomery County (MD). Journal of the American Planning Association, 2020, 87(2): 228-238.
Fang, L., Ewing, R. Tracking Our Footsteps: Thirty Years of Publication in JAPA, JPER, and JPL. Journal of the American Planning Association, 2020, 86(4): 470-480.
Fang, L., Tian, C. Construction Land Quotas as a Tool for Managing Urban Expansion. Landscape and Urban Planning, 2020, 195, 103727.
Knaap G., Avin, U., & Fang L. Driving and Compact Growth: A Careful Look in the Rearview Mirror. Journal of the American Planning Association, 2017, 83(1): 32-35.
Fang, L., Li, P. & Song, S. China’s Development Policies and City Size Distribution: An Analysis based on the Zipf’s Law. Urban Studies, 2017, 54(12): 2818-2834.
Fang, L. Do Clusters Encourage Innovation? A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Planning Literature, 2015, 30(3): 239-260.
See a complete list of publications on Google Scholar Page
Teaching and advising
Classes taught
- UP 316: Urban Informatics II
- UP 510: Plan-Making: International Economic Development Planning
- UP 545: Economic Development Policy
Students advised
Zhenpeng Zhang, PhD Student