Urban Heritage and Conservation Scholar
Kaiyi Zhu currently serves as a Postdoctoral researcher and Lecturer at TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, where she previously completed her PhD with the dissertation "In the Name of Conservation." Her academic background includes architectural training and an MSc in Conservation of Historic Buildings from the University of Bath. Working at the intersection of architectural history, critical heritage studies, and environmental design, she specializes in urban heritage conservation and transformation, particularly focusing on China's heritage practices. Her research examines transnational exchanges of ideas, heritage conservation discourse, and neighborhood transformation in urban settings. She has published significant works on Shanghai's urban transformation, including studies of the Bugaoli community and analyses of population mobility and globalization. As a member of the PortCityFutures project and UNESCO Chair Water, Ports and Historic Cities, she contributes to understanding water heritage and sustainable waterscape development. She serves on the editorial team of the European Journal of Creative Practices in Cities and Landscapes, reviews for the Journal of Architecture, and was selected for the IPHS Spotlight in 2022. Her work extends to various research interests including adaptive reuse of modern architecture, urban justice, and sustainable development goals, while maintaining active involvement in the Our Collections Matter network from ICCROM.