He, D., Sun, G*., Li, L, Webster, C (2024). New metro and housing price and rent premiums: A natural experiment study in China. Urban Studies https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231208560

He, D., Wang, J., Sun, G*. Ambiguity in state-owned land property rights increases transaction costs in China’s transit-oriented development projects. Land Use Policy http//doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2025.107501

He, D., Sun, G*. Measuring volumetric urban design: Multi-level connectedness, compression, and functional mix in transit-oriented developments in Hong Kong (under revision in Environment and Planning B)

He. D., Sun, G*. How volumetric urban design in transit-oriented development affects housing premium: A longitudinal study in Hong Kong (working paper)

He. D., Sun, G*. Understanding the land value creation typology, land value capture, and sharing process for financing transit-oriented
development projects in China (working paper)

Transit-oriented development(TOD) is a commonly used planning concept that focuses on integrating transit systems with nearby land use patterns. Design-related elements in TOD mainly refer to pedestrian facilities, public transit services, commercial amenities, and public spaces. However, the public sector tends to undersupply design features due to the capital-intensive nature of TOD and the difficulty in coordination between stakeholders. This study examines how a market-based value capture approach can facilitate design provision of TOD in China. It includes three sub-questions: (1) What are the economic benefits of urban design provision on housing values? The results can unravel the rationale for using value capture instruments. (2) How do unsupportive institutional arrangements constrain value capture in TOD? (3) How a market-based value capture approach facilitates design-related provision. This study provides implications for recouping the value uplift from property owners and optimizing value capture institutional arrangements.

He, D., Lu, Y*., Xie, B*., & Helbich, M. (2022). How greenway exposure reduces body weight: A natural experiment in China. Landscape and Urban Planning https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104502

He, D., Lu, Y*., Xie, B*., & Helbich, M. (2021). Large-scale greenway intervention promotes walking behaviors: A natural experiment in China. Transportation research part D: transport and environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.103095

Xie, B., Pang, Z., He, D*., Lu, Y*., & Chen, Y. (2023). Effects of neighborhood environment on different aspects of greenway use: Evidence from East Lake Greenway, China. Journal of Transport Geography https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103488

He, D., Sun, G*., De Vos, J., & Webster, C. (2022). The effects of metro interventions on physical activity and walking among older adults: A natural experiment in Hong Kong. Health & Place https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102939

Choe, E. Y., He, D., & Sun, G. (2023). Trading-off transit and non-transit physical activity among older people: evidence from longitudinal accelerometer data of a natural experiment study. Journal of Urban Health, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-022-00709-4

He, D., Miao, J., Lu, Y., Song, Y., Chen, L., & Liu, Y*. (2022). Urban greenery mitigates the negative effect of urban density on older adults' life satisfaction: Evidence from Shanghai, China. Cities https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103607

Yang, H., He, D*., Lu, Y*., Ren, C., & Huang, X. (2021). Disentangling residential self-selection from the influence of built environment characteristics on adiposity outcomes among undergraduate students in China. Cities https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103165

He. D., An,Z., Hu, Y*. How a new metro line influences local traffic crashes: A natural experiment in China (under review in Transport Policy)

2025-now (supervised by Prof. Michael Manville (UCLA) and Prof. Adam Millard-Ball (UCLA))