Xinlin Ma

Xinlin Ma is a Research Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on urban land use, sustainability, and equity, leveraging big data and thick data to analyze urbanization impacts and policy implications. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography from Peking University, China, where she pioneered space-time behavior research linking environmental exposure and neighborhood integration.

Dr. Ma leads a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grant investigating urban spatial justice through space-time behavior and mobility. Her work addresses urban redevelopment policies’ environmental and equity dimensions. She is affiliated with the Program on Chinese Cities, contributing to interdisciplinary urban studies.

Her recent publications explore urban retrofitting frameworks, migrant health in aging populations, and environmental inequity in heat mitigation. Key themes include mobility’s role in social isolation, technology-mediated socialization, and climate adaptation strategies. Current projects emphasize policy evaluation and data-driven urban solutions.

Awards: None explicitly listed. Grant activity includes NSFC funding for spatial justice research. Advising: Currently not accepting PhD students. Lab affiliations include the Program on Chinese Cities focusing on urbanization and policy analysis.