Chen Chu

Urban Planner

Bio

Chen Chu is a PhD student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He is interested in how to design, mobilize and finance climate actions. Chen’s research engages three areas: environmental humanities; intergenerational justice; and the political economy of climate change. Chen believes that design thinking, by attending to local socio-political ecologies, can provide new solutions to not only the urgent climate challenge but the enduring issues of design politics, global governance, and economic inequality.

Chen’s previous projects study climate resilience, socio-spatial endeavors of peacebuilding, fortress conservation, urban reconstruction, and intercultural exchange. Chen has had research experiences at the Urban Risk Lab at MIT, the World Resources Institute in Beijing, the EU Joint Research Center in Ispra, and SGAR d’Occitanie in Toulouse. He has also had professional architecture design experiences in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, and Beijing. Chen holds a Master of Architecture from MIT and a BSc. (Architecture) from McGill University.

News