Dr. Ying Ying Tian

Ying is a highly experienced masterplanner, urban designer, architect and researcher, working across UK and China for over 25 years. She is passionate about placemkaing, with a strong appreciation for analysing evolving historic places, understanding socio-economic dynamics, and gaining cross-cultural insights.

With an excellent understanding of the breadth and depth involved in designing buildings, neighbourhoods and towns, her key skills range from architectural and urban design to holistic visioning and leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality places. This expertise derives from years of dedicated effort in developing holistic and practical approaches grounded in urban morphology, smart growth, collaborative working, and sustainability.

Ying previously worked for the JTP, where she gained experience in delivering low-carbon neighbourhoods in Wiltshire, South Oxfordshire and Devon. Since 2009, she led on a wide range of masterplanning projects in China, including new towns, eco-settlements, tourism towns with historic cores, and brownfield regeneration areas. Her award-winning projects include the masterplanning of Suzhou West District Eco town (UDG Urban Design Awards shortlist), Jinan Liubu Eco Culture Tourism Town and Dalian Diamond Bay Regeneration Area. In addition to her excellent design and hand-drawing skills, she also developed speciality in communications, design management for in house and multi-disciplinary international teams, and contract administration.

From 2015 to 2020, Ying spearheaded international knowledge exchange programme with the Urbanism Sector of the China Design Centre. Through cross-culture conferences, joint research with international experts, study trips to the UK and Europe, senior executive training sessions, and hands-on design workshops for eco-masterplanning projects, she equipped leading Chinese developers and government officials with the principles and methods of good urbanism, while also supporting the practical delivery of sustainable places. A flagship example is Changzhi Island, first masterplanned by JTP in 2009. With Ying’s sustained involvement----- shaping community engagement events, town centre design charrette, smart town strategies, healthy town initiatives and sustainability frameworks, the once barren slat flat has been transformed into a thriving university town with 55,000 residents.

In the wake of the geopolitical change and travel restrictions, the years since COVID have been the period of reflection, refocusing, and reinvigorating.  In 2022, she founded her design studio Heal by design, and started to work in the UK context, successfully securing planning approvals for housing projects in London and Southeast, including preparing drawings and Heritage Statements for a Grade II* listed building in Bath and houses in conservation areas. Driven by a deep-rooted interest in the historic environment and a desire to understand the complex interplay of history, culture, economics, and technology in built heritage, she commenced the MSc Historic Conservation course at Oxford Brookes University in 2024. This marks a new chapter in her career, as she looks forward to contributing her experience to innovative, heritage-led projects in the UK and internationally.

Ying is an Urban Design Group ‘Recognised Practitioner’, an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism and an Affiliated member of RIBA. Ying holds a Ph.D in Urban Regeneration, was an Honorary Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in the School of Environment, Education and Development at the University of Manchester, and has published a number of papers, articles and book chapters.