NYU Tech Venture Workshop
Our project was selected for the 2026 NYU Tech Venture Workshop.
Urban science · Spatial analytics · Research to practice
Hanxue Wei.
Understanding cities.
Building knowledge for action.
Building knowledge for action.
I'm an Industry Assistant Professor at NYU's Center for Urban Science + Progress. My work combines urban science, spatial analytics, and data-driven methods to understand how cities work—and to develop practical tools for urban planning, sustainability, and resilience. My research also examines how urban environments shape human health and well-being.
NYU Tandon · Center for Urban Science + Progress
NEWS / 2026
Latest Updates
Urban Parks & Mobility Research
Our urban park and urban mobility research was accepted for presentation at UAA 2027 and submitted to AAG 2027.
NYC Open Data Week
Our street-tree research was presented at NYC Open Data Week 2026, featuring GreenPulse.
01 / ScholarshipResearch first
Selected research
My work spans urban planning, spatial analytics, sustainability, and urban health, combining data-driven research with practical solutions to real-world urban challenges.
PARKS / VISITATION / URBAN SYSTEMS
Park visitation in U.S. cities
How park design and surrounding urban contexts shape when, where, and how people visit parks.
Explore project ↗FUNDED RESEARCH / DATA TOOL
Street trees & urban investment
Faculty-led, NYU-funded research with an interactive NYC street-tree and property-value analysis tool, GreenPulse.
Explore project ↗URBAN ENVIRONMENTS / HEALTH
Urban environments & health
Exploring how green space, environmental exposures, and historical urban policies relate to population health.
Explore project ↗Urban Green InfrastructureUrban Systems & MobilityUrban Analytics & Decision SupportUrban Health & Built Environment
03 / Research to practice
Applied work &
emerging tools
Alongside research, I collaborate on practice-facing projects that turn complex urban challenges into actionable analysis, decision support, and new tool concepts.
AGING / COMMUNITY
Aging in Place
Better evidence for safer, more independent aging.
Explore project ↗CLIMATE / SAFETY
Wildfire Resilience
Bringing risk information closer to household decisions.
Explore project ↗AI / GIS / PRACTICE
GeoAgent NYC
Natural-language spatial intelligence for early-stage urban project screening.
Explore project ↗These are capstone-associated initiatives and emerging concepts, not claims of deployed commercial products.
04 / Writing
Selected publications
Peer-reviewed research across urban systems, planning, spatial data, green infrastructure, and urban health.
2026
Exponential distance decay in urban park visitation: A comparative analysis of recreational mobility across 20 U.S. metropolitan areas2026 · Landscape and Urban Planning
2024
Roots of urban equality: Are low-income neighborhoods paying more for street trees?2024 · Landscape and Urban Planning
2024
What drives urban redevelopment activity? Evidence from machine learning and econometric analysis in three American cities2024 · Journal of Geographical Systems
2024
2023
A data-driven investigation on park visitation and income mixing of visitors in New York City2023 · Environment and Planning B
08 / Teaching & mentoring
Teaching methods that connect urban questions to decisions.
I teach and mentor students at the intersection of urban planning, urban science, and data-driven decision-making, bridging computational methods with real-world urban challenges.
Teaching Experience
Urban Decision Models · Machine Learning for Cities · Innovative City Governance · Urban Science Intensive II
02 / About
Working across urban science, spatial data, and practice.
I study how cities function and change, and how data can inform more effective urban planning, environmental management, and public decision-making.
My research spans urban green infrastructure, land use, urban environmental conditions, climate hazards, and the longer-term effects of planning policies. I bring spatial modeling and data science together with practical questions facing cities. I also study the relationships between urban environments and population health.
Industry Assistant ProfessorNYU Tandon · Center for Urban Science + Progress
Postdoctoral FellowNYU Grossman School of Medicine · City Health Dashboard
PhD, Regional ScienceCornell University · 2023
MS, Urban DesignGeorgia Institute of Technology
MEng / BE, Urban PlanningTongji University
07 / Beyond publications
Media & professional service
Communicating research beyond journals and contributing to the wider academic community.
IN THE MEDIA
Research in the public conversation
Prism
Interviewed for a story on redlining and breast cancer risk.
Read the interview ↗COVID-19 mobility research
Coverage of research on stay-at-home behavior and socioeconomic differences, including EurekAlert!/AAAS and other outlets.
Coverage ↗ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Editorial and community roles
Editorial Board
Growth and Change: A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy
Early Career Editorial Board
Health & Place
Communications Committee
Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (from previous website; status to reconfirm).
Capstone Co-Director
NYU Center for Urban Science + Progress.
06 / Support and recognition
Grants & recognition
Competitive research funding and professional recognition supporting urban infrastructure, spatial research, and environmental health.
2025–2026 · PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Climate Research Seed Grant
NYU Provost Office · Funding for street-tree investment research and decision-support work.
2024–2026 · PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Children’s Environmental Health Pilot Grant
Collaborative Center in Children’s Environmental Health Research and Translation, NYU Langone Health. Research on historical housing policy and birth outcomes in Chicago.
2025 · ALUMNI RECOGNITION
Emerging Leader Alumni Award
Tongji Foundation · Recognized in May 2025.