Academic Team

Dr Ji Hei Lee | Lecturer in Real Estate - Planning and Development

Dr Ji Hei Lee is a lecturer in Real Estate ‒ Planning and Development at Henley Business School, University of Reading Malaysia, where she also serves as Interim Programme Lead for the BSc Real Estate programme. She is actively involved in teaching, research, industry engagement and international collaboration. Prior to joining the University of Reading, she taught urban planning at Texas A&M University.

Dr Lee's research lies at the intersection of real estate, urban planning and public health, examining how the built environment shapes human wellbeing across different spatial contexts. Integrating perspectives from real estate, urban planning and environmental psychology, her work investigates how housing, neighbourhoods and everyday places contribute to healthier, more liveable and socially sustainable communities. Through theory-driven and policy-relevant research, she seeks to advance understanding of how the built environment can enhance wellbeing and inform evidence-based planning and real estate practice.

Research Areas

Housing, Wellbeing and Climate Resilience - Her research examines the relationships between housing, climate resilience and human wellbeing, with particular emphasis on subjective wellbeing, mental health and quality of life. She seeks to generate evidence that informs healthier and more resilient housing and urban policies.

Age-friendly Communities and Healthy Ageing – She investigates how neighbourhood design, walkability, accessibility and mobility shape healthy ageing and ageing in place. Her work explores how the built environment can support independence, social participation and wellbeing among older adults.

Place-making, Third Places and Place-based Wellbeing - She explore how neighbourhoods, shopping malls and other everyday places foster social interaction, place attachment and community wellbeing. My research examines how place-making and third places contribute to social sustainability and place-based wellbeing.

Sustainability and ESG in the Built Environment - She also examines sustainability and ESG in the built environment, with particular interests in sustainability education, climate resilience and sustainable real estate development. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, her research aims to bridge academia, policy and professional practice to support more sustainable and resilient communities.