On April 22, 2021, the Globalisation and Development (GAD) Programme invited Dr. Zhi Liu (PhD, Harvard University), Senior Research Fellow and China Program Director at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and Director of Peking University-Lincoln Institute for Urban Development and Land Policy (PLC), to share with students and staff key reflections on China’s housing market trends.

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a nonprofit foundation with research centers across the globe – from Latin America to Africa. It promotes the achievement of six goals: low-carbon, climate-resilient communities and regions; efficient and equitable tax systems; reduced poverty and spatial inequality; fiscally healthy communities and regions; sustainably managed land and water resources; functional land market and reduced informality.

The Peking University-Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy in Beijing is one of China's leading authorities on property tax, municipal finance, urban development, housing policy, infrastructure, and land conservation. The center works also with other Asian countries on the Lincoln Institute's six goals.

Dr. Liu explained how central and local governments intervene on the supply and demand sides of the housing market, how they try to balance the UN Sustainable Development Goal no. 8 that promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all, and Goal no. 9 that aims at building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.

Students in attendance were delighted to hear a relevant practitioner's perspective on topics that closely reflect their courses' content.

The GAD Programme thanks Dr. Liu and hopes to receive his visit again soon!