Lei Qu is an assistant professor of Spatial Planning and Strategy at TU Delft. She studied Architecture at the undergraduate level and afterwards obtained master’s and doctorate degrees in Urban Planning and Design at Tsinghua University, China (2004). Her daily work involves teaching master students; supervision of PhD candidates; research concerning comparative studies between European and Chinese city-regional planning and development; coordinating joint research and educational activities with international partners. 

Lei Qu’s current interests focus on educational research in the field of circular city-regions and integrated city-regional development strategies. In the past 5 years, she has been coordinating the Urbanism master course “Spatial Strategies for the Global Metropolis” at TU Delft, in collaboration with the EU-funded REPAiR project (REsource Management in Peri-urban AReas: Going Beyond Urban Metabolism), guiding students in the development of spatial visions and strategies that stimulate the regional transition towards a circular economy. The interdisciplinary approach linking spatial planning and circular economy has been tested in the research and design studios using the two study cases of Amsterdam Metropolitan Areas and the Province of South Holland, involving societal actors from both fields.