Preserving Urban Landscapes as Public History: The Chinese Context

Ph.D. Candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she has earned the Graduate Certificate in Public History. She is co-author of Preservation Planning, in the forthcoming volume Oxford Handbook of Urban Planning, edited by Rachel Weber and Randall Crane. She is also author of the article, “The Role of Memory: Urban Landscapes as Public History—Evolution, Interpretation, and Preservation,” presented at International Forum of Young Researchers and Professionals in Cultural Heritage, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) 16th General Assembly and International Scientific Symposium in 2008. A native of China, Na Li has traveled extensively to research historic cities in Asia. Her research focuses on urban preservation with a special emphasis on collective memories, built environments, and public participation. She was twice named Diversity Scholar by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Currently a Visiting Oral Historian at the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, Concordia University, she is completing her dissertation, Collective Memory and Urban Landscape: A Qualitative Study of Kensington Market, Toronto.