Helena Rong is an Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Interactive Media Business (IMB) at NYU Shanghai and affiliated with the Program on Creativity + Innovation (PCI). Her research operates at the nexus of urban studies, design, technology studies, data science, and public policy. She focuses on leveraging innovative technologies and methodologies to foster social impact in urban decision-making, aligning incentives across diverse stakeholders to maximize the societal benefits of technological innovation, and developing adaptive urban interfaces that respond to evolving community needs.
Rong has previously conducted research at the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab, where she led studies on assessing the impact of architectural design on commercial property values in Manhattan and co-authored the book *Value of Design: Creating Agency Through Data-Driven Insights* (2024). At the MIT Senseable City Lab, she worked on urban applications for autonomous "Roboats." She was a Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Fellow (2022-2023) at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where she researched on the application and impact of decentralized technologies on social institutions, governance, digital trust-building frameworks, and tech policy.
Her work has been published in prominent SCI/SSCI journals such as Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Planning and Education, Buildings, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, among others. She has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and has delivered over 40 keynotes, talks, invited lectures, and panel discussions on topics pertaining to smart cities, tech adoption, blockchains, governance, civic participation, and data science for real estate. Rong is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Charles Sands Memorial Medal, Ida M. Green Fellowship, KPF Traveling Fellowship, and the Canadian Governor General's Award.
Additionally, Rong is the founder of CIVIS Design and Advisory, a design and research practice based in Boston and Shanghai, engaging in multi-scalar and interdisciplinary projects. Her work has been exhibited globally at venues such as the Shenzhen Biennale, HDA Graz, and The Gensler Family AAP NYC Center, and featured in publications including ArchDaily and Wallpaper Magazine.
Select Publications
- Chegut, A., Kang, M. Rong, H., Yang, J. (2024). Value of Design: Creating Agency Through Data-Driven Insights. ORO Editions.
- Rong, H. “When URL Meets IRL in Web3: Lessons for Decentralized Trust-Building Technologies in Democratic Governance.” May 3, 2023. Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
- Rong, H., Yang, J., Kang, M. and Chegut, A. (2020). The value of design in real estate asset pricing. Buildings, 10(10), pp.178.
- Rong, H., Tu, W., Duarte, F. and Ratti, C. (2020). Employing waterborne autonomous vehicles for museum visits: a case study in Amsterdam. European Transport Research Review, 12(1), pp.1-13.
- Davis, J., Rong, H. and Huennekens, J.W. (2023). Perceptions toward Upzoning: A Parcel-Level Analysis of Public Sentiments toward the Minneapolis 2040 Plan. Journal of Planning Education and Research, pp.0739456X231205584.
Education
- PhD, Urban Planning
Columbia University - MS, Architecture and Urbanism
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Bachelor of Architecture
Cornell University
Research Interests
- Digital Technology
- Smart Cities
- Governance
- Science and Technology Studies
- Civic Participation
- Political Economy