Rate My Professor Hon Shyan CHONG

Professor Hon Shyan Chong serves as Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at Tottori University of Environmental Studies. He is also Professor in the Graduate School of Environmental Management, Major in Environmental Studies. Chong earned his Doctor of Engineering from Kyoto University in 2000, following a Master's degree in Environmental Earth Engineering in 1994 and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the same institution in 1992. His professional journey includes early roles as Design Staff at Takahashi Ueda Design Office in 1994 and Assistant Architect at AKITEK WAC in Malaysia in 1996. Joining Tottori University of Environmental Studies in 2001 as an Assistant in the Faculty of Environmental Information, Department of Environmental Design, he advanced to Associate Professor in 2005, and has been a full Professor since 2013. Notable administrative roles include Director of the International Exchange Center in 2018 and current positions as Dean since 2024, Vice Dean of Graduate School, and Chair of the Major.

Chong's research specializations encompass urban planning, human settlement planning, and housing, with a particular focus on the formation, conservation, and management of shophouses and townscapes in Asian and European cities for sustainable urban living. His work explores public spaces, third places, historical environments in Southeast Asia, and local town development initiatives such as in Kurayoshi City and Tottori City. He has authored the book "Planning for a Better Urban Living Environment in Asia" (Ashgate, 2000) and numerous peer-reviewed papers, including "Spatial Composition and Utilization of Shophouses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia" (1999), "Government-Led, Private-Proposed Urban Conservation System for Historical Shophouse Townscapes in Singapore" (2001), "Thinking about Historical Urban Space and Human Interaction in Terms of 'Public' – Comparison between World Heritage Malacca and Georgetown" (2013), and recent studies like "Research on Shophouses in Asian Cities, Part 9: Shophouse Townscape in Ipoh City, Malaysia" (2020). In recognition of his early work, he received the Architectural Institute of Japan Outstanding Master's Thesis Award in 1994. Chong contributes to public service as Tottori Prefecture Landscape Advisor, member of empty houses committees in Shinonsencho and Hokueicho, and board member of the Warabekan Toy and Children's Songs Museum. He teaches courses on human settlement theory, urban living planning, and urban development in developing countries.