Ben Derudder

Ben Derudder is Professor of Urban Studies at KU Leuven, with visiting positions in Torun, Ghent, and Shanghai. He is the Director of the KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute (LUSI), an interdisciplinary platform within KU Leuven that brings together researchers across scientific disciplines with the city as the focal point. Holding a PhD in Geography, Ben’s research adopts an explicitly spatial approach to studying urban and regional questions. He serves as an Editor of Regional Studies, and recent scientometric analyses identify him as one of the most influential scholars in urban studies. His focus research areas include the conceptualisation, analysis, and governance of world city networks, as well as the emergence of polycentric urban regions. He has a specific interest in change analysis and critical engagement with policy implications of GaWC’s rankings.

Ben has co-edited several influential books on world cities, including the International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities (2012, edited with Peter Taylor, Frank Witlox and Michael Hoyler, Edward Elgar) and the second edition of World City Network: A Global Urban Analysis (2016, with Peter Taylor, Routledge). The latter book was translated and published in Chinese with Jiangsu Phoenix Education Publishing in 2018. In addition, Ben’s research on world city networks has been published in leading journals such as the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Global Networks, Economic Geography, Urban Studies, and Regional Studies.