About

I am an urban scholar studying how social stratification by race and class becomes spatialized through cultural and economic processes.

Hesu Yoon [heh-soo yoon]

I am an assistant professor of Sociology at CREST, ENSAE PARIS, Polytechnic Institute of Paris.

My research asks longstanding questions about spatial inequality in urban sociology: Why do some neighborhoods (or cities) grow by attracting people and capital while others do not? How does this place stratification intersect with racial and class-based inequalities? Combining experimental, computational, and qualitative approaches, I interrogate high-status consumers and place entrepreneurs – such as business owners, landlords, and travel writers – who have the power to mold physical, economic, and symbolic urban landscapes.

Check out my research page or CV to learn more.

Why Study Places?

Places shape people's identities, behaviors, and life chances.
Places are unequal. Some places are well-resourced, have desirable reputations, and attract people and capital while others are under-resourced, carry stigmas, and lose people and capital.
By understanding how place stratification persists and shifts, I aim to contribute to building a more equitable, sustainable, and vibrant urban living.

Personal History of Mobility

My scholarly interest in how racial and place stratification intersect stems from my personal experience of mobility within global cities and across borders.

While born and primarily raised in Seoul, South Korea, I have spent extended time in Tokyo, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area. I am currently based in Paris.

Through these movements between semi-periphery and core in the global hierarchy of cities, I developed a keen sense of spatial inequalities and boundaries people draw based on race and class, while cultivating my fascination for urban heterogeneity and commitment to ameliorating spatial injustice.

I apply my sensitivity to inequity to motivate my research and to advance diversity and inclusion through education and service.

High Line, New York (2021)

Nezu, Tokyo (2018)

Yanaka, Tokyo (2019)

Dolores Park, San Francisco (2023)

Bugaksan, Seoul (2022)

Union Street, San Francisco (2023)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse