Huijoo Shon

My research spans East and Southern Africa, driven by environmental justice and health equity. I study how urbanization and infrastructure shape well-being, with a focus on the spatial and temporal dynamics of energy, water, and sanitation systems. In particular, my work examines how built environments shape everyday access to essential services for households and communities.

I use machine learning, satellite imagery, large-scale climate data, and household surveys, alongside fieldwork that values local knowledge and collaboration with community members. Current projects focus on shared infrastructure and the conditions that enable safe, well-maintained, and reliable sharing practices, including energy facilities, water points, toilets, and streets in Kenya and Uganda.

Research Interests: Infrastructure; Energy; Sanitation; Street; Urban form

Education

Present. Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
2022 M.C.P., Graduated School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, KOR
2018 B.S., Dept. of Geography, Konkuk University, Seoul, KOR

Paper

The role of household and community infrastructures in mitigating energy poverty in Africa: Between and within urban and rural areas. 2026. Energy Economics, 154, 109045. Paper (Shon, H. & Lee, H.)
Multilevel social vulnerability and urban health in sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for adaptation across household, community, and city levels. 2025. Sustainable cities and society, 126, 106368. Paper , Accepted ver. (Shon, H.)
Urbanicity and child health in 26 sub-Saharan African countries: Settlement type and its association with mortality and morbidity. 2024. Social Science & Medicine, 340, 116401. Paper (Shon, H.)
Spatial pattern of aid allocation in the early 21st century: Evidence from 38 sub-Saharan African countries. 2024. Papers in Regional Science, 103 (3), 100026. Paper (Shon, H., Lee, H., & Kim, B.)
Spatial and temporal patterns of energy aid and poverty in four African countries: Focusing on distributive and recognition energy justice. 2024. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 192, 114261. Paper (Lee, H., & Shon, H.)

Project

2026-present. Identifying invisible streets and pedestrian accessibility in African cities.
2025-present. Detecting mobile home park change and climate hazard exposure: a computer-vision approach.
2025-present. Characterizing and evaluating shared infrastructure in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Supported by Habitat for Humanity International.
2025. Community-based urban design for shared space and infrastructure in African cities. Supported by Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Webb Design Fellowship)
2025. Infrastructure as the urban commons in low-income settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Supported by CFK Africa (Peacock Fellowship)
2024. Residential vulnerability, climate anomalies and child health in 32 sub-Saharan African countries: Focusing on water, sanitation, housing, and energy from a climate justice perspective. Supported by World Vision Korea (Grant for Graduate Student).

Contact Detail

hjshon@unc.edu

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