![Oleg Golubchikov](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/9075?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Professor Oleg Golubchikov
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Oleg Golubchikov
Professor of Human Geography, Director of Postgraduate Research
Overview
Oleg Golubchikov is Professor of Human Geography, working at the intersection of urban studies, political economy, and sustainability, with a particular focus on the politics and practice of urban transitions. He examines how cities and regions restructure in response to the new economy and emerging techno-political regimes, and with what consequences for social and spatial justice. He advances this agenda through several research programmes centring on: the uneven geographies of energy transitions; sustainable urbanism at the nexus of decarbonisation and digitalisation; and state-space-society relations under post-socialist and market transitions. A longstanding consultant to the United Nations, Professor Golubchikov contributes to international policy on sustainable cities and housing.
Publication
2026
- Bleil de Souza, C. et al. 2026. Smart social housing: Ideal smart solutions vs. real-world compromises. Zenodo(10.5281/zenodo.18661384)
- Golubchikov, O. , Shahab, S. and Haupt, W. 2026. Unlikely climate pioneers? Net-zero governance and innovation in left behind places. Applied Geography 186 103824. (10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103824)
2025
- Sechi, G. and Golubchikov, O. 2025. Neoliberalism as space fragmentation: A Lefebvrian gaze at post-socialist urban transitions. Urban Studies 62 (14), pp.2725-2747. (10.1177/00420980251322410)
- Chen, L. , Golubchikov, O. and Spinney, J. 2025. Culture-led peripheral centrality: the story of Songzhuang, the world's largest arts district. In: Phelps, N. , Keil, R. and Maginn, P. eds. Peripheral Centralities: Instances of Anticipatory Urbanism. Jovis. , pp.280-294. (10.1515/9783986121525-024)
- Golubchikov, O. and Ilina, I. 2025. Soviet Sputnik towns: The past of a sustainable urban future? Remaking periphery through distributing centrality. In: Phelps, N. A. , Keil, R. and Maginn, P. J. eds. Peripheral Centralities: The Lost and Past Urbanity of the Suburbs. Abingdon and New York: Routledge. , pp.34-54. (10.4324/9781003367246-3)
- Wang, S. , Bleil de Souza, C. and Golubchikov, O. 2025. Recent advances in decarbonising heating in rural China: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 210 115282. (10.1016/j.rser.2024.115282)
- Golubchikov, O. , Tarantino, M. and Hedjazi, A. 2025. Regional Guidelines for the development of Voluntary Local Reviews.. Project Report.[Online].Geneva: United Nations. Available at: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/VLR%20Guidelines_E_1.pdf.
2024
- Golubchikov, O. et al. 2024. Country profiles on urban development, housing and land management: Albania. Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789213587935)
- Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. 2024. Smart cities, energy and climate: Governing cities for a low-carbon future. Wiley. (10.1002/9781118641156)
- Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. 2024. Introduction: cities in the twin net-zero and digital transition.. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future.. Wiley. , pp.1-14. (10.1002/9781118641156.ch1)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2024. Street lighting as a dimension of smart energy cities.. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future.. Wiley(10.1002/9781118641156.ch21)
- Bleil de Souza, C. , Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2024. OntoAgency: An agency-based ontology for tracing control, ownership and decision-making in smart buildings. Building and Environment 256 111489. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111489)
2023
- Smirnova, V. and Golubchikov, O. 2023. More-than-state ontologies of territory: commoning, assembling, peopling. Annals of the American Association of Geographers 113 (6), pp.1444-1460. (10.1080/24694452.2023.2184765)
- Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2023. Seeing like an Arctic city: The lived politics of just transition at Norway's oil and gas frontier. In: Wood-Donnelly, C. and Ohlsson, J. eds. Arctic Justice: Environment, Society and Governance. Spaces and Practices of Justice Bristol: Bristol University Press. , pp.168-182. (10.51952/9781529224832.ch012)
- Wang, S. et al. 2023. Keeping warm in northern China: Do rural households benefit from government clean heating policies?. Presented at: Healthy Buildings Europe 2023 Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Germany 11-14 June 2023. Published in: Schweiker, M. et al., Proceedings of Healthy Buildings 2023 Europe. Aachen, Germany: , pp.392-399.
2022
- Golubchikov, O. and Thornbush, M. J. 2022. Smart cities as hybrid spaces of governance: beyond the hard/soft dichotomy in cyber-urbanization. Sustainability 14 (16) e10080. (10.3390/su141610080)
- Nowak, M. J. , James, V. U. and Golubchikov, O. 2022. The role of spatial policy tools in renewable energy investment. Energies 15 (7) 2393. (10.3390/en15072393)
2021
- DeVerteuil, G. , Golubchikov, O. and Sheridan, Z. 2021. Disaster and the lived politics of the resilient city. Geoforum 125 , pp.78-86. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.004)
- Chen, W. , Golubchikov, O. and Liu, Z. 2021. Measuring polycentric structures of megaregions in China: linking morphological and functional dimensions. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 48 (8), pp.2272-2288. (10.1177/2399808320974687)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2021. Smart energy cities: the evolution of the city-energy-sustainability nexus. Environmental Development 39 100626. (10.1016/j.envdev.2021.100626)
- Golubchikov, O. and Deverteuil, G. 2021. Urban inequalities and the lived politics of resilience. In: Filion, P. , Doucet, B. and van Melik, R. eds. Volume 4: Policy and Planning. Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities. Vol. 4, Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities Bristol University Press. , pp.69-78.
- Golubchikov, O. and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2021. Социально-Умные Устойчивые Города. United Nations Publications Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789210052665c003)
- Klusáček, P. et al., 2021. Planning for the future of derelict farm premises: from abandonment to regeneration.. Land Use Policy 102 105248. (10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105248)
- Yenneti, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Lamberts, R. eds. 2021. Special issue: energy poverty varieties. Energy and Buildings Elsevier.
- Golubchikov, O. and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2021. People-smart sustainable cities. Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789210052658)
2020
- Golubchikov, O. and Thornbush, M. 2020. Artificial intelligence and robotics in smart city strategies and planned smart development. Smart Cities 3 (4), pp.1133-1144. (10.3390/smartcities3040056)
- Wang, N. et al., 2020. The hybrid spatialities of post-industrial Beijing: communism, neoliberalism, and brownfield redevelopment. Sustainability 12 (12) 5029. (10.3390/su12125029)
- Golubchikov, O. and Wolfe, S. D. 2020. Russia and the politics of extraverted urbanism in the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup. In: Rojo-Labaien, E. , Rodríguez Díaz, Á. and Rookwood, J. eds. Sport, Statehood and Transition in Europe: Comparative Perspectives from Post-Soviet and Post-Socialist Societies. Routledge. , pp.214-232. (10.4324/9780429325847-13)
- O'Sullivan, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
- Golubchikov, O. and O'Sullivan, K. 2020. Energy periphery: uneven development and the precarious geographies of low-carbon transition. Energy and Buildings 211 109818. (10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109818)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2020. Sustainable urbanism in digital transitions: From low carbon to smart sustainable cities.. SpringerBriefs in Geography Springer. (10.1007/978-3-030-25947-1)
- Golubchikov, Y. , Golubchikov, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2020. The concept of a high-speed railway between the Indian Ocean and Alaska in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Area Development and Policy 5 (3), pp.269-282. (10.1080/23792949.2020.1736591)
2019
- Liu, Z. , Zhang, J. and Golubchikov, O. 2019. Edge -urbanization: land policy, development zones, and urban expansion in Tianjin. Sustainability 11 (9) 2538. (10.3390/su11092538)
- Lyasheva, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2019. 'Постсоветский город должен стать отправной точкой для переосмысления пространства и общества’ [The Post-Soviet city should help rethink space and society]. [Online].commons.com.ua: Available at: http://commons.com.ua/ru/holubchikov-interview/.
2018
- Büdenbender, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2018. The geopolitics of real estate: assembling soft power via property markets. In: Rogers, D. and Koh, S. eds. The Globalisation of Real Estate: The Politics and Practice of Foreign Real Estate Investment. London: Routledge. , pp.75-96.
2017
- Golubchikov, O. , Badyna, A. and Makhrova, A. 2017. Inner-city housing. In: Brade, I. and Neugebauer, C. eds. Urban Eurasia: Cities in Transformation. Berlin: DOM Publishers. , pp.74-107.
- Golubchikov, O. and Makhrova, A. 2017. Suburban housing. In: Brade, I. and Neugebauer, C. eds. Urban Eurasia: Cities in Transformation. Berlin: DOM Publishers. , pp.154-179.
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. Robert Argenbright 2016: Moscow under Construction. City Building, Place-Based Protest, and Civil Society. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books [Book Review]. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 41 (4), pp.701-703. (10.1111/1468-2427.12539)
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. The post-socialist city: insights from the spaces of radical societal change. In: Short, J. R. ed. A Research Agenda for Cities. Elgar Research Agendas Cheltenham: Edward Elgar(10.4337/9781785363429.00030)
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. From a sports mega-event to a regional mega-project: The Sochi Winter Olympics and the return of geography in state development priorities. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 9 (2), pp.237-255. (10.1080/19406940.2016.1272620)
- Büdenbender, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2017. The geopolitics of real estate: assembling soft power via property markets. International Journal of Housing Policy 17 (1), pp.75-96. (10.1080/14616718.2016.1248646)
2016
- Yenneti, K. , Day, R. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. Spatial justice and the land politics of renewables: Dispossessing vulnerable communities through solar energy mega-projects. Geoforum 76 , pp.90-99. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.09.004)
- Andres, L. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. The limits to artist-led regeneration: creative brownfields in the cities of high culture. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 40 (4), pp.757-775. (10.1111/1468-2427.12412)
- Evans, B. et al., 2016. HABITAT III regional report on housing and urban development for the UNECE region: Towards a city-focused, people-centred and integrated approach to the new urban agenda. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
- Salukvadze, J. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. City as a geopolitics: Tbilisi, Georgia — A globalizing metropolis in a turbulent region. Cities 52 , pp.39-54. (10.1016/j.cities.2015.11.013)
- Deverteuil, G. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. Can resilience be redeemed? Resilience as a metaphor for change, not against change. City 20 (1), pp.143-151. (10.1080/13604813.2015.1125714)
- Golubchikov, O. 2016. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: who stands to gain?. In: Transparency International, ed. Global Corruption Report: Sport. Abingdon: Routledge. , pp.183-191. (10.4324/9781315695709-41)
- Golubchikov, O. 2016. The urbanization of transition: ideology and the urban experience. Eurasian Geography and Economics 57 (4-5), pp.607-623. (10.1080/15387216.2016.1248461)
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2016. Makroregionalnye tendentsii razvitiya gorodov byvshego SSSR [The macro-regional trends in the development of cities in the ex-USSR states]. Regionalnye Issledovaniya 52 (2), pp.31-43.
2015
- Golubchikov, O. 2015. Negotiating critical geographies through a “feel-trip”: experiential, affective and critical learning in engaged fieldwork. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 39 (1), pp.143-157. (10.1080/03098265.2014.1003800)
- Golubchikov, O. et al. 2015. Uneven urban resilience: the economic adjustment and polarization of Russia's cities. In: Lang, T. et al., Understanding Geographies of Polarization and Peripheralization: Perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.270-284. (10.1057/9781137415080_15)
2014
- Golubchikov, O. , Badyina, A. and Makhrova, A. 2014. The hybrid spatialities of transition: Capitalism, legacy and uneven urban economic restructuring. Urban Studies 51 (4), pp.617-633. (10.1177/0042098013493022)
- Golubchikov, O. and Slepukhina, I. 2014. Russia: showcasing a "re-emerging" state?. In: Grix, J. ed. Leveraging Legacies from Sports Mega-Events: Concepts and Cases. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.166-177. (10.1057/9781137371188_15)
2013
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2013. 'Rol' zhilischnogo khozyaystva v klimaticheskoy i energeticheskoy politike [The role of housing in climate and energy policy]. Klimat i Priroda [Climate and Nature] 4 (9), pp.3-13.
- Golubchikov, O. and Makhrova, A. 2013. Faktory neravnomernogo razvitiya rossiyskikh gorodov [Factors of unequal development of Russian cities]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya (2), pp.54-60.
- Thornbush, M. , Golubchikov, O. and Bouzarovski, S. 2013. Sustainable cities targeted by combined mitigation-adaptation efforts for future-proofing. Sustainable Cities and Society 9 , pp.1-9. (10.1016/j.scs.2013.01.003)
2012
- Golubchikov, O. 2012. Green homes: towards energy efficient housing in the UNECE region (reprint). New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/green.homes.rev1.eng.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2012. Sustainable housing for sustainable cities: policy framework for developing countries. Nairobi,: UN-HABITAT.
- Golubchikov, O. and Deda, P. 2012. Governance, technology, and equity: an integrated policy framework for energy efficient housing. Energy Policy 41 , pp.733-741. (10.1016/j.enpol.2011.11.039)
- Golubchikov, Y. and Golubchikov, O. 2012. Transformatsii i trayektorii russkoy antropogeograficheskoy shkoly [Transformations and trajectories of the Russian anthropo-geographical school]. Izvestiya Russkogo Geograficheskogo Obschestva 2012 (4), pp.16-21.
- Makhrova, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2012. Rossiyskiy gorod v usloviyakh kapitalisma: sotsialnaya tranformatsiya vnutrigorodskogo prostranstva [Russian town under capitalism: social transformation of intraurban space]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya 2012 (2), pp.26-31.
2011
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Климатически нейтральные города: Как добиться снижения энергоемкости и углеродоемкости в городах и сделать их более устойчивыми к изменению климата. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/CNC_r.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Action plan for energy-efficient housing in the UNECE region. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/action.plan.eehousing.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Climate neutral cities: How to make cities less energy and carbon intensive and more resilient to climatic challenges. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/climate.neutral.cities_e.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Potentsial zhilischnogo khozaystva dlya povysheniya energoeffektivnosti ekonomiki [The potential of housing for the improved energy efficiency of the economy]. Energiya: Ekonomika, Tekhnika, Ekologiya 9 , pp.60-68.
- Golubchikov, O. and Phelps, N. A. 2011. The political economy of place at the post-socialist urban periphery: governing growth on the edge of Moscow. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 36 (3), pp.425-440. (10.1111/j.1475-5661.2011.00427.x)
- Golubchikov, O. , Phelps, N. A. and Makhrova, A. 2011. Khimki in Moscow City-region: From “closed city” to “edge city"?. In: Phelps, N. A. and Wu, F. eds. International Perspectives on Suburbanization: A Post-Suburban World?. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.177-191. (10.1057/9780230308626_10)
2010
- Golubchikov, O. 2010. World-city-entrepreneurialism: globalist imaginaries, neoliberal geographies, and the production of new St Petersburg. Environment and Planning A 42 (3), pp.626-643. (10.1068/a39367)
- Golubchikov, O. , Makhrova, A. and Phelps, N. 2010. Primeneniye kontseptsii “okrainnogo goroda” dlya analiza sovremennykh protsessov urbanizatsii v RF (na primere goroda Khimki) [The application of the concept of edge city for the analysis of the contemporary processes of urbanisation in Russia (the case of Khimki)]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya 2010 (3), pp.48-54.
- Golubchikov, O. , Phelps, N. and Makhrova, A. 2010. Post-socialist post-suburbia: growth machine and the emergence of “edge city” in the metropolitan context of Moscow. Geography, Environment, Sustainability 1 (3), pp.44-55. (10.24057/2071-9388-2010-3-1-44-55)
2009
- Golubchikov, O. 2009. Зеленые дома: Обеспечение энергоэффективности жилья в регионе Европейской экономической комиссии Организации Объединенных Наций. New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/greenhomes.r.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2009. Green homes: towards energy efficient housing in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe region. New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/publications/oes/greenhomes.e.pdf.
- Thornbush, M. J. and Golubchikov, O. 2009. On shaky ground: Arctic communities in uneasy transition to a new climatic order. In: Ferrari, D. M. and Guiseppi, A. R. eds. Geomorphology and Plate Tectonics. New York: Nova Science. , pp.85-96.
2007
- Golubchikov, O. 2007. Re-scaling the debate on Russian economic growth: Regional restructuring and development asynchronies. Europe-Asia Studies 59 (2), pp.191-215. (10.1080/09668130601125510)
2006
- Golubchikov, O. 2006. Interurban development and economic disparities in a Russian province. Eurasian Geography and Economics 47 (4), pp.478-495. (10.2747/1538-7216.47.4.478)
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2006. Conquering the inner-city: urban redevelopment and gentrification in Moscow. In: Tsenkova, S. and Nedović-Budić, Z. eds. The Urban Mosaic of Post-Socialist Europe: Space, Institutions and Policy. Heidelberg and New York: Springer. , pp.195-212. (10.1007/3-7908-1727-9_10)
2005
- Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2005. Gentrification in central Moscow - A market process or a deliberate policy? Money, power and people in housing regeneration in Ostozhenka. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 87 (2), pp.113-129. (10.1111/j.0435-3684.2005.00186.x)
2004
- Golubchikov, O. 2004. Urban planning in Russia: Towards the market. European Planning Studies 12 (2), pp.229-247. (10.1080/0965431042000183950)
Articles
- Golubchikov, O. , Shahab, S. and Haupt, W. 2026. Unlikely climate pioneers? Net-zero governance and innovation in left behind places. Applied Geography 186 103824. (10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103824)
- Sechi, G. and Golubchikov, O. 2025. Neoliberalism as space fragmentation: A Lefebvrian gaze at post-socialist urban transitions. Urban Studies 62 (14), pp.2725-2747. (10.1177/00420980251322410)
- Wang, S. , Bleil de Souza, C. and Golubchikov, O. 2025. Recent advances in decarbonising heating in rural China: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 210 115282. (10.1016/j.rser.2024.115282)
- Bleil de Souza, C. , Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2024. OntoAgency: An agency-based ontology for tracing control, ownership and decision-making in smart buildings. Building and Environment 256 111489. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111489)
- Smirnova, V. and Golubchikov, O. 2023. More-than-state ontologies of territory: commoning, assembling, peopling. Annals of the American Association of Geographers 113 (6), pp.1444-1460. (10.1080/24694452.2023.2184765)
- Golubchikov, O. and Thornbush, M. J. 2022. Smart cities as hybrid spaces of governance: beyond the hard/soft dichotomy in cyber-urbanization. Sustainability 14 (16) e10080. (10.3390/su141610080)
- Nowak, M. J. , James, V. U. and Golubchikov, O. 2022. The role of spatial policy tools in renewable energy investment. Energies 15 (7) 2393. (10.3390/en15072393)
- DeVerteuil, G. , Golubchikov, O. and Sheridan, Z. 2021. Disaster and the lived politics of the resilient city. Geoforum 125 , pp.78-86. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.004)
- Chen, W. , Golubchikov, O. and Liu, Z. 2021. Measuring polycentric structures of megaregions in China: linking morphological and functional dimensions. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 48 (8), pp.2272-2288. (10.1177/2399808320974687)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2021. Smart energy cities: the evolution of the city-energy-sustainability nexus. Environmental Development 39 100626. (10.1016/j.envdev.2021.100626)
- Klusáček, P. et al., 2021. Planning for the future of derelict farm premises: from abandonment to regeneration.. Land Use Policy 102 105248. (10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105248)
- Golubchikov, O. and Thornbush, M. 2020. Artificial intelligence and robotics in smart city strategies and planned smart development. Smart Cities 3 (4), pp.1133-1144. (10.3390/smartcities3040056)
- Wang, N. et al., 2020. The hybrid spatialities of post-industrial Beijing: communism, neoliberalism, and brownfield redevelopment. Sustainability 12 (12) 5029. (10.3390/su12125029)
- O'Sullivan, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
- Golubchikov, O. and O'Sullivan, K. 2020. Energy periphery: uneven development and the precarious geographies of low-carbon transition. Energy and Buildings 211 109818. (10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109818)
- Golubchikov, Y. , Golubchikov, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2020. The concept of a high-speed railway between the Indian Ocean and Alaska in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Area Development and Policy 5 (3), pp.269-282. (10.1080/23792949.2020.1736591)
- Liu, Z. , Zhang, J. and Golubchikov, O. 2019. Edge -urbanization: land policy, development zones, and urban expansion in Tianjin. Sustainability 11 (9) 2538. (10.3390/su11092538)
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. Robert Argenbright 2016: Moscow under Construction. City Building, Place-Based Protest, and Civil Society. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books [Book Review]. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 41 (4), pp.701-703. (10.1111/1468-2427.12539)
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. From a sports mega-event to a regional mega-project: The Sochi Winter Olympics and the return of geography in state development priorities. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 9 (2), pp.237-255. (10.1080/19406940.2016.1272620)
- Büdenbender, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2017. The geopolitics of real estate: assembling soft power via property markets. International Journal of Housing Policy 17 (1), pp.75-96. (10.1080/14616718.2016.1248646)
- Yenneti, K. , Day, R. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. Spatial justice and the land politics of renewables: Dispossessing vulnerable communities through solar energy mega-projects. Geoforum 76 , pp.90-99. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.09.004)
- Andres, L. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. The limits to artist-led regeneration: creative brownfields in the cities of high culture. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 40 (4), pp.757-775. (10.1111/1468-2427.12412)
- Salukvadze, J. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. City as a geopolitics: Tbilisi, Georgia — A globalizing metropolis in a turbulent region. Cities 52 , pp.39-54. (10.1016/j.cities.2015.11.013)
- Deverteuil, G. and Golubchikov, O. 2016. Can resilience be redeemed? Resilience as a metaphor for change, not against change. City 20 (1), pp.143-151. (10.1080/13604813.2015.1125714)
- Golubchikov, O. 2016. The urbanization of transition: ideology and the urban experience. Eurasian Geography and Economics 57 (4-5), pp.607-623. (10.1080/15387216.2016.1248461)
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2016. Makroregionalnye tendentsii razvitiya gorodov byvshego SSSR [The macro-regional trends in the development of cities in the ex-USSR states]. Regionalnye Issledovaniya 52 (2), pp.31-43.
- Golubchikov, O. 2015. Negotiating critical geographies through a “feel-trip”: experiential, affective and critical learning in engaged fieldwork. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 39 (1), pp.143-157. (10.1080/03098265.2014.1003800)
- Golubchikov, O. , Badyina, A. and Makhrova, A. 2014. The hybrid spatialities of transition: Capitalism, legacy and uneven urban economic restructuring. Urban Studies 51 (4), pp.617-633. (10.1177/0042098013493022)
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2013. 'Rol' zhilischnogo khozyaystva v klimaticheskoy i energeticheskoy politike [The role of housing in climate and energy policy]. Klimat i Priroda [Climate and Nature] 4 (9), pp.3-13.
- Golubchikov, O. and Makhrova, A. 2013. Faktory neravnomernogo razvitiya rossiyskikh gorodov [Factors of unequal development of Russian cities]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya (2), pp.54-60.
- Thornbush, M. , Golubchikov, O. and Bouzarovski, S. 2013. Sustainable cities targeted by combined mitigation-adaptation efforts for future-proofing. Sustainable Cities and Society 9 , pp.1-9. (10.1016/j.scs.2013.01.003)
- Golubchikov, O. and Deda, P. 2012. Governance, technology, and equity: an integrated policy framework for energy efficient housing. Energy Policy 41 , pp.733-741. (10.1016/j.enpol.2011.11.039)
- Golubchikov, Y. and Golubchikov, O. 2012. Transformatsii i trayektorii russkoy antropogeograficheskoy shkoly [Transformations and trajectories of the Russian anthropo-geographical school]. Izvestiya Russkogo Geograficheskogo Obschestva 2012 (4), pp.16-21.
- Makhrova, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2012. Rossiyskiy gorod v usloviyakh kapitalisma: sotsialnaya tranformatsiya vnutrigorodskogo prostranstva [Russian town under capitalism: social transformation of intraurban space]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya 2012 (2), pp.26-31.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Potentsial zhilischnogo khozaystva dlya povysheniya energoeffektivnosti ekonomiki [The potential of housing for the improved energy efficiency of the economy]. Energiya: Ekonomika, Tekhnika, Ekologiya 9 , pp.60-68.
- Golubchikov, O. and Phelps, N. A. 2011. The political economy of place at the post-socialist urban periphery: governing growth on the edge of Moscow. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 36 (3), pp.425-440. (10.1111/j.1475-5661.2011.00427.x)
- Golubchikov, O. 2010. World-city-entrepreneurialism: globalist imaginaries, neoliberal geographies, and the production of new St Petersburg. Environment and Planning A 42 (3), pp.626-643. (10.1068/a39367)
- Golubchikov, O. , Makhrova, A. and Phelps, N. 2010. Primeneniye kontseptsii “okrainnogo goroda” dlya analiza sovremennykh protsessov urbanizatsii v RF (na primere goroda Khimki) [The application of the concept of edge city for the analysis of the contemporary processes of urbanisation in Russia (the case of Khimki)]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriya 5 Geografiya 2010 (3), pp.48-54.
- Golubchikov, O. , Phelps, N. and Makhrova, A. 2010. Post-socialist post-suburbia: growth machine and the emergence of “edge city” in the metropolitan context of Moscow. Geography, Environment, Sustainability 1 (3), pp.44-55. (10.24057/2071-9388-2010-3-1-44-55)
- Golubchikov, O. 2007. Re-scaling the debate on Russian economic growth: Regional restructuring and development asynchronies. Europe-Asia Studies 59 (2), pp.191-215. (10.1080/09668130601125510)
- Golubchikov, O. 2006. Interurban development and economic disparities in a Russian province. Eurasian Geography and Economics 47 (4), pp.478-495. (10.2747/1538-7216.47.4.478)
- Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2005. Gentrification in central Moscow - A market process or a deliberate policy? Money, power and people in housing regeneration in Ostozhenka. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 87 (2), pp.113-129. (10.1111/j.0435-3684.2005.00186.x)
- Golubchikov, O. 2004. Urban planning in Russia: Towards the market. European Planning Studies 12 (2), pp.229-247. (10.1080/0965431042000183950)
Book sections
- Chen, L. , Golubchikov, O. and Spinney, J. 2025. Culture-led peripheral centrality: the story of Songzhuang, the world's largest arts district. In: Phelps, N. , Keil, R. and Maginn, P. eds. Peripheral Centralities: Instances of Anticipatory Urbanism. Jovis. , pp.280-294. (10.1515/9783986121525-024)
- Golubchikov, O. and Ilina, I. 2025. Soviet Sputnik towns: The past of a sustainable urban future? Remaking periphery through distributing centrality. In: Phelps, N. A. , Keil, R. and Maginn, P. J. eds. Peripheral Centralities: The Lost and Past Urbanity of the Suburbs. Abingdon and New York: Routledge. , pp.34-54. (10.4324/9781003367246-3)
- Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. 2024. Introduction: cities in the twin net-zero and digital transition.. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future.. Wiley. , pp.1-14. (10.1002/9781118641156.ch1)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2024. Street lighting as a dimension of smart energy cities.. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future.. Wiley(10.1002/9781118641156.ch21)
- Badyina, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2023. Seeing like an Arctic city: The lived politics of just transition at Norway's oil and gas frontier. In: Wood-Donnelly, C. and Ohlsson, J. eds. Arctic Justice: Environment, Society and Governance. Spaces and Practices of Justice Bristol: Bristol University Press. , pp.168-182. (10.51952/9781529224832.ch012)
- Golubchikov, O. and Deverteuil, G. 2021. Urban inequalities and the lived politics of resilience. In: Filion, P. , Doucet, B. and van Melik, R. eds. Volume 4: Policy and Planning. Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities. Vol. 4, Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities Bristol University Press. , pp.69-78.
- Golubchikov, O. and Wolfe, S. D. 2020. Russia and the politics of extraverted urbanism in the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup. In: Rojo-Labaien, E. , Rodríguez Díaz, Á. and Rookwood, J. eds. Sport, Statehood and Transition in Europe: Comparative Perspectives from Post-Soviet and Post-Socialist Societies. Routledge. , pp.214-232. (10.4324/9780429325847-13)
- Büdenbender, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2018. The geopolitics of real estate: assembling soft power via property markets. In: Rogers, D. and Koh, S. eds. The Globalisation of Real Estate: The Politics and Practice of Foreign Real Estate Investment. London: Routledge. , pp.75-96.
- Golubchikov, O. , Badyna, A. and Makhrova, A. 2017. Inner-city housing. In: Brade, I. and Neugebauer, C. eds. Urban Eurasia: Cities in Transformation. Berlin: DOM Publishers. , pp.74-107.
- Golubchikov, O. and Makhrova, A. 2017. Suburban housing. In: Brade, I. and Neugebauer, C. eds. Urban Eurasia: Cities in Transformation. Berlin: DOM Publishers. , pp.154-179.
- Golubchikov, O. 2017. The post-socialist city: insights from the spaces of radical societal change. In: Short, J. R. ed. A Research Agenda for Cities. Elgar Research Agendas Cheltenham: Edward Elgar(10.4337/9781785363429.00030)
- Golubchikov, O. 2016. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: who stands to gain?. In: Transparency International, ed. Global Corruption Report: Sport. Abingdon: Routledge. , pp.183-191. (10.4324/9781315695709-41)
- Golubchikov, O. et al. 2015. Uneven urban resilience: the economic adjustment and polarization of Russia's cities. In: Lang, T. et al., Understanding Geographies of Polarization and Peripheralization: Perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.270-284. (10.1057/9781137415080_15)
- Golubchikov, O. and Slepukhina, I. 2014. Russia: showcasing a "re-emerging" state?. In: Grix, J. ed. Leveraging Legacies from Sports Mega-Events: Concepts and Cases. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.166-177. (10.1057/9781137371188_15)
- Golubchikov, O. , Phelps, N. A. and Makhrova, A. 2011. Khimki in Moscow City-region: From “closed city” to “edge city"?. In: Phelps, N. A. and Wu, F. eds. International Perspectives on Suburbanization: A Post-Suburban World?. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.177-191. (10.1057/9780230308626_10)
- Thornbush, M. J. and Golubchikov, O. 2009. On shaky ground: Arctic communities in uneasy transition to a new climatic order. In: Ferrari, D. M. and Guiseppi, A. R. eds. Geomorphology and Plate Tectonics. New York: Nova Science. , pp.85-96.
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2006. Conquering the inner-city: urban redevelopment and gentrification in Moscow. In: Tsenkova, S. and Nedović-Budić, Z. eds. The Urban Mosaic of Post-Socialist Europe: Space, Institutions and Policy. Heidelberg and New York: Springer. , pp.195-212. (10.1007/3-7908-1727-9_10)
Books
- Golubchikov, O. et al. 2024. Country profiles on urban development, housing and land management: Albania. Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789213587935)
- Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. 2024. Smart cities, energy and climate: Governing cities for a low-carbon future. Wiley. (10.1002/9781118641156)
- Golubchikov, O. and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2021. Социально-Умные Устойчивые Города. United Nations Publications Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789210052665c003)
- Yenneti, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Lamberts, R. eds. 2021. Special issue: energy poverty varieties. Energy and Buildings Elsevier.
- Golubchikov, O. and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2021. People-smart sustainable cities. Geneva: United Nations. (10.18356/9789210052658)
- Thornbush, M. and Golubchikov, O. 2020. Sustainable urbanism in digital transitions: From low carbon to smart sustainable cities.. SpringerBriefs in Geography Springer. (10.1007/978-3-030-25947-1)
- Golubchikov, O. and Badyina, A. 2012. Sustainable housing for sustainable cities: policy framework for developing countries. Nairobi,: UN-HABITAT.
Conferences
- Wang, S. et al. 2023. Keeping warm in northern China: Do rural households benefit from government clean heating policies?. Presented at: Healthy Buildings Europe 2023 Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Germany 11-14 June 2023. Published in: Schweiker, M. et al., Proceedings of Healthy Buildings 2023 Europe. Aachen, Germany: , pp.392-399.
Monographs
- Golubchikov, O. , Tarantino, M. and Hedjazi, A. 2025. Regional Guidelines for the development of Voluntary Local Reviews.. Project Report.[Online].Geneva: United Nations. Available at: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/VLR%20Guidelines_E_1.pdf.
- Evans, B. et al., 2016. HABITAT III regional report on housing and urban development for the UNECE region: Towards a city-focused, people-centred and integrated approach to the new urban agenda. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
- Golubchikov, O. 2012. Green homes: towards energy efficient housing in the UNECE region (reprint). New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/green.homes.rev1.eng.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Климатически нейтральные города: Как добиться снижения энергоемкости и углеродоемкости в городах и сделать их более устойчивыми к изменению климата. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/CNC_r.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Action plan for energy-efficient housing in the UNECE region. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/action.plan.eehousing.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2011. Climate neutral cities: How to make cities less energy and carbon intensive and more resilient to climatic challenges. New York and Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/climate.neutral.cities_e.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2009. Зеленые дома: Обеспечение энергоэффективности жилья в регионе Европейской экономической комиссии Организации Объединенных Наций. New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/greenhomes.r.pdf.
- Golubchikov, O. 2009. Green homes: towards energy efficient housing in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe region. New York and Geneva: United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/publications/oes/greenhomes.e.pdf.
Other
- Bleil de Souza, C. et al. 2026. Smart social housing: Ideal smart solutions vs. real-world compromises. Zenodo(10.5281/zenodo.18661384)
Websites
- Lyasheva, A. and Golubchikov, O. 2019. 'Постсоветский город должен стать отправной точкой для переосмысления пространства и общества’ [The Post-Soviet city should help rethink space and society]. [Online].commons.com.ua: Available at: http://commons.com.ua/ru/holubchikov-interview/.
Research
Recently Funded Projects
- Unlikely climate pioneers: local governments’ net zero actions in left behind places in the UK and Germany, British Academy, 2024-2027.
- SMARTUP: Smart(ening up the modern) home: Redesigning power dynamics through domestic space digitalization, ESRC/CHANSE - Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe, 2022-2025.
- Geographies of governance for sustainable and inclusive sociotechnical transformations, ESRC-NSTC Networking Grant, 2023-2024.
Recent Commissioned Studies
- Country profile on urban development, housing and land management of Montenegro, UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2025.
- Analysis of urbanisation policies in Turkmenistan, UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2025.
- Country profile on urban development, housing and land management of Armenia, UN-HABITAT, 2024.
- The revision of the regional guidelines for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews, UNECE, 2023.
- Country profile on urban development, housing and land management of Albania, UNECE, 2022.
Research Interests
My research interests lie with the governance and politics of urban and regional development, the policy and practice of sustainable urbanism, as well as spatial critique of energy and digital transitions. In particular, my research advances understanding of the intersection between urbanisation and transitions (or major systemic shifts in society), with close attention to the uneven outcomes of these transitions for space and society. These interests have recently evolved as several interrelated research programmes:
State-space-society relations under post-socialist and market transitions
This strand of research explores state spatial restructuring and urban change in the context of neoliberalisation and market transitions, as particularly experienced in countries with economies in transition: Eastern European states, as well as Russia and China. I examine the evolution of urban and regional governance; the role of cities in the consolidation of new political economies and ideologies; changing urban economies, urban morphologies and centre-periphery relations; and the factors underpinning uneven capacities of cities to adapt to the new economy. Overall, this research advances the understanding of the evolution, hybridity, and contradictions of capitalism in its long-ranging influence on the production of space.
Uneven geographies of energy transitions
This research develops spatial critiques of energy and net-zero transitions, emphasising the importance of geographical contexts in devising policies for more just transitions. I am concerned with the uneven impacts that energy transitions bring to different places and communities, particularly in peripheral and non-metropolitan contexts. While identifying spaces of vulnerabilities shaped by processes ranging from energy peripheralisation to green dispossession, my research also shows how some of the most economically disadvantaged places can become champions of green transition, thus challenging the established epistemic geographies of governance innovation.
Sustainable urbanism at the nexus of decarbonisation and digitalisation
This strand encompasses interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable cities and built environments, particularly in the context of climate policies and digital transitions. The research explores the relationships between governance, technology, and equity in the production of energy-efficient housing, climate-neutral cities, smart cities, and smart homes. I study these developments not as technical modernisation projects, but as contested socio-technical and techno-political agendas. These themes are further developed in my books on Smart Cities, Energy and Climate; and Sustainable Urbanism in Digital Transitions.
Urban and housing development in policy and practice
My research extends into policy engagement, identifying key priorities for sustainable urbanisation, urban and regional development, and housing policy. A significant part of this work is co-produced with the United Nations (UN) - UNECE and UN-Habitat - resulting in publications that support UN programmes and translate research into policy frameworks and actionable guidance for governments and other stakeholders. Examples of my policy contributions include:
- Country Profile on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management of Albania
- UNECE Regional Guidelines for the Development of SDG Voluntary Local Reviews
- UNECE flagship publication on People-Smart Sustainable Cities
- UN-HABITAT policy framework on sustainable housing
- Contribution to the New Urban Agenda (Habitat III)
- UNECE publication on Climate-Neutral Cities
- Action Plan for Energy-Efficient Housing
- UNECE Green Homes study
Teaching
Current teaching
- Urban and Regional Development in Practice, MSc (contributor)
Previous teaching and leadership roles
- Director of Urban and Regional Development MSc Programme
- Director of MSc in European Spatial Planning and Environmental Policy (Planet Europe) programme
- Urban and Regional Development in Practice, MSc (module leader)
- Planning City Futures, MSc (contributor)
- Post-Carbon Worlds: Energy Geographies, Year 2 (module leader)
- Human Geography in Practice, Year 3 (contributor)
- Professional Development, MSc (module leader)
- Space and Place: International Planning Practice, MSc (contributor)
- The Big Questions in Human Geography, Year 1 (contributor)
- Planning, Markets and Land, Year 2 (module leader)
- Economic Change and Spatial Policy, Year 3 (module leader)
- Environmental Management, MSc (contributor)
- Economic Principles for Urban and Regional Studies, Year 1 (contributor)
- Spaces of Production: Economic Geography, Year 2 (contributor)
Biography
Academic Career
- Senior Lecturer/Reader/Professor, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University (2013 - )
- Lecturer in Urban Resilience, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham (2010-2013)
- ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford (2009-2010)
- Research Assistant, Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (2008-2009)
- DPhil (PhD) in Human Geography, University of Oxford (2007)
Consulting Experience
Professor Golubchikov has many years of consulting experience, advising the United Nations and other international and national organisations and corporations on aspects of urban and regional development, sustainable cities and housing, and energy policies. He has been Consultant to the Secretariat of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), one of the five UN regional commissions. He has also consulted UN-HABITAT on sustainable housing and sustainable cities.
Advisory and Editorial Roles
- Editor of Area Development and Policy
- Member of the ESRC Peer Review College, since 2010
- Consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), since 2008
- Consultant to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), since 2011
- Member of Expert Panel on the preparation of HABITAT III United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, Policy Unit 5: Municipal Finance and Local Fiscal System, 2015-2016
Reviewer for Research Councils
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Fund for Scientific Research – F.R.S.-FNRS – Belgium
- British Academy
- Hong Kong Research Grant Council (RGC)
- JPI Climate
- Estonian Research Council (ETAg)
- US National Science Foundation (NSF)
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
- Member of the Association of American Geographers
Supervisions
Suitable candidates for a PhD project are welcome to approach me and discuss their ideas. I am interested in supervising PhD students in the broad areas of my research interests and publications. Example projects include:
- Uneven urban and regional development (uneven resilience, urban neoliberalism, spatial justice)
- Old industrial regions and turn-around/regrowing cities and regions
- Post-socialist urban transitions and restructuring
- Energy transitions and just transition
- Geographies of digitalisation, digital transitions
- Smart cities, smart homes (politics and governance)
- Metropolitan periphery, edge city
Current supervision
Past projects
Examples of previous PhD projects include:
Chen, Linhao (2024) Negotiation and authority: The dynamics of spatial and value transformation in Chinese arts districts.
Wang, Shuye (2024) The micro-geography of household heating practices in rural Northern China: a community-based approach to exploring energy vulnerability in low-carbon transition.
O'Sullivan, Kate (2019) Uneven geographies of low-carbon transition: exploring energy vulnerabilities in peripheral communities.
Pustelnik, Pawel (2016) European struggles and American resistance: inclusion of aviation into the EU ETS.
Contact Details
[email protected]
+44 29208 79310
Glamorgan Building, Room Room 1.54, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
+44 29208 79310
Glamorgan Building, Room Room 1.54, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA