Dr. Youcao Ren is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Urban Studies at the University of Manchester. She holds a PhD in Landscape Architecture and an MA in Urban Design from the University of Sheffield. Youcao’s research interest revolves around urban ethnography. Her current research at SASSI (A Systems Approach to Sustainable Sanitation Challenges in China) aims to develop an in-depth ethnographic understanding of daily sanitation practices in Shanghai.