Dr Youngha Cho

PhD

Reader

School of the Built Environment

Role

Youngha is an established real estate academic and researcher with a growing international reputation in the sphere of public and private sector housing, housing supply, housing market and mortgage markets analysis.

She has a strong and productive network of international collaborations with academics from Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and the US. Since 2018 Youngha has collaborated with leading academics and institutions in Japan and Sub-Saharan African countries to develop new research ideas in the interlinked thematic areas between housing, labour market, ageing and health.

Having gained a reputation in the UK and internationally, she has been invited to talk at international conferences and to work as a board member of various international research networks. She is also working actively as an academic referee in paper review committees for several leading journals and the National Grant Applications Committee of Hong Kong, China and EPSRC/ NIHR in the UK.

Teaching and supervision

Courses

Real Estate (MSc, PGDip)

Modules taught

Since I joined the School of Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University I have been heavily involved in teaching for both UG and PG programme. For the last three years, in addition to my responsibility for three modules (2 BSc and 1 MSc) and dissertation supervision, I have helped three other UG modules: Professional Practice Test (field trip, viva and report marking) for the final year students, along with 1st and 2nd year integrative project modules. For the three my own modules I have continuously reviewed and tried a variety of learning activities (team project, invitation of visiting speakers, coursework development with case studies) and assessment methods (a number of small online quizzes, individual essay writing, critical and reflective learning, team projects and presentation).

Module Leadership

Introduction to Property, Management and Professional Practice for BSc 1st year
Management of Corporate Real Estate for BSc 3rd year
Corporate Real Estate for MSc course
Dissertation

MSc Real Estate Investment and Finance

Applied Research Mehtods
Dissertation

Supervision

Brookes 150 PhD studentship in 2015: Charlie Fisher, The Role of Citizen Leadership and Marketization in the Delivery of Urban Affordable Housing in England.
Brookes Interdisciplinary PhD studentship 2020: Alice Walker, A critical analysis of older people’s housing choice in policy and practice.

Research

During the early stage of Youngha's academic career (2004-2010) the majority of the research focused on social, affordable housing and housing policy evaluation. From early 2010s, her research interest expanded to private sector housing, housing finance and mortgage markets analysis and I have been collaborating further with international academics from Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and US.

Since 2018 she has further expanded collaboration with leading academics and institutions in Sub-Saharan African countries and has been developing research ideas in the interlinked thematic areas between the housing and labour market.

In 2020 she was appointed as joint lead of the Healthy Ageing and Care Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (RIKE) Network at Oxford Brookes. She has developed the next stage of her research themes on ageing, and the integration between health and social care and housing.

She has actively engaged in knowledge exchange, supporting social and affordable housing providers in the UK, South Korea and Japan. Recently she has been building new networks locally and nationally such as Oxfordshire Seniors group, Healthwatch, Oxford Community Voluntary Action, AGE UK, Centre for Ageing Better, International Longevity Centre and many other charities and voluntary organisations. She has ambitions to network internationally further.

Research group membership

Visiting Rresearch Fellow in the Institute of Gerontology, University of Tokyo
Brookes Healthy Ageing and Care Research Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Network
School of the Built Environment - Land, Design and Development research group
School of the Built Environment - Planning Policy and Governance research group

Research grants and awards

2022-2023: ESRC AHRC UK South Korea SSH Connections Grant, UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research, PI. £50,000
2021: Brookes Research Excellence Award, Integration of fast track home adaptation services in health and social care services, Principle Investigator. £7,000
2021: Brookes Research Excellence Award, Exploring lessons from COVID for the role of the voluntary sector in Integrated Care Systems, Co-I £7,000
2020-21: Brookes Research Excellence Award ‘The impact of the ‘home office’ environment on productivity and work well-being in an ageing force.’ PI. £18,000
2019-20: Economic and Social Research Council ‘Enhancing housing affordability and social care in Japan and UK - a comparative evaluation of policy and practice’ PI. £50,000
2017-2018: Brookes Global Challenges Collaborative Research Fund - Housing Labour Network (Southern African Region). PI. £12,000
2016-2017: Central Research Fund, Research Collaboration Travel Award, PI, £3,000
2015-2017: Central Research Fund, Update on Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing, Co-I , Total grant value £4,500
2005-2006: Oxford Brookes University, Promising Research Fellowship.
Title: The benefits and risks of Low Cost Home Ownership in different housing markets. PI, Total grant value £7,500

Research projects

2022: ESRC AHRC, UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research, PI.
2021: Brookes Research Excellence Award, Integration of fast track home adaptation services in health and social care services, Principle Investigator.
2021: Brookes Research Excellence Award, Exploring lessons from COVID for the role of the voluntary sector in Integrated Care Systems, Co-I.
2020-21: Brookes Research Excellence Award ‘The impact of the ‘home office’ environment on productivity and work well-being in an ageing force.’ PI.
2019 -2020: Economic and Social Research Council ‘Enhancing housing affordability and social care in Japan and UK - comparative evaluation of policy and practice’ PI. £50,000
2017-2018: Brookes Global Challenges Collaborative Research Fund - Housing Labour Network (Southern African Region). PI.
2017-2018: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Rethinking Planning Obligations; the Update, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. PI ,
2016-2017: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Rethinking Planning Obligations; the Update, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. PI .
2015-2016: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Rethinking Planning Obligations; the Update, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. PI.
2013- 2015: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Rethinking Planning Obligations; Achieving a balance between housing numbers and affordability, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Co-PI .
2008-2009: Korea National Housing Corporation/So-Gang University, Government intervention in housing supply: an international comparative study, PI.
2007-2008: Quality Research project, Oxford Brookes University, UK
The UK Housebuilding Industry: An Analysis of post-Barker Structural Responses, PI.
2006- 2007: Department of Community and Local Government Title: Modelling the future take-up of low-cost homeownership products, Co-I

Further information

Healthy Ageing & Care Network

Rethinking Planning Obligations; Achieving a Balance Between Housing Numbers and Affordability' is available at the JRF website https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/rethinking-planning-obligations-balancing-housing-numbers-and-affordability

Groups

Projects

Data Update : Rethinking Planning Obligations
Enhancing Housing Affordability and Social Care in Japan and UK
Exploring lessons from COVID for the role of the voluntary sector in Integrated Care Systems
Housing Labour Network: Southern African Region
Impact of a ‘home office’ environment on productivity and work wellbeing in an ageing workforce
Integration of fast track home modification services in health and social care services

Projects as Principal Investigator, or Lead Academic if project is led by another Institution

UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research Network (01/02/2022 - 29/02/2024), funded by: Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), funding amount received by Brookes: £50,405

Publications

Carpenter J, Spencer B, Moreira da Souza T, Cho Y, Brett J, 'Exploring lessons from Covid-19 for the role of the voluntary sector in integrated care systems'
Health and Social Care in the Community 30 (6) (2022) pp.e6689-e6698

ISSN: 0966-0410 eISSN: 1365-2524
Abstract Published here Open Access on RADAR
Hwang S, Cho Y, Noh S, 'The cost of overconfidence in public information'
International Review of Financial Analysis 79 (2022)

ISSN: 1057-5219 eISSN: 1873-8079
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, Whitehead CME , 'Better off households moving to more deprived areas: What is happening? Why?'
Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 37 (2021) pp.1109-1130

ISSN: 1566-4910 eISSN: 1573-7772
Abstract Published here Open Access on RADAR
Soosung H, Youngha C, Jinho S, 'The impact of UK household overconfidence in public information on house prices'
Journal of Property Research 37 (4) (2020) pp.360-389

ISSN: 0959-9916 eISSN: 1466-4453
Abstract Published here Open Access on RADAR
Hwang S, Cho Y, Shin J, 'Does illiquidity matter in residential properties?'
Applied Economics 49 (1) (2016) pp.1-20

ISSN: 0003-6846 eISSN: 1466-4283
Abstract Published here Open Access on RADAR
Hwang S, Cho Y, Shin J, 'Household Overconfidence in the UK Housing Market'
Social Science Research Network (2016) pp.1-43

ISSN: 1556-5068
Abstract Published here Open Access on RADAR
Brownill S, Cho Y, 'Time to Rebalance Housing Numbers and Affordability'
Town and Country Planning -London- Town and Country Planning Association- 84 (11) (2015) pp.503-507

ISSN: 0040-9960
Abstract
Cho Y, Hwang S, Lee Y, 'The dynamics of appraisal smoothing'
Real Estate Economics online (-) (2013) pp.--

ISSN: 1080-8620 eISSN: 1540-6229
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, Whitehead C, 'The immobility of social tenants: is it true? does it matter?'
Journal of Housing and the Built Environment Online (January) (2013) pp.--

ISSN: 1566-4910
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, Hwang S, Satchell S, 'The optimal mortgage loan portfolio in the uk regional residential real estates'
Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics 45 (3) (2012) pp.645-677

ISSN: 0895-5638
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, Hwang S, Lee Y, 'The Dynamics of Smoothing: What Drives Appraisal Smoothing?'
Social Science Research Network (2011)

ISSN: 1556-5068
Published here
Cho Y, 'Diversification of Korean housebuilding firms: The pattern and motives between 1980 and 1995'
Habitat International 31 (3) (2007) pp.277-290

ISSN: 0197-3975
Published here
Cho Y, 'Housing supply in the UK: Appropriate and Affordable?'
Housing Research 14 (2006) pp.253-278
Cho Y, Whitehead C, 'People and places: Mobility aspirations among London households'
Open House International: Sustainable & Smart Architecture and Urban Studies 30 (3) (2005) pp.45-

ISSN: 0168-2601
Published here
Cho Y, 'Economic efficiency of multi-product structure: the evidence from Korean housebuilding firms'
Journal of Housing Economics 12 (4) (2003) pp.337-355

ISSN: 1051-1377
Cho Y, 'The organizational boundaries of housebuilding firms in Korea'
Construction Management and Economics 21 (7) (2003) pp.671-680

ISSN: 0144-6193 eISSN: 1466-433X
Published here

CHO DY, THE UK HOUSEBUILDING INDUSTRY: AN ANALYSIS OF POST-BARKER STRUCTURAL RESPONSES, Last accessed (2014)
Cho Y, Whitehead C, Low Cost Home Ownership in different housing markets, Housing Corporation (2006)
Cho Y, Whitehead CM, Residential Mobility of Social Tenants and Households Entering Low Cost Home Ownership (LCHO): A Comparison of London and the Northen Regions, Dataspring (2005)
Cho Y, Grant FL, Whitehead CM, Affordable Housing in London: Who Expects to Move and Where?, Housing Corporation (2004)
Marshall D, Kiddle C, Cho Y, Housing C, Snapshot of the RSL Sector in 2000, University of Cambridge, Department of Land Economy (2001)

Werna E, Keivani R, Cho Y, 'Housing markets and labour markets :Towards a new research agenda for the Global South' in Edmundo Werna and George Ofori (ed.), Routledge Handbook on Labour in Construction and Human Settlements, Routledge (2023)

ISBN: 9781032201863 eISBN: 9781003262671
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, 'Different tenures, different households?' in Making housing more affordable: the role of intermediate tenures , Blackwell publishing (2011)

ISBN: 9781405147149
Published here

Soosung H. Youngha C. Jinho S., 'The Impact of Household Overconfidence in Public Information on House Prices'
(2016)

eISSN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2784688
Abstract

Brownill S, Cho Y, Keivani R, Nase I, Downing L, Valler D, Whitehouse N, Penny Bernstock, 'Rethinking planning obligations: balancing housing numbers and affordability', (2015)
Abstract Published here
Cho Y, 'An analysis of uk housebuilding sector's responses to the policy changes', (2011)

Cho, Y and Whitehead C. Moving to more deprived areas? What is happening and Why? Submitted to Journal of Housing and the Built Environment (waiting for decision).
Hwang S, Cho Y, Shin J, (2020) ,The Impact of UK Household Overconfidence in Public Information on House Prices’. Property Research (forthcoming).
Y. Cho, R. Keivani and E. Werna (2018) Room for Improvement: How to (Better) Integrate Housing and Labour Markets, URBANET, September, Available on-line at https://www.urbanet.info/housing-labour-global-south/.

Professional information

Memberships of professional bodies

Associate and Visiting Fellowship

The Associate, University of Cambridge, Department of Land Economy since Oct. 2005
Visiting fellow in KRIHS (Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement) 2005-7

External examiner

MSc Real Estate Development programme. Westminster University in London from Sep.2020.

Membership of Research Network

Member of the Asian Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR)
Member of Society of Property Research, UK
Member of the Housing Studies Association (HSA)
Member of the European Real Estate Society (ERES)
Member of the European Network for Housing Research (ENHR)
Member of the Asian Real Estate Society (AsRES)
Member of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA)

Membership of Committees

Korea Committee Board Member of Asian Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR) since 2008

Research Fund Review Panel Committee
- Invited to review panel for Research Development Fund project: Jiaotong-Liverpool University 2013
External examiner of the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong
APNHR 2015 Abstract/Paper Review Committee

Invited Talk

AsRES & AREUEA conference 2011, Plenary Speaker Plenary session : private rented sector in the UK
APNHR 2015 : Plenary Speaker Plenary Session 1: Housing Economy and Policy

Editorial Board member

Editorial Board, Housing Studies Review, Korean Association for Housing Policy Studies since 2008.
Guest Editor of Journal of The Korean Housing Association, 2015
Editorial Board, Journal of the Korea Real Estate Analysts Association. The Korea Real Estate Analysts Association since 2010.

Academic Referee

Construction Management and Economics, since 2007
Building Research and Information, since 2010
International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis since 2010
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 2011
Journal of Housing and the Built Environment since 2011
Housing Studies 2013
Housing Theory and Society since 2014

Conferences

Cho and Brett, Integration of fast-track home adaptation services with health and social care services, APNHR Conference in Shanghai, China, July 2-3, 2022.
Cho and Whitehead C. Moving to more deprived areas: What is happening? Why?, The American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) annual international conference, Alicante, Spain on July 7-8, 2016,
Hwang S, Cho Y, Shin J (2016), ‘Overconfidence by households in the UK Housing Market’. The American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) annual international conference, Alicante, Spain on July 7-8, 2016,
Cho and Whitehead C. Moving to deprived areas: Why is this happening? Does it matter? ENHR conference, 19th- 22nd June 2013, Tarragona Spain,
Cho Y., S. Hwang, Y Lee What Makes Appraisers Smooth Property Values? July 2012 ASSA-AREUREA conference.
Cho, Y., Cho, M, Pang, S. Kim, K ‘Government Intervention in Housing Supply and the Housing Output: A comparison of five global cities.’ July 2011 AsRES & AREUEA conference
Cho.Y and Turner, P, High-density living in England: recent trends and directions for future growth July 2011 AsRES & AREUEA conference
Cho, Y. An analysis of UK housebuilding sector’s responses to the policy changes: strategic or opportunistic? ENHR conference, 2010, Istanbul, Turkey.
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Modeling the Take Up of Low Cost Home Ownership Products in the UK, ENHR, July 2008, Dublin.
Cho, Y. , S. Monk, C. Whitehead, ‘Modelling tenure choice: low cost home ownership in the UK’, ENHR, June 2007, Rotterdam.
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Housing Tenure and Residential Mobility in England APNHR, August 2007, Seoul, Korea.
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Affordable Low Cost Home Ownership: UK Case Study, ENHR, Ljubljana, July 2006
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Sustainable Low Cost Home Ownership indifferent housing market: An empirical assessment of UK government schemes, ERES Conference, Dublin, June 2005
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Benefits and Risks of Low Cost Home Ownership, ENHR Reykjavik, July 2005
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Mobility Aspirations among London Households, ENHR, Cambridge, July 2004
Cho, Y. and C. Whitehead, Residential Mobility of Social Tenants in England: the Pattern and Causes, APNHR, Hong Kong, Feb. 2004

Further details

Areas of expertise

Youngha’s research specialty covers various fields from social and affordable housing, low cost home ownership, residential mobility, housing supply and policy. Subsequently, Youngha has been successful in knowledge exchange in the field and provided support particularly the social and affordable housing deliverers including the England Housing Corporation (former Homes and Communities Agency), Private Registered Providers of affordable housing, and South Korea Housing corporation. As her research interest expanded to private sector housing, her publications cover wider issues i.e. mortgage finance and the impacts on house price, the relationship between household confidence and house price, and further to public finance area.

Her ESRC UK and Japan Network project (2019-2022) and newly granted ESRC UK and South Korea project (2022) enabled her to develop exppertises in Housing, Ageing and Health.