“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
Research Areas
State-sponsored community development in urban Asia
Community power, integration, resilience and versatility
Community capital and urban development in Asia
Platform urbanism and urbanization in community development
Urban political ecology of communities and urban wildlife
Community placemaking developments in Asia
Speculative urbanisms and urbanization in Asia mega-urban projects
Popular culture and Asian urbanisms
Current Research Projects
State-Sponsored Community Development in Urban Asia
Speculative Futurities and Urbanisation: Forest City Iskandar, Johor
The Political Economy of Placemaking Communities in Singapore
Enclaving Advocacy: Placemaking Safe Spaces as Community Strategy
Selected Publications
Wong, G. & Lowe, J. (co-auth) (2025) "Calibrated structures of feeling: Cultural citizenship and the reproduction of the military in Singapore” European Journal of Cultural Studies. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494251351762
Wong, G. (2025) Unlocking Holistic Philanthropy for Impact. Asian Centre for Changemakers, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore
Wong, G. (2024) "What is (Philanthropic) Legacy?” Impact Philanthropy Guides. Issue 5. Asian Centre for Changemakers, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore.
Wong, G. (2024) "Philanthropic Changemakers in Asia” Impact Philanthropy Guides. Issue 4. Asian Centre for Changemakers, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore.
Wong, G. (2024) Accelerating Donor-Advised Funds for Philanthropic Impact in Singapore and Asia, Impact Philanthropy Partnership, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore
Wong, G. (2024) "Lion City Zoopolis: Urban Crittizenship in Biophilic Singapore". Anthrozoös, 37:2, 213 - 229.
Wong, G. (2023) "Integration Taxes & Gestural Integration: Access and Limits to Integration through New Citizens’ Participation In State-Sponsored Grassroots Volunteerism in Singapore". Journal of Intercultural Studies, DOI: 10.1080/07256868.2023.2236947
Wong, G. (2023) "Family Offices and Climate Transition: Insights and Implementation.” WMI Impact: The Family Office Journal. Issue 4, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore
Wong, G. (2023) "Design Your Giving to Maximise Your Impact: A Starter Guide to Catalytic Giving for Sustainable Futures”. Impact Philanthropy Guides. Issue 3, Wealth Management Institute, Singapore
Wong, G. & Mussagulova, A. (co-auth) (2023) "Governing the Global City's Mandarinate: Politically Motivated Appointments in Singapore's Public Sector". in Peters, B., Knox, C., & Kim, B.’s (Eds.) Political Patronage in Asian Bureaucracies. Cambridge University Press
Wong, G., Espena, D. & Lowe, J. (co-auth) (2023) "Ten Years as Boundary Object: The Search for Identity and Belonging as “Hongkongers." Asian Studies Review, 48: 3, 561 - 578.
Wong, G. & Lowe, J. (co-auth) "Legitimising Viewing Publics through Nostalgia: The Mediated Tropicality of Singapore's 'Kampung Spirit'". Chinese Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2022.2088586
Wong, G. (2019) “Grassroots Volunteerism in Singapore: A Survey of the Literature” in Jun Jie Woo's (ed) Educating for Empathy: Service Learning in Public Policy Education. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.
Wong, G. & Woo J.J (2019) “Singapore in 2018: Between Uncharted Waters and Old Ghosts” in Malcolm Cook & Daljit Singh (eds) Southeast Asian Affairs 2019.
Wong, G. & Kathiravelu L. (2018) “Marginalized Migrants and Urbanization in Southeast Asia” in Rita Padawangi's (eds) Routledge Handbook of Urbanization in Southeast Asia: Routledge.
Wong, G. & Humairah, B. Z. (co-auth) (2017) “Voices behind the veil: Unraveling the hijab debate in Singapore through the lived experiences of hijab-wearing Malay-Muslim women” South East Asia Research, 25:2, 2, 107 – 121.