URP indigenous landscape values and regional planning project wins state planning awards
A/Prof Darryl Low Choy, Jenny Wadsworth and Darren Burns' research into the identification and incorporation of indigenous landscape values into regional planning processes has been honoured at the recent Planning Institute of Australia (Queensland Division) awards ceremony in Brisbane. The project took out the planning scholarship research and teaching category, with judges acknowledging its "positive impact ... in the SEQRP 2009-2031 ... and direct engagement with indigenous representatives through the SEQTOA". In addition the project was also the overall Queensland Division planning award winner, recognised for "tackling one of the most difficult subjects" in planning. The judges cited "[a] better understanding of the landscape, including its ancient cultural values, will help us all to develop a respect that is currently lacking in policy and planning. This work can motivate people to manage natural resources in a much more sustainable and spiritual manner".
- View the award winning interim report - Identifying and incorporating indigenous landscape values into regional planning processes (PDF 908k)
Urban Research Program projects receive $1.3M in national funding
The Urban Research Program has been awarded five research grants from the Australian Research Council. The projects total more than $1.3 million in value.
ARC discovery project grants
- A/Prof Scott Baum - Climate change and extreme events: Developing a typology of coastal settlement vulnerability to aid adaptation strategies
- Dr Jago Dodson, A/Prof Neil Sipe, and Prof Brendan Gleeson - Strengthening Australia's suburbs: Advancing urban planning knowledge to limit oil vulnerability and build household resilience
ARC linkage project grants
- Prof Brendan Gleeson and Dr Matthew Burke - iMATCH: Independent mobility, active travel and children's health (partner organisations - Moreland City Council, Moreland Community Health Service Inc., Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and Queensland Health)
- A/Prof Darryl Low Choy - Incorporating Indigenous Landscape Values into Regional Planning Processes (partner organisations - Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, SEQ Catchments Inc., and South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance Ltd.)
- A/Prof Geoff Woolcock - Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: A multi-disciplinary approach (partner organisations - Australian Football League, Australian Sports Commission Institute of Sport, Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence, and Tennis Australia)
Distinguished Professor of local and regional governance to visit Griffith University
Prof John Mawson will be visiting the URP for six weeks, from 15 June to 24 July, with the support of a 2009 Sir Alan Sewell Visiting Fellowship. He will be based at the Gold Coast campus and is hosted by Prof Paul Burton.
John is a Professor of Local and Regional Governance, and is currently the Director of the Local Government Centre at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick in the UK. His research interests focus on multi-level governance, regional policy, strategic partnerships and neighbourhood management of local services. He has also carried out research on social enterprises and was at one Joint Chief Executive of the West Midlands Enterprise Board in the UK.
Prof Mawson will be working with Prof Burton to prepare academic papers on multi-level governance and to also develop a collaborative and comparative research project on governance and strategic planning at the regional scale. This research project will be looking to apply jointly to the ARC and the UK's ESRC in the future. He will also be making a number of presentations during his visit and is keen to talk with any colleagues who share his research interests.
URP project receives national recognition in Planning Institute of Australia awards
A/Prof Darryl Low Choy's research into changing land use on both the fringe of metropolitan areas and in the wider regional context has been honoured at the Planning Institute of Australia's recent national awards ceremony in Darwin. The citation, in part, read: "This study best fulfills the award criteria and makes an outstanding contribution to our understanding of a very relevant and difficult area of planning ... This research (part of a South East Queensland and Melbourne comparison) seeks to understand the processes of change and their planning and management implications. It develops an innovative typology of spatial settings, links them to landscape management challenges and identifies possible institutional arrangements. It is supported by a sound methodology and extensive understanding of previous research and literature."
- View the research monographs at Peri Urban Research - Griffith.
Disappearing backyards
Australians may like to think of themselves as 'outdoor people', but an urban design expert from Griffith University says the Australian backyard is in danger of disappearing.
Prof Tony Hall has been studying the way substantial backyards have largely disappeared from new Australian suburbs. The larger houses and smaller green spaces present serious environmental and lifestyle issues. In an interview for ABC Radio National's Life Matters he gives his understanding of why it is happening and suggest remedies, including designing medium-density housing with large backyards.
Urban Research Program seminar series
- 18 November 2009 - A/Prof Geoff Woolcock – Geo-spatial hot spots and cold spots in talent identification: Testing the 'Wagga Wagga effect' on AFL draftees (PDF 98k)
- 11 November 2009 - Sanne Larsen – Climate change and strategic environmental assessment - Danish experiences (PDF 93k)
- 2 November 2009 - Dr Aysin Dedekorkut – Can Australia urbanise like the United States? An examination of urbanisation and planning in the states of Queensland and Florida (PDF 93k)
- 23 October 2009 - Bixia Xu – Sustainable water management in theme park tourism: A comparison of Australian and Chinese policy and practice (PDF 93k)
- 21 October 2009 - Prof Lex Brown – Mainstreaming environment and sustainability in development processes in Bhutan (PDF 93k)
- 7 October 2009 - Adrian Pisarski – Housing and homelessness: Why is there such a problem and what are we doing about it? (PDF 93k)
- 18 September 2009 - Johanna Mustelin – Understanding climate change adaptation: The role of context, individuals, communities and institutions (PDF 93k)
- 9 September 2009 - Dr Hoon Han – The 'future city' towards ubiquitous built environments (PDF 101k)
- 26 August 2009 - A/Prof Claire Freeman – Children's environments: Planning and understanding children's lives (PDF 101k)
- 21 August 2009 - Dr Michael Howes – Australian climate policy and ecological modernisation (PDF 101k)
- 21 July 2009 - Prof Mike Salvaris – Citizen progress measures: A new democratic paradigm? - Salvaris flyer (PDF 93k), Salvaris presentation (PDF 208k), Salvaris paper (PDF 348k)
- 17 July 2009 - Prof John Mawson – Multi level and regional governance in England: A decade of experiment under New Labour (Gold Coast campus) (PDF 93k)
- 15 July 2009 - Prof John Mawson – Multi level and regional governance in England: A decade of experiment under New Labour (Nathan campus) (PDF 93k)
- 14 July 2009 - Dr Ian Smith – Spatial planning and climate change: A UK perspective (PDF 92k)
- 8 July 2009 - Cheryl Desha – Rapid curriculum renewal towards engineering education for sustainable development (PDF 105k)
- 10 June 2009 - Dr Alison Taylor – Recent population trends and future challenges: It's no longer business as usual - Taylor flyer (PDF 101k), Taylor presentation
- 20 May 2009 - Dr Terry (Tiebei) Li – Spatially disaggregating population and employment forecasts for South East Queensland (PDF 93k)
- 6 May 2009 - Rolf Kuelsen and A/Prof Andrew Wilford – Transition initiatives: Creating local sustainable communities beyond oil dependency (PDF 123k)
- 22 April 2009 - Dr Caryl Bosman – Housing, home and history: Implications for climate change (PDF 93k)
- 8 April 2009 - A/Prof Darryl Low Choy – 'Mythbusters' (PDF 93k)
- 4 February 2009 - Prof Brendan Gleeson – Urban research going forward: More time, less space (PDF 92k)