Research

The URP undertakes theoretically informed, applied urban research, and advocacy, across several research areas that span the social, human and physical sciences. In the contemporary urban context the URP believes collaborative, multidisciplinary research to be essential. It best suits innovative investigation of new answers for new challenges.

In establishing the research directions of the URP, several research areas of strategic importance have been identified:

• Urban governance
• Sustainable transport
• Rural and peri-urban landscape management
• Housing systems and processes
• Infrastructure
• Climate change adaptation and human settlements
• Healthy communities
• Sustainable urban and regional economies
• Liveable and equitable human settlements

An initiative of the URP is the development of multi-disciplinary research groupings. Several such groups currently exist within the URP:

• Group on Ecological Modernisation and Sustainability
• Griffith Research in Sustainable Transport
• Peri Urban Research - Griffith
• Creating child friendly cities and communities
• The natural edge project

Research register

Current Projects

• Oil vulnerability in rural and regional Australia
• Bicycle and pedestrian data capture
• Warming to the idea: Using ecological modernisation to enhance Australia's response to climate change
• Developing a Modular Urban Land Use and Transport Tool
• Measuring Child Travel and Outdoor Play
• Joined-up planning
• Using urban greenspace as an outdoor classroom
• Assessing the potential of urban greenspace for climate change adaptation
• Review and re-conceptualisation of the approach to the management of open space provision and recreation facilities in Gold Coast City
• Capacity of Queensland's planning system to adapt to climate change
• Urban accessibility re-shaped: Transport disadvantage and urban socio-spatial disadvantage
• Mainstreaming sustainability in pre-service teacher education in Australia
• Identifying and incorporating indigenous landscape values into regional planning processes
• Nerang as a regional centre

Completed Projects

• December 2008 - Transit-oriented development in South East Queensland
• November 2008 - Climate change, health impacts and urban adaptability: A case study of the Gold Coast region
• November 2008 - Health impact assessments of built environment projects
• September 2008 - Smart Brisbane: Making place for social diversity in a knowledge city
• July 2008 - NRM futures: Local government and regional body partnerships
• July 2008 - Bhutan in pursuit of increasing gross national happiness
• March 2008 - Towards a regional funding model to support regional collaborative partnerships for environmental, landscape and natural resource management
• February 2008 - Flying fox education strategy
• December 2007 - Quantifying the accessibility of urban development proposals: Moving towards sustainability in urban growth and renewal
• December 2007 - Change and continuity in peri-urban Australia: Scenarios and strategies for sustainability
• June 2007 - Labrador Community Capacity Plan
• April 2007 - Land Use and Public Transport Accessibility Index - Phase 2
• March 2007 - Watersense schools refresh: Program review and redevelopment
• March 2007 - Energy vulnerability and long-term public transport in South East Queensland
• February 2007 - Spatially integrated socio-economic analysis: Australia at the new millennium
• February 2007 - The creative environment: Attracting and retaining knowledge workers in South East Queensland
• October 2006 - Whole-school approaches to sustainability: A review of models for professional development in pre-service teacher education
• October 2006 - Urban environments and health: Identifying key relationships and policy imperatives
• January 2006 - Land Use and Public Transport Accessibility Index - Phase 1
• December 2005 - Housing barriers and opportunities for unemployed people in Logan
• October 2005 - Indicators of need for affordable housing in Brisbane
• September 2005 - Seniors, transport disadvantage and social isolation on the Gold Coast
• September 2005 - Urban containment in South East Queensland: Influence of urban form and structure on internal trip capture rates
• August 2005 - Preferred pattern of development in South East Queensland
• July 2005 - Carole Park community mapping for transport improvements study
• April 2005 - Transport disadvantage and social status: A Gold Coast pilot project
• December 2004 - Goodna community mapping for transport improvements
• October 2004 - Edmondson Park project
• July 2004 - The difference that metropolitan strategies make
• June 2004 - Community capacity building