Associate Professor Darryl Low Choy

Photo of Associate Professor Darryl Low ChoyAM, MBE, RFD, BA, GCert Higher Ed, Grad Dip (Urb & Reg Plan), MBlt Env (City & Reg Plan), PhD, MPIA, MEIAANZ, MAANRM.

Academic staff, Griffith School of Environment

Contact details for Associate Professor Darryl Low Choy 

Research Expertise

Environmental planning & management with special interest at the local government level (including Local Agenda 21 planning)

  • Co-operative regional planning and management including catchment management
  • Regional landscape and open space planning
  • Community-based planning at catchment and regional scales
  • Ecotourism and recreation planning
  • Growth management in developing regions
  • Peri Urban and Rural Planning
  • Planning for natural resource management
  • Relationship between science and planning
  • Strategic regional and metropolitan planning
  • Plan and Policy Implementation
Current Research Projects

Current Research Projects

  • Integrated planning and adaptive management opportunities associated with NRM regional bodies (Coastal CRC Environmental Planning project 2003 to 2006)
  • Co-operative environmental planning and management models to support collaborative governance at regional scales (Coastal CRC Environmental Planning project 2003 to 2005)
  • Comparative study of the development process characteristics of Asian Hill Stations and Australian outer metropolitan equivalents
  • History of green belts and regional open space planning in Queensland
  • Study of the Peri urban regions of Australia - change of continuity
  • Regional funding models for NRM, environmental and landscape management
  • Identifying and incorporating Indigenous landscape values into regional planning


Current Teaching Areas

  • 2017EVP Planning Systems
  • 3097EVP Strategic Planning Studio
  • 7037EVP Strategic Planning Studio - Masters
  • 7017EVP Planning Theory & Processes - Masters

Selected Publications

Selected Recent Publications 

  • Low Choy , D.C. , 2006: Towards a Regional Landscape Framework: Is Practice Ahead of Theory?, Urban Research Program Research Paper 9, November 2006
  • Low Choy, D.C. and Prineas, A. (2006). Growing Pains: Meeting the outdoor recreation demands of a growing population. Annals of Leisure Research, 9 (1&2), November, pp. 86-109.
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2006) “Environmental Planning”, in Souter, R. (ed), 2006: Building the Bridges: Seven years of Australian coastal cooperative research, Coastal CRC.
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2006). Coastal NRM Challenges: Meeting regional challenges through local government planning processes. In Lazarow, N., Souter, R., Fearon, R. & Dovers, S. (eds.), 2006: Coastal Management in Australia: Key Institutional and Governance Issues for Coastal Natural Resource Management and Planning, CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management, supported by The Australian National University and the National Sea Change Taskforce.
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2006). Tamborine Mountain – an Australian ‘Hill Station’. In Childs, I. and Hudson, B. (eds.) Queensland: Geographical Perspectives for the 21st Century, Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.
  • Low Choy , D.C. , 2005: “Achieving the Vision: The role of environmental infrastructure in the achievement of a sustainable and liveable region ”, in Queensland Planner , 45(2) , June, 2005, pp 14-17.
  • Low Choy, D. C. and Welsh, S., 2004: Enhancing IPA Outcomes through Adaptive Management: A Call to Get Real!, in Local Government Law Journal, 10(4), November 2004, pp83-91.
  • Low Choy, d.C, 2004: The Regional Open Space Paradox, in Queensland Planner, 44(3), September 2004, pp12-15.          

Conference Papers 

  • Low Choy, D.C. (2007).  Taking the Plunge: Towards a proactive joined up planning process for coastal management.  Paper to Inaugural Queensland Coastal Conference: “Shifting Sands” Bundaberg, 17 –19 September 2007.
  • Buxton, M. and Low Choy, D.C. (2007).  Change in Peri-urban Australia: Implications for Land Use Policies. Paper to 3rd State of Australian Cities Conference, Brisbane, Adelaide, 28 - 30 November 2007. 
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2007). Environmental Infrastructure: Achieving regional liveability outcomes through a broader regional planning perspective.  Paper to 3rd State of Australian Cities Conference, Adelaide, 28 - 30 November 2007. 
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2007). Jointed Up Planning: Reality or a Pipedream. In Fenner Conference on the Environment Proceedings: Water, Population and Australia’s urban future, Canberra, 15-16 March 2007 (ISBN 085847 241 4).
  • Low Choy, D.C. (2006). Strategic Landscape Planning: Achieving outdoor recreation outcomes for sustainable and liveable communities. In Proceedings of 14th National Outdoor Conference: “The Challenges we face”, Gold Coast City, 3-6 July 2005.
  • Minnery, J. and Low Choy, D.C., 2005:   “ Achieving Regional Planning Visions : The Role of Collaboration in Plan Implementation ”, paper prepared for 2 nd State of Australian Cities Conference , Brisbane .
  • Low Choy , D.C. , 2005c: “ How Green Was My City Region: The relevance of past open space planning experiences to contemporary planning for the Brisbane metropolitan region ”, paper prepared for 2 nd State of Australian Cities Conference , Brisbane .
  • Low Choy, D.C., 2005b: Plan Implementation through an Adaptive Management Process: The beginning of the sustainability journey , paper to ENHR International Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 29 June - 3 July, 2005.
  • Low Choy, D.C., 2005a: Strategic Landscape Planning: Achieving outdoor recreation outcomes for sustainable and liveable communities , paper to 14 th National Outdoor Conference, Gold Coast City , 3-6 July 2005.

Recent Research Reports 

  • Low Choy , D.C. , 2006: Review of Gold Coast City Council's State of the Environment Reporting Process , independent assessment for Gold Coast City Council.
  • Low Choy, D.C & Maccheroni, A., 2005d: Securing the Foundations: Towards a Local Government Engagement Strategy , Research Report No.4 (December 2005), Environmental Planning for Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning Project, Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management.
  • Low Choy, D.C & Maccheroni, A., 2005c: Capitalising on Opportunities: Incorporating NRM Science into Local Government Planning , Research Report No.4 (December 2005), Environmental Planning for Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning Project, Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management.
  • Low Choy, D.C & Maccheroni, A., 2005b: Local Government Perspectives on Future Involvement in NRM , Research Report No.2 (November 2005 ), Environmental Planning for Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning Project, Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management.
  • Low Choy, D.C & Maccheroni, A., 2005a: Regional NRM Bodies Perspectives on Future Local Government Involvement in NRM , Research Report No.1 (June 2005), Environmental Planning for Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning Project, Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management.
  • Worrall, RH, Low Choy, DC, Fearon, R, Ryan, S, Robinson, J, Gleeson, J, McKay, P and Sergeant, B, 2003: Appendices and Glossaries to Volumes I and III, Environmental Planning Project: Volume IV, CRC for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management, Technical Report 4, 246pp.
  • Low Choy, DC, Fearon, R, Worrall, RH, Robinson, J, Sergeant, B, Ryan, S and Bennett, J, 2002: Incorporating Science into Planning, Environmental Planning Project: Volume III, CRC for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management, Technical Report 4, 280pp.
  • Worrall, RH, Low Choy, DC, Rosenthal, KM and Barchiesi, D, 2002: Environmental Planning Compendium, Environmental Planning Project: Volume II, CRC for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management, Technical Report 4, http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/planning_compendium/index.html
  • Low Choy, DC, Worrall, RH, Gleeson, J, McKay, P and Robinson, J, 2002: Management Frameworks, Tools and Cooperative Mechanisms, Environmental Planning Project: Volume I, CRC for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management, Technical Report 4, 234pp.   

Recent Media Articles

  • Low Choy, D.C., 2007: “Our beautiful big back yard”, Courier Mail, 7 August 2007, p 18.

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