Overview
Background
I am an Associate Professor of urban planning. Since joining the University of Queensland in 2015, my research has focused on the built environment triad: urban design, transport, and housing - in both the Global North and South. I approach my work from a feminist perspective, considering the role of gender in the city.
My personal and academic journey has been international in nature. I am a native of Albania. Over the years I have held guest teaching and/or research positions in Austria (UWien), Canada (UBC), Chile (PUC), Italy (IUAV), the Netherlands (UvA), Oman (GUTech), and Vietnam (UTC), and I have provided consultancy services to various United Nations agencies including the UNDP, UNESCAP, and UN Habitat. I speak Italian, Spanish, and French in addition to English and Albanian.
My latest books are Trophy Cities: A Feminist Perspective on New Capitals (Edward Elgar, 2021), Alternative Planning History and Theory (Routledge, 2023), Planning as Political Theatre: Chronicle of Two Megaprojects Foretold (Routledge, 2025), and Early Planning Utopias: A Feminist Critique (Anthem Press, 2025). For five years in a row (2021-2025), I have been included in the 'Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% Researchers' list, and have ranked among the top-ten 'urban and regional planning' researchers in Australia. Alongside my academic research, I also publish broadly in non-academic outlets and regularly give interviews on national and international media. My articles in The Conversation have reached nearly half a million readers. Prior to joining academia, I worked in urban design and planning in California.
My research has been funded by domestic and international granting bodies, including the Australian Research Council. Overall, I have attracted $700,000 in external funding and $100,000 in internal funding. For a full list of my publications, click the 'Works' tab, which displays results live from UQ eSpace, or visit my external profiles listed on the left panel.
Qualifications
- Postdoctoral Residency, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft, the Netherlands. 2012-2014.
- PhD in Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tirana, Albania. 2007-2010.
- Visiting PhD student, University of California at Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, Ca, USA. 2009.
- Master in Urban Planning, University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning, Cincinnati, Oh, USA. Full scholarship award. 2003-2005.
- Visiting Master student, Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Architecture (St Lucas), Brussels, Belgium. Recipient of US government FIPSE grant. 2004.
- Professional Degree in Architecture, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tirana, Albania. 1998-2003.
Availability
- Dr Dorina Pojani is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Urban Transport in Developing Countries, Polytechnic University of Tirana
- Master of Community Planning, University of Cincinnati
Research interests
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Feminist planning
This is not a product but a lens through which I examine urban design, transport, and housing.
Research impacts
Funded Projects*
2025-2026. Project: Closing the loop on first/last mile transportation in Brisbane: Assessing the connection between micromobility and 50 cent public transport fares. iMove CRC, Brisbane City Council, Australia. Grant co-writer ($100,000).
2025. Project: Diaspora 4Innovation: Integrating work practice in urban planning curricula in Albania. GERMIN Fellowship, Albania. Lead grant writer ($18,500).
2023-2025. Project: Evaluation of separated cycle tracks in new developments. Transport Academic Partnership, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Australia. Sole grant writer ($50,000).
2023. Project: A gendered critique of early planned utopian cities. School of Architecture, Design and Planning Seed Funding, University of Queensland, Australia. Grant co-writer ($3,000).
2023-2025. Project: Study of factors associated with the choice of private electric transport vehicles in Vietnam. National Foundation for Science and Technology (NAFOSTED), Vietnam. Grant co-writer ($50,000).
2023-2024. Project: The woman-friendly city: Case studies of post-industrial areas in Tirana. READ Fellowship, Albanian-American Development Foundation, Albania. Lead grant writer ($17,000).
2022. Project: Minimising corruption in urban planning and development: What can the Balkans learn from Scandinavia? UQ Promoting Women Fellowship (PWF), Australia. Sole grant writer ($12,500).
2022. Project: We don’t know where to go or how to get there: Mapping out the mobility needs for tourists in urban destinations. UQ BEL Connect Grant, Australia. Grant co-writer ($18,500).
2021-2022. Project: The impact of Covid-19 on Brisbane / Southeast Queensland. UQ Faculty of Science COVID Research Recovery Fund, Australia. Lead grant writer ($50,000).
2021-2022. Project: Bikeability for Transportation: Tools and Data for Research and Practice. AURIN grant, Australia. Grant co-writer ($135,600).
2017-2020. Project: Reclaiming lost ground: Transitions of mobility and parking. Australian Research Council, Linkage grant, Australia. Grant co-writer ($358,000).
2016. Project: Planning Tiger Cub City-Regions: Role Models and Policy Transfers in Sustainable Transport in Southeast Asia. Project based in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. UQ Early Career Researcher grant, Australia. Sole grant writer ($26,150).
2015-2017. Project: Urban planning issues in planned capital cities in seven countries: Burma, India, Korea, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Brazil, and Australia. UQ Startup grant, Australia. Sole grant writer ($15,000).
2014-2015. Project: Informal Housing in five Balkan countries: Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo. Grant from: Van Eesteren-Fluck & Van Lohuizen Stichting (EFL) Foundation, The Netherlands. Sole grant writer ($15,000).
Editorial Boards
- Sustainable Cities and Society
- Journal of Transport Geography
- Australian Planner
- Urban Policy and Research
- Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
- Journal of Planning Education and Research
Works
Search Professor Dorina Pojani’s works on UQ eSpace
2008
Other Outputs
Kostoja e varësisë ndaj automjeteve në Tiranë
Pojani, Dorina (2008, 12 01). Kostoja e varësisë ndaj automjeteve në Tiranë Mjedisi Sot 6-7.
2008
Other Outputs
Skemat Woonerven ose "Rruget-Kopshte"
Pojani, Dorina (2008, 04 02). Skemat Woonerven ose "Rruget-Kopshte" Ndërtuesi 22-25.
2008
Journal Article
Skema Woonerven ose "Rruget-Kopshte"
Pojani, Dorina (2008, 04 01). Skema Woonerven ose "Rruget-Kopshte" Ndertuesi
2008
Journal Article
American downtown pedestrian "malls": rise, fall, and rebirth
Pojani, Dorina (2008). American downtown pedestrian "malls": rise, fall, and rebirth. Territorio.
2008
Journal Article
Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade: the failure and resurgence of a downtown pedestrian mall
Pojani, Dorina (2008). Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade: the failure and resurgence of a downtown pedestrian mall. Urban Design International, 13 (3), 141-155. doi: 10.1057/udi.2008.8
2007
Journal Article
Kostoja e varësisë ndaj automjeteve në Tiranë
Pojani, Dorina (2007, 12 01). Kostoja e varësisë ndaj automjeteve në Tiranë Mjedisi Sot
2007
Journal Article
Car-free areas in Tirana: fantasy or necessity?
Pojani, Dorina (2007). Car-free areas in Tirana: fantasy or necessity?. Albanian Journal of Technical Sciences, 22 (2).
2007
Journal Article
Përmirësimi i kushteve të jetesës në Tiranë: Ulje e dendësisë së banorëve apo trafikut të automjeteve?
Pojani, Dorina (2007). Përmirësimi i kushteve të jetesës në Tiranë: Ulje e dendësisë së banorëve apo trafikut të automjeteve?. Bulletin of Technical Sciences.
2004
Book
Urbanistika në ekonominë e tregut
Kenneth Baar and Dorina Pojani eds. (2004). Urbanistika në ekonominë e tregut. Tirana, Albania: Dita2000.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Dorina Pojani is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Information for prospective students
Email inquiries are welcome. Prior to emailing me, please take a look at the HDR entry requirements on our planning program site: uq-urbanplanning.org/rhd-research. I am a feminist urban planner. For context: Feminist planning is not a product but a lens through which I examine urban design, transport, and housing. I encourage you to propose original topics in my areas of expertise. I am particularly interested in projects which are international and comparative in nature, and can help you refine your ideas. All topics can be adjusted to suit a PhD, Master, or Honours project.
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Past and current research (HDR) Supervision (PhD and MPhil)
- Els Leclercq [completed, associate]
- Roja Gholamhosseini [completed, principal]
- Annie McCabe [completed, principal]
- Renuka Bhoge [completed, principal]
- Deti Kusmalawati [completed, associate]
- Fahimeh Khalaj [completed, principal]
- Tigor Panjaitan [completed, principal]
- Melissa Hensley [completed, principal]
- Tmnit Hailu [completed, associate]
- Ksenia Nikolaeva [completed, associate]
- Nirma Yossa [completed, principal]
- Weichang Kong [completed, principal]
- Paula Grant [principal]
- Sufian Almubarak [principal]
- Krismiyati Tasrin [principal]
- Amjad Hossain Reyad [principal]
- Nadia Zaini [principal]
- Xuanbo Liu [associate]
- Abolghasem Azhdari [associate]
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Esteem and recognition
2023: Nominated for UQ Research Culture Award, category 5: Supporting career development for researchers (EMCR)
2022: Shortlisted for UQ Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research (HDR) Training
2020: SEES Most Impassioned Teacher Award
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Teaching experience
The University of Queensland
- Planning Theory (PLAN4001 / PLAN7120) – Lecturer & Coordinator [Highly Commended course by AESOP]
- Transport Planning (PLAN2100 / PLAN7116) – Lecturer & Coordinator [Dean’s Commendation for Excellent Teaching, 2020 and 2021]
- History of the Built Environment (PLAN2005) – Lecturer & Coordinator
- Citymaking: Theory and Practice (PLAN4001 / PLAN7120) – Lecturer
Internationally
- Theory and Models of Spatial Development (Oman)
- Sustainable urban transportation and mobility (Austria)
- Regional development studio (The Netherlands)
- Urban design studio (Albania)
- Housing systems / Informal settlement processes (Albania)
- Introduction to urban planning (Albania)
- Urban anthropology (Albania)
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Housing affordability issues in Malaysia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
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Doctor Philosophy
Are car-free lifestyles feasible in low-density, sprawling contexts? A comparison of a city in Australia and Saudi Arabia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
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Doctor Philosophy
Active transport and gender issues: A comparison between Brisbane and Sylhet
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
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Doctor Philosophy
Reconstructing A Gender Perspective Approach for a Sustainable New Capital City
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
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Doctor Philosophy
Active Citizenship in planning scheme implementation : A case study into how members of a community engage in the development assessment process in Queensland
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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Doctor Philosophy
Digital Deconcentration and the Changing Face of American Cities: Examining the Effects of Working from Home on America¿s Post-pandemic Urbanisation.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Thomas Sigler
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Doctor Philosophy
Residents¿ perceptions of a government-initiated anti-gating policy: A study of open communities in Shanghai
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi, Dr Sara Alidoust
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Sustainable Transport Policy Transfer: An Analysis of the Approaches in Five Western Countries and China
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Gender, Transport and Mobility Biography in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Healthy neighbourhood planning: investigating the evolving relationship between urban planning and public health through a path dependence lens
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Public Space Privatisation: The Experience of Indonesian Cities
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sebastien Darchen
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Are cities still building highways? A comparison of Australia and Iran
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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2020
Master Philosophy
Climate sensitive urban design: a comparison between Brisbane (Australia) and Nagpur (India)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sebastien Darchen
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Placing power to the people: The Australian community renewable energy movement and place-making in framing for prefigurative collective action.
Principal Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
A Living Room in the City: The Place of Public Space in the Everyday Lives of Middle Eastern Women in Greater Brisbane
Principal Advisor
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2022
Master Philosophy
INVESTIGATING THE LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS ON STREETS AND BICYCLING ROUTE PREFERENCES: A CASE STUDY ON THE CITY OF BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Pullar
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Governance Process in the Implementation of Land Acquisition Plan for Infrastructure Development in Indonesia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Roitman
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Dorina Pojani directly for media enquiries about:
- affordable housing
- community
- compact cities
- cycling
- mobility
- neighbourhood design
- parking
- pedestrian areas
- public transport
- sustainability
- urban planning
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