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) and Alternative Planning History and Theory (Routledge, 2023). For three years in a row (2022-2024), 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 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
2023
Journal Article
Is public transit meeting the needs of women? A gender audit of two Asian metro systems
Yossa, Nirma, Kim, Cherin, Pojani, Dorina and Sipe, Neil (2023). Is public transit meeting the needs of women? A gender audit of two Asian metro systems. Journal of Urban Design, 29 (3), 318-341. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2023.2240247
2023
Book Chapter
Exploring transit-oriented urban design
Kong, Weichang and Pojani, Dorina (2023). Exploring transit-oriented urban design. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods. (pp. 515-523) New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003168621-56
2023
Other Outputs
Treading the line between densifying housing and preserving our built heritage
Pojani, Dorina (2023, 06 15). Treading the line between densifying housing and preserving our built heritage The Fifth Estate
2023
Book Chapter
Mapping urban transport - land use interactions worldwide, a state of practice
Khalaj, Fahimeh, Alidoust, Sara and Pojani, Dorina (2023). Mapping urban transport - land use interactions worldwide, a state of practice. Handbook on transport and land use. (pp. 147-166) edited by João de Abreu e Silva, Kristina Currans, Veronique Van Acker and Robert Schneider. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800370258.00015
2023
Other Outputs
Australia’s housing crisis is deepening. Here are 10 policies to get us out of it
Pojani, Dorina (2023, 05 09). Australia’s housing crisis is deepening. Here are 10 policies to get us out of it The Conversation
2023
Journal Article
Do long school commutes undermine teenagers’ wellbeing? Evidence from a nation-wide survey in China
Ding, Pengxiang, Li, Yanli, Feng, Suwei and Pojani, Dorina (2023). Do long school commutes undermine teenagers’ wellbeing? Evidence from a nation-wide survey in China. Journal of Transport and Health, 30 101605, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2023.101605
2023
Journal Article
What leads underage teenagers to ride motorcycles without a permit? Utility vs parental permissiveness
Nguyen, Minh Hieu, Pojani, Dorina and Nguyen-Phuoc, Duy Quy (2023). What leads underage teenagers to ride motorcycles without a permit? Utility vs parental permissiveness. Journal of Transport and Health, 29 101569, 101569. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2023.101569
2023
Other Outputs
What do cyclists want?
Halefom, Tmnit Hailu and Pojani, Dorina (2023, 01 30). What do cyclists want? The Fifth Estate
2023
Other Outputs
Why e-scooters are the 'public mobility glue' for urban transport
Buning, Richard, Corcoran, Jonathan, Rahbar, Maisie, McKercher, Bob, Pojani, Dorina, Sigler, Thomas, Zou, Frank and Hardy, Anne (2023, 01 25). Why e-scooters are the 'public mobility glue' for urban transport Contact Magazine
2023
Journal Article
Unlanded class: Albania's gender gaps in land ownership and inheritance
Zhllima, Edvin, Pojani, Dorina, Merkaj, Elvina and Imami, Drini (2023). Unlanded class: Albania's gender gaps in land ownership and inheritance. Feminist Economics, 29 (2), 32-63. doi: 10.1080/13545701.2022.2125167
2022
Journal Article
Electoral Politics of Disaster: how earthquake and pandemic relief was used to earn votes
Imami, Drini, Pojani, Dorina and Merkaj, Elvina (2022). Electoral Politics of Disaster: how earthquake and pandemic relief was used to earn votes. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 16 (1), 93-104. doi: 10.1093/cjres/rsac042
2022
Journal Article
Changing gears? Gendered messaging in Australian car advertisements since the 1950s
Thomas, Naomi and Pojani, Dorina (2022). Changing gears? Gendered messaging in Australian car advertisements since the 1950s. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability , 1-22. doi: 10.1080/17549175.2022.2154079
2022
Journal Article
How much traffic stress can cyclists endure?
Halefom, Tmnit H., Pullar, David, Pojani, Dorina and Asamoah, Ernest Frimpong (2022). How much traffic stress can cyclists endure?. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 10 (4), 2251-2261. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2022.10.008
2022
Journal Article
What if delivery riders quit? Challenges to last-mile logistics during the Covid-19 pandemic
Nguyen, Minh Hieu, Pojani, Dorina, Nguyen-Phuoc, Duy Quy and Nguyen Thi, Binh (2022). What if delivery riders quit? Challenges to last-mile logistics during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 47 100941, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.rtbm.2022.100941
2022
Book
Alternative Planning History and Theory
Pojani, Dorina (2022). Alternative Planning History and Theory. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003157588
2022
Book Chapter
Planning History and Theory
Pojani, Dorina (2022). Planning History and Theory. Alternative Planning History and Theory. (pp. 1-14) London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003157588-1
2022
Other Outputs
The challenge for ‘chauffeur mums’: navigating a city that wasn’t planned for women
Pojani, Dorina (2022, 11 08). The challenge for ‘chauffeur mums’: navigating a city that wasn’t planned for women The Conversation
2022
Other Outputs
How many trees equal a human life?
Pojani, Dorina and Karatela, Shamshad (2022, 11 02). How many trees equal a human life? The Fifth Estate
2022
Journal Article
What drives urban densification? Free market versus government planning in Iran
Azhdari, Abolghasem, Alidadi, Mehdi and Pojani, Dorina (2022). What drives urban densification? Free market versus government planning in Iran. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44 (3), 0739456X2211266-1880. doi: 10.1177/0739456x221126625
2022
Other Outputs
How public art can revitalise urban spaces
Pojani, Dorina (2022, 10 10). How public art can revitalise urban spaces The Fifth Estate
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Dorina Pojani is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Reconstructing A Gender Perspective Approach for a Sustainable New Capital City
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
-
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
-
Doctor Philosophy
Housing affordability issues in Malaysia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
-
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
-
Doctor Philosophy
Active transport and gender issues: A comparison between Brisbane and Sylhet
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Gender, Transport and Mobility Biography in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Healthy neighbourhood planning: investigating the evolving relationship between urban planning and public health through a path dependence lens
Principal Advisor
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Are cities still building highways? A comparison of Australia and Iran
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Public Space Privatisation: The Experience of Indonesian Cities
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sebastien Darchen
-
2020
Master Philosophy
Climate sensitive urban design: a comparison between Brisbane (Australia) and Nagpur (India)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sebastien Darchen
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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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