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
2018
Journal Article
How do sprawl and inequality affect well-being in American cities?
Lee, Wen Hao, Ambrey, Christopher and Pojani, Dorina (2018). How do sprawl and inequality affect well-being in American cities?. Cities, 79, 70-77. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2018.02.023
2018
Journal Article
The application of renewable energy to social housing: a systematic review
McCabe, Annie, Pojani, Dorina and van Groenou, Anthony Broese (2018). The application of renewable energy to social housing: a systematic review. Energy Policy, 114, 549-557. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.12.031
2018
Other Outputs
Australian cities are crying out for better planning, but the research funding is missing
Pojani, Dorina, Jaime Olvera Garcia, Sipe, Neil and Byrne, Jason (2018, 02 23). Australian cities are crying out for better planning, but the research funding is missing
2018
Journal Article
Is transit-oriented development (TOD) an internationally transferable policy concept?
Thomas, Ren, Pojani, Dorina, Lenferink, Sander, Bertolini, Luca, Stead, Dominic and van der Krabben, Erwin (2018). Is transit-oriented development (TOD) an internationally transferable policy concept?. Regional Studies, 52 (9), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1428740
2018
Journal Article
‘Urban acupuncture’ to alleviate stress in informal settlements in Mexico
Lastra, Alejandro and Pojani, Dorina (2018). ‘Urban acupuncture’ to alleviate stress in informal settlements in Mexico. Journal of Urban Design, 23 (5), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2018.1429902
2018
Other Outputs
Australian cities are far from being meccas for walking and cycling
Pojani, Dorina, Butterworth, Elizabeth, Cooper, Jim, Corcoran, Jonathan and Sipe, Neil (2018, 02 05). Australian cities are far from being meccas for walking and cycling The Conversation
2018
Book Chapter
Learning across cities and regions: the limits to transferring “best practice”
Stead, Dominic and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Learning across cities and regions: the limits to transferring “best practice”. Knowledge, policymaking and learning for European cities and regions: from research to practice. (pp. 58-67) edited by Nicola Francesco Dotti. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781786433640.00014
2018
Book Chapter
Past, present and future of transit-oriented development in three European capital city-regions
Pojani, Dorina and Stead, Dominic (2018). Past, present and future of transit-oriented development in three European capital city-regions. Preparing for the new era of transport policies: learning from experience. (pp. 93-118) edited by Yoram Shiftan and Maria Kamargianni. Cambridge, MA, United States: Academic Press (Elsevier). doi: 10.1016/bs.atpp.2018.07.003
2018
Book Chapter
Why do some BRT systems in the global south fail to perform or expand?
Nguyen, Minh Hieu and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Why do some BRT systems in the global south fail to perform or expand?. Preparing for the new era of transport policies: learning from experience. (pp. 35-61) edited by Yoram Shiftan and Maria Kamargianni. Cambridge, MA United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/bs.atpp.2018.07.005
2018
Book Chapter
Dutch experiences of policy mobility in urban planning
Stead, Dominic and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Dutch experiences of policy mobility in urban planning. Knowledge, policymaking and learning for European cities and regions: from research to practice. (pp. 123-134) edited by Nicola Francesco Dotti. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.
2017
Other Outputs
Here’s what bike-sharing programs need to succeed
Mateo-Babiano, Iderlina, Pojani, Dorina, Corcoran, Jonathan and Bean, Richard (2017, 12 22). Here’s what bike-sharing programs need to succeed The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Cities as story: redevelopment projects in authoritarian and hybrid regimes
Pojani, Dorina (2017). Cities as story: redevelopment projects in authoritarian and hybrid regimes. Journal of Urban Affairs, 40 (5), 705-720. doi: 10.1080/07352166.2017.1360737
2017
Other Outputs
Freeing up the huge areas set aside for parking can transform our cities
Pojani, Dorina, Mateo-Babiano, Iderlina, Corcoran, Jonathan and Sipe, Neil (2017, 10 30). Freeing up the huge areas set aside for parking can transform our cities The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Barriers to the pedestrianization of city centres: perspectives from the Global North and the Global South
Parajuli, Ayush and Pojani, Dorina (2017). Barriers to the pedestrianization of city centres: perspectives from the Global North and the Global South. Journal of Urban Design, 23 (1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2017.1369875
2017
Journal Article
Reexamining transport poverty, job access, and gender issues in Central and Eastern Europe
Pojani, Elona, Boussauw, Kobe and Pojani, Dorina (2017). Reexamining transport poverty, job access, and gender issues in Central and Eastern Europe. Gender, Place and Culture, 24 (9), 1-23. doi: 10.1080/0966369X.2017.1372382
2017
Other Outputs
Movies and TV choose to tell us different stories about the cities of today
Darchen, Sebastien, Pojani, Dorina and Sipe, Neil (2017, 09 11). Movies and TV choose to tell us different stories about the cities of today The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Barriers to successful bus rapid transit expansion: developed cities versus developing megacities
Chayacani Mallqui, Yngrid Yamili and Pojani, Dorina (2017). Barriers to successful bus rapid transit expansion: developed cities versus developing megacities. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 5 (2), 254-266. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2017.01.004
2017
Journal Article
A decade of transit oriented development policies in Brisbane, Australia: development and land-use impacts
Yang, Katie and Pojani, Dorina (2017). A decade of transit oriented development policies in Brisbane, Australia: development and land-use impacts. Urban Policy and Research, 35 (3), 347-362. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2017.1294537
2017
Journal Article
Is the suburban dream still alive in Australia? Evidence from Brisbane
Willing, Roxanne and Pojani, Dorina (2017). Is the suburban dream still alive in Australia? Evidence from Brisbane. Australian Planner, 54 (2), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/07293682.2017.1296875
2017
Journal Article
Tirana in cerca di identità: il territorio suburbano di ‘Durana’
Pojani, Dorina (2017). Tirana in cerca di identità: il territorio suburbano di ‘Durana’. Urbanistica Informazioni, 267-268, 53-58.
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
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
Reconstructing A Gender Perspective Approach for a Sustainable New Capital City
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sara Alidoust
-
Doctor Philosophy
Housing affordability issues in Malaysia
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
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
-
Doctor Philosophy
Policy Barriers to Livable Cities in South East Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: 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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