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Dr Dorina Pojani
Dr

Dorina Pojani

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56091

Overview

Background

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. Since joining the University of Queensland in 2015, my research has focused on the built environment triad: urban design, mobility, 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/TUD), 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 consecutive years (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 more than 700,000 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. I have attracted more than $1 million in grant funding.

My funded projects are listed below. 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.

Availability

Dr Dorina Pojani is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Urban Transport in Developing Countries, Polytechnic University of Tirana
  • Master of Community Planning, University of Cincinnati

Research interests

  • Feminist planning

    This is not a product but a lens through which I examine urban design, transport, and housing.

Research impacts

Funded Projects*

2026-2027. Project: Study of e-mobility usage across Queensland. Transport Academic Partnership, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Australia. Grant co-writer ($100,000).

2026-2027. Project: Building a dynamic demand forecast tool for shared electric micromobility. UQ Knowledge Exchange and Translation (Kx&T) Fund, Australia. Grant co-writer ($55,500).

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 ($100,000).

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 (current)
  • Journal of Planning Education and Research (current)
  • Urban Policy and Research (current)
  • Australian Planner (current)
  • Journal of Transport Geography (current)
  • Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice

Works

Search Professor Dorina Pojani’s works on UQ eSpace

243 works between 2004 and 2026

141 - 160 of 243 works

2018

Journal Article

When West–East planning policy advice fails to gain traction

Pojani, Dorina and Stead, Dominic (2018). When West–East planning policy advice fails to gain traction. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 62 (8), 1-18. doi: 10.1080/09640568.2018.1497586

When West–East planning policy advice fails to gain traction

2018

Other Outputs

The battle to be the Amazon (or Netflix) of transport

Sipe, Neil and Pojani, Dorina (2018, 11 27). The battle to be the Amazon (or Netflix) of transport The Conversation

The battle to be the Amazon (or Netflix) of transport

2018

Other Outputs

For Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to solve our transport woes, some things need to change

Sipe, Neil and Pojani, Dorina (2018, 11 19). For Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to solve our transport woes, some things need to change The Conversation

For Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to solve our transport woes, some things need to change

2018

Journal Article

Research Productivity of Australian Planning Academics: A Bibliometric Analysis

Pojani, Dorina, Olvera Garcia, Jaime, Sipe, Neil and Byrne, Jason (2018). Research Productivity of Australian Planning Academics: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 42 (1), 0739456X1880433-101. doi: 10.1177/0739456X18804330

Research Productivity of Australian Planning Academics: A Bibliometric Analysis

2018

Journal Article

Discretion and the erosion of community trust in planning: reflections on the post‐political

Kwok, Melanie, Johnson, Laurel and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Discretion and the erosion of community trust in planning: reflections on the post‐political. Geographical Research, 56 (4), 382-392. doi: 10.1111/1745-5871.12310

Discretion and the erosion of community trust in planning: reflections on the post‐political

2018

Journal Article

Cars as a status symbol: youth attitudes toward sustainable transport in a post-socialist city

Pojani, Elona, Van Acker, Veronique and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Cars as a status symbol: youth attitudes toward sustainable transport in a post-socialist city. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 58, 210-227. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2018.06.003

Cars as a status symbol: youth attitudes toward sustainable transport in a post-socialist city

2018

Other Outputs

Can e-scooters solve the ‘last mile’ problem? They’ll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes

Sipe, Neil and Pojani, Dorina (2018, 09 21). Can e-scooters solve the ‘last mile’ problem? They’ll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes The Conversation

Can e-scooters solve the ‘last mile’ problem? They’ll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes

2018

Journal Article

Why Isn’t Australia a Cycling Mecca?

Butterworth, Elizabeth and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Why Isn’t Australia a Cycling Mecca?. European Transport, 69 (69) 4.

Why Isn’t Australia a Cycling Mecca?

2018

Other Outputs

Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities

Stead, Dominic , Kimpton, Anthony , Pojani, Dorina , Mateo Babiano, Iderlina , Corcoran, Jonathan and Sipe, Neil (2018, 09 13). Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities The Conversation

Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities

2018

Other Outputs

Bicycles and Pedestrians Are Key to Easing Congestion on Mumbai’s Suburban Trains

Abhishek, Vineet and Pojani, Dorina (2018, 08 28). Bicycles and Pedestrians Are Key to Easing Congestion on Mumbai’s Suburban Trains Engineering for Change (E4C)

Bicycles and Pedestrians Are Key to Easing Congestion on Mumbai’s Suburban Trains

2018

Journal Article

The place of public space in the lives of Middle Eastern women migrants in Australia

Gholamhosseini, Roja, Pojani, Dorina, Mateo Babiano, Iderlina, Johnson, Laurel and Minnery, John (2018). The place of public space in the lives of Middle Eastern women migrants in Australia. Journal of Urban Design, 24 (2), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2018.1498293

The place of public space in the lives of Middle Eastern women migrants in Australia

2018

Journal Article

Urban living preferences of youth international migrants: an investigation of Asian students in Australia

Kerstens, Jack and Pojani, Dorina (2018). Urban living preferences of youth international migrants: an investigation of Asian students in Australia. Australian Planner, 55 (1), 36-45. doi: 10.1080/07293682.2018.1500379

Urban living preferences of youth international migrants: an investigation of Asian students in Australia

2018

Journal Article

The symbolism of ‘eco cars’ across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer

Ashmore, David , Pojani, Dorina , Thoreau, Roselle , Christie, Nicola and Tyler, Nicholas (2018). The symbolism of ‘eco cars’ across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 63, 560-575. doi: 10.1016/j.trd.2018.06.024

The symbolism of ‘eco cars’ across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer

2018

Other Outputs

Share bikes don't get cars off the road, but they have other benefits

Pojani, Dorina and Corcoran, Jonathan (2018, 06 29). Share bikes don't get cars off the road, but they have other benefits The Conversation

Share bikes don't get cars off the road, but they have other benefits

2018

Other Outputs

Oh no, oBikes are leaving Melbourne! But this doesn’t mean bike sharing schemes are dead

Pojani, Dorina and Corcoran, Jonathan (2018, 06 14). Oh no, oBikes are leaving Melbourne! But this doesn’t mean bike sharing schemes are dead The Conversation

Oh no, oBikes are leaving Melbourne! But this doesn’t mean bike sharing schemes are dead

2018

Journal Article

River-based public transport: why won't Paris jump on board?

Bignon, Elise and Pojani, Dorina (2018). River-based public transport: why won't Paris jump on board?. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 6 (2), 200-205. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2018.05.002

River-based public transport: why won't Paris jump on board?

2018

Other Outputs

Sexism and the city: how urban planning has failed women

Pojani, Dorina, Wardale, Dorothy and Brown, Kerry (2018, 04 18). Sexism and the city: how urban planning has failed women

Sexism and the city: how urban planning has failed women

2018

Journal Article

Policy design for sustainable urban transport in the global south

Pojani, Dorina and Stead, Dominic (2018). Policy design for sustainable urban transport in the global south. Policy Design and Practice, 1 (2), 90-102. doi: 10.1080/25741292.2018.1454291

Policy design for sustainable urban transport in the global south

2018

Other Outputs

Too wet? Too cold? Too hot? This is how weather affects the trips we make

Corcoran, Jonathan, Pojani, Dorina, Rowe, Francisco, Zhou, Jiangping, Kim, Jiwon, Wei, Ming, Tao, Sui, Sigler, Thomas and Liu, Yan (2018, 04 09). Too wet? Too cold? Too hot? This is how weather affects the trips we make

Too wet? Too cold? Too hot? This is how weather affects the trips we make

2018

Journal Article

Social housing and renewable energy: community energy in a supporting role

McCabe, Annie, Pojani, Dorina and van Groenou, Anthony Broese (2018). Social housing and renewable energy: community energy in a supporting role. Energy Research and Social Science, 38, 110-113. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2018.02.005

Social housing and renewable energy: community energy in a supporting role

Funding

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Evaluation of separated cycle tracks in new developments
    Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Bikeability for transportation: tools and data for research and practice
    Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2021
    Reclaiming lost ground: Transitions of mobility and parking
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Planning Tiger Cub City-regions: role models and policy transfers in sustainable transport in Southeast Asia
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Dorina Pojani is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

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 as a feminist issue: The case of Kuching, Sarawak

    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

    Co-Creating Urban Public Spaces in Southeast Asia: The Role of Civic Urbanisms and Participatory Practices in Crafting Socio-Ecological Sustainability

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Silvia Micheli

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Right to Housing: Evaluating the Process of De-Socialization of Housing in Urban Areas

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi

Completed supervision

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

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au