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Associate Professor Peter Walters
Associate Professor

Peter Walters

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52759

Overview

Background

I am an urban sociologist and an expert in urban community in all its forms. My research encompasses the outer suburbs in Australia, the gentrifying inner city and informal communities in cities in the Global South. My work focuses on how different urban places and spatial logic in the city impact our opportunities to form attachments to neighbourhoods and each other.

Internationally, I have written extensively on urban poverty in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia and I am currently involved in work on climate change and its effects on the urban poor in collaboration with colleagues in Indonesia, Brazil and Solomon Islands. My latest research concerns the impact of climate change and natural disasters on the urban poor. More than 1 billion people live in informal urban settlements or slums. These people are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. However, adaptation and mitigation policies are being formulated at multiple scales, often without considering the voices of the poor.

I am the Bachelor of Arts Sociology program convenor and an award-winning teacher. I teach courses at all levels in our undergraduate sociology program, including Introduction to Sociology (SOCY1050), An Urban World (SOCY2340) and Advanced Studies in Social Thought: Getting the Big Picture (SOCY3345).

I am also an award-winning photographer (you can see some of my work on my Flickr page.

I am open to proposals from potential Honours and PhD students who share my passion for understanding the social life of cities. Whether you're from Australia, the Global South, or anywhere else in the world, I look forward to the possibility of working together.

Availability

Associate Professor Peter Walters is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Inner city change

    The social and cultural impacst of inner city change including gentrification, displacement and urban consolidation

  • Suburban life

    The sociology of suburban life, particularly in Australia.

  • Sociology of mega-cities

    Developing world megacities are the 21st century engines for global population growth. They are of vital interest both sociologically and economically.

Research impacts

As a publicly recognised critical academic voice on urban and suburban issues, I have been given the opportunity to regularly promote and discuss my work on various national and international platforms. I make regular appearances in the national media. In the last two years I have been interviewed by ABC Radio National, ABC Melbourne and Brisbane, and Channel 7 News.on topics such as suburban life, inner-city urban culture, and urban ethnic and cultural diversity. I am a regular contributor to the Conversation (over 100,000 readers and counting).

I have participated in and led research teams in Australia, investigating inner-urban gentrification and change; outer suburban community and relationships with the market; the impacts of disaster on community and urban social dynamics; and the spatial and biographical and spatial stories of the homeless in Brisbane for a major charity.

Internationally, I have led a research team in Bangladesh, in collaboration with a local university to investigate the urban poor and their access to urban services and a sense of citizenship in slum communities.

In the Solomon Islands, I am part of a research team that for the last decade has been investigating the intersection of traditional cultural practices, Western science and environmental imperatives. A recent addition to this research effort has been the opportunity, with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to involve undergraduates from UQ in practical fieldwork to advance understanding and cooperation between Australia and Solomon Islands.

I am involved in a publishing collaboration with scholars from France, Canada, and South Africa on the global politics of urban sprawl. I am also part of a further collaboration with Swedish scholars investigating gentrification and the right to the geomedia city.

Works

Search Professor Peter Walters’s works on UQ eSpace

66 works between 2005 and 2024

21 - 40 of 66 works

2019

Other Outputs

Di Hong Kong, pengunjuk rasa melawan pemerintah dengan menguasai ruang publik

Walters, Peter and Smith, Naomi (2019, 08 06). Di Hong Kong, pengunjuk rasa melawan pemerintah dengan menguasai ruang publik The Conversation Indonesia

Di Hong Kong, pengunjuk rasa melawan pemerintah dengan menguasai ruang publik

2019

Other Outputs

How Hong Kong protesters have been winning the battle for public space

Walters, Peter and Smith, Naomi (2019, 08 02). How Hong Kong protesters have been winning the battle for public space The Conversation

How Hong Kong protesters have been winning the battle for public space

2019

Journal Article

“Forests for life” or forests for carbon markets?The case of Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands

Lyons, Kristen, Walters, Peter and Shewring, Annabel (2019). “Forests for life” or forests for carbon markets?The case of Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands. Pacific Dynamics: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3 (1).

“Forests for life” or forests for carbon markets?The case of Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands

2019

Journal Article

Hipsters have changed inner cities for the better, so why should the suburbs miss out?

Walters, Peter (2019, 01 31). Hipsters have changed inner cities for the better, so why should the suburbs miss out? ABC News 1-1.

Hipsters have changed inner cities for the better, so why should the suburbs miss out?

2019

Other Outputs

We can learn a lot from inner cities' 'third places'

Walters, Peter (2019, 01 31). We can learn a lot from inner cities' 'third places' Brisbane Times

We can learn a lot from inner cities' 'third places'

2019

Journal Article

Why outer suburbs lack inner city’s ‘third places’: a partial defence of the hipster

Walters, Peter (2019, 01 31). Why outer suburbs lack inner city’s ‘third places’: a partial defence of the hipster The Conversation

Why outer suburbs lack inner city’s ‘third places’: a partial defence of the hipster

2019

Journal Article

Community, Aesthetics, and Authenticity: The Retail Curatorship of a Rapidly Gentrifying Australian Streetscape

Molnar, Lena and Walters, Peter (2019). Community, Aesthetics, and Authenticity: The Retail Curatorship of a Rapidly Gentrifying Australian Streetscape. Space and Culture, 24 (2), 120633121882128-343. doi: 10.1177/1206331218821283

Community, Aesthetics, and Authenticity: The Retail Curatorship of a Rapidly Gentrifying Australian Streetscape

2019

Conference Publication

The death of the suburban ideal in Australia

Walters, Peter (2019). The death of the suburban ideal in Australia. In and Beyond the City: Emerging Ontologies, Persistent Challenges and Hopeful Futures, New Delhi, India, 18-21 September 2019.

The death of the suburban ideal in Australia

2019

Conference Publication

Wear and tear: public space and the cost of Instagram popularity

Peter Walters and Naomi Smith (2019). Wear and tear: public space and the cost of Instagram popularity. 2019 TASA Conference: Diversity & Urban Growth, Western Sydney University, Parramatta, 25-28 November 2019.

Wear and tear: public space and the cost of Instagram popularity

2019

Conference Publication

Authorship matters: authentic social spaces in the Asia Pacific metropolis

Walters, Peter (2019). Authorship matters: authentic social spaces in the Asia Pacific metropolis. Made by People: Microdesign in the Asia Pacific City, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 29 October 2019.

Authorship matters: authentic social spaces in the Asia Pacific metropolis

2018

Journal Article

The limits to participation: urban poverty and community driven development in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Walters, Peter (2018). The limits to participation: urban poverty and community driven development in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. Community Development, 49 (5), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/15575330.2018.1537296

The limits to participation: urban poverty and community driven development in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

2018

Journal Article

A marriage of convenience: street vendors' everyday accommodation of power in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lata, Lutfun , Walters, Peter and Roitman, Sonia (2018). A marriage of convenience: street vendors' everyday accommodation of power in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cities, 84, 143-150. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2018.08.002

A marriage of convenience: street vendors' everyday accommodation of power in Dhaka, Bangladesh

2018

Journal Article

‘Strangers in my home’: Disaster and the durability of the private realm

Cheshire, Lynda, Walters, Peter and ten Have, Charlotte (2018). ‘Strangers in my home’: Disaster and the durability of the private realm. Sociological Review, 66 (6), 003802611875478-1241. doi: 10.1177/0038026118754781

‘Strangers in my home’: Disaster and the durability of the private realm

2018

Conference Publication

"Instagrammable”: Exploring the social ecology of tourist places

Duffy, Michelle , Smith, Naomi and Walters, Peter (2018). "Instagrammable”: Exploring the social ecology of tourist places. 7th Ethnography and Qualitative Research Conference, Bergamo, Italy, June 6-9 2018.

"Instagrammable”: Exploring the social ecology of tourist places

2017

Journal Article

Desire lines and defensive architecture in modern urban environments

Smith, Naomi and Walters, Peter (2017). Desire lines and defensive architecture in modern urban environments. Urban Studies, 55 (13), 004209801773269-2995. doi: 10.1177/0042098017732690

Desire lines and defensive architecture in modern urban environments

2016

Journal Article

Community teak forestry in Solomon Islands as donor development: when science meets culture

Walters, Peter and Lyons, Kristen (2016). Community teak forestry in Solomon Islands as donor development: when science meets culture. Land Use Policy, 57, 730-738. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.06.029

Community teak forestry in Solomon Islands as donor development: when science meets culture

2016

Conference Publication

The Politics of Space in Dhaka: Informality, Power and Negotiations in the Everyday Life of the Urban Poor

Lata, Lutfun and Walters, Peter (2016). The Politics of Space in Dhaka: Informality, Power and Negotiations in the Everyday Life of the Urban Poor. The Australian Sociological Association Conference 2016, The Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, 28 November - 1 December 2016. Melbourne, Australia: The Australian Sociological Association.

The Politics of Space in Dhaka: Informality, Power and Negotiations in the Everyday Life of the Urban Poor

2015

Journal Article

The problem of community resilience in two flooded cities: Dhaka 1998 and Brisbane 2011

Walters, Peter (2015). The problem of community resilience in two flooded cities: Dhaka 1998 and Brisbane 2011. Habitat International, 50, 51-56. doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.08.004

The problem of community resilience in two flooded cities: Dhaka 1998 and Brisbane 2011

2015

Journal Article

The role of faith-based organizations in environmental governance: the case of forestry in Solomon Islands

Lyons, Kristen, Walters, Peter and Riddell, Erin (2015). The role of faith-based organizations in environmental governance: the case of forestry in Solomon Islands. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 18 (3), 342-360. doi: 10.1080/1523908X.2015.1098524

The role of faith-based organizations in environmental governance: the case of forestry in Solomon Islands

2015

Journal Article

Mothers’ perceptions of support in the workplace: a sense of entitlement or resignation?

Walters, Peter and Whitehouse, Gillian (2015). Mothers’ perceptions of support in the workplace: a sense of entitlement or resignation?. Journal of Sociology, 51 (3), 769-782. doi: 10.1177/1440783314536793

Mothers’ perceptions of support in the workplace: a sense of entitlement or resignation?

Funding

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2023
    Centring Community-based planning and participation alongside low carbon transition: a global south-north comparative study
    UQ-FAPESP Strategic Research Fund SPRINT
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    Developing a database of innovative assessment techniques to promote student engagement and deter academic misconduct
    UQ Teaching Innovation Grants
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Enhancing Economic Opportunities offered by Community and Smallholder Forestry in Solomon Islands (ACIAR Project Administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Urban Poverty: A Month in the Life of Wesley Mission Brisbane's Emergency Relief
    Wesley Mission Brisbane
    Open grant
  • 2013
    An evaluation of access to knowledge by the urban poor in the context of a citizen's charter in Rajshahi, Bangladesh
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012
    A social science e-research hub for data management, analysis and dissemination in material and visual culture
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Identifying and Evaluating Factors Influencing Community Resilience in a Crisis
    Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    What makes a community resilient? Examining changes in the adaptive capacities of Brisbane suburbs before and after the 2011 flood
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Peter Walters is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Green spaces for healthy ageing: An international comparative study

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Renee Zahnow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Impacts of Climate Change on Women Households in Indonesian Coastal Urban Communities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Roitman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    EVALUATION OF PUBLIC POLICIES ON THE INDONESIAN NATIONAL ARMED FORCES (TNI) ENGAGEMENT THROUGH ASSISTANCE TASKS TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Adil Khan

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Moving the Indonesian Capital City: An opportunity for conflict or inclusion?

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Roitman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Assessing Impacts and unpacking challenges of Slum Upgrading Practices on Social Mobility: revisiting upgraded settlements in Mumbai and Cape Town

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Adil Khan

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Pacific Seasonal Workers Health and Health Care Access in Australia: An Ethnographic Study of Seasonal Workers in Regional Queensland

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jenny Munro

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Peter Walters directly for media enquiries about:

  • Brisbane urban community
  • Megacities
  • Sociology - urban
  • suburban life
  • suburbs
  • Urban sociology

Need help?

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

communications@uq.edu.au