Overview
Background
Sonia Roitman is an urban sociologist and planner by training. She is currently the Planning Program Lead. She joined the University of Queensland in 2013 following previous academic, research and professional appointments at University College London (UK), School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS, UK), Free University Berlin (Germany), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Argentina), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET-Argentina) and Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable, Gobierno de Mendoza (Argentina). Before moving to Australia, Sonia lived and worked in Argentina, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico and Uganda. Her contributions to the field of development planning and urban sociology include influential research on urban inequalities and how they manifest in cities. Her research interests include housing and poverty alleviation policies; the role of grassroots in the production of space; and, gated communities, segregation and planning instruments in global South cities. Her current research locations are Indonesia and Uganda. She served in the Board of the RC21 Committee (Research Committee of the Sociology of Urban and Regional Development, International Sociological Association) from 2014 to 2023 and was a joint-coordinator of the RC21 Doctoral School in Delhi in 2019.
I lead the 'Urban Inequalities Research Group'. We are a group of researchers working on understanding how urban inequalities are manifested and reproduced in cities. The topics we examine include: land tenure and collective action in Cambodia; informal livelihoods and the use of public space in the Philippines and Bangladesh; housing policies in Indonesia; land acquision processes in Indonesia; displacement and livelihoods in Myanmar; social justice, planning and sanitation infrastructure provision in Indonesia; the impacts of gated communities; the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Uganda; informal settlements and land tenure in Indonesia; social housing and segregation in Brazil; inclusionary planning instruments in Indonesia; and women empowerment and governance.
Teaching responsibilities
PLAN1101 Teamwork and negotiation for planners (Course coordinator and lecturer - 2021 and 2022)
PLAN3005/7121 Community planning and participation (Course coordinator and lecturer - 2019 to date)
PLAN3200/7200 Understanding development complexities: Indonesia fieldtrip course (Course coordinator and lecturer - 2015 to date)
PLAN4001/7120 Planning theory (Guest lecturer 2014-2019)
PLAN4130/7130 Planning practicum (Course coordinator - Summer 2018)
PLAN7010 Planning project (Course coordinator and lecturer - 2015-2016)
PLAN7612 Global South Cities (Course coordinator and lecturer - 2014 to date)
PLAN7614 Urban management and governance (Guest lecturer 2013-2016)
PLAN7638 Assessment of development projects (Course coordinator and lecturer 2013-2015 and lecturer 2016)
SOSC7140 Development effectiveness (Lecturer 2017)
ENVM2100/7100 Sustainable Development (Guest lecturer 2013)
GEOS3102 Global change: Problems and prospects (Guest lecturer 2022)
Service and Engagement
Planning Program Convenor Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning and Master of Urban and Regional Planning (2023- to date)
Planning Program Lead, UQ (2019-2023)
Student Advisor Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (BRTP) and Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), UQ (Jan 2019- Dec 2020)
Planning Institute of Australia UQ Representative (since 2019)
Full Member of Planning Institute of Australia
Board Member RC21 Committee (Research Committee of the Sociology of Urban and Regional Development) International Sociological Association (2014-2023)
Scientific Committee Member of Prospectiva Journal (Revista Prospectiva, Universidad del Valle, Colombia) (since 2015)
Scientific Committee Member of Bitácora Urbano-Territorial Journal (Revista Bitácora Urbano-Territorial, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (since 2012)
Editorial Member of Journal of City and Regional Development (Jurnal Penbangunan Wilayah & Kota, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia) (since 2018)
Availability
- Associate Professor Sonia Roitman is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Research interests
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Urban inequalities, segregation and exclusion
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Bottom-up planning processes and collective action
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Disaster planning and informality
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Land access, housing policies and development
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Gated communities and private governance
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Qualitative research methodology and participatory methods for development
Research impacts
As an internationally recognised urban sociologist and planner, I have had the opportunity to regularly disseminate and promote my work within the academy and also with policy-makers and practitioners. In Latin America, my 20 years of work on understanding the phenomenon of gated communities and how we can minimise their negative impacts at the city and society levels as well as maximise their positive impacts for families who choose them as their residence have been considered by policy-makers in the design of urban planning regulations (i.e. Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial de Mendoza (Argentina) – Urban Development Plan, Mendoza Province). I was also invited as keynote speaker at the Inaugural International Conference on Urban Residential Enclosure (National Valle University, Colombia, 13-14 October 2015) and founder member of the Red Internacional de Investigación sobre Encerramiento Residencial (International Research Network of Residential Enclosure). I was a member of the Urban Private Governance and Gated Communities Research Network since 2003 to 2015, and became a member of the Scientific Committee in 2011. In 2020, I had the honour to be invited by UN-Habitat to produce an Online Lecture on Gated Community Development (available here) for their series UN-Habitat Urban Lectures.
In Indonesia, my work on urban inequalities and the impact of gated communities has attracted the attention of governments, policy-makers and the private sector. I have been a speaker in urban debates on the problems and future of Jakarta, with the participation of government (Office of Environmental and Spatial Planning, DKI Jakarta) and private sector (Real Estate Indonesia). I have also been working with grassroots organisations and local NGOs in Yogyakarta, Indonesia since 2014. My work analyses the local practices and strategies for bottom-up planning and has contributed to strong advocacy and dialogue between community groups and local governments in Yogyakarta Special Region.
My work and research partnerships in Indonesia have informed the design of a new course (PLAN3200/7200 Exploring Development Complexities). This is an international fieldtrip course for UQ and UGM (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia) that takes place annually since 2015 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It has received several teaching awards, including the Curriculum Innovation Award, from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (USA) and Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (USA) in 2019. The course has also received mobility funding from the Australian Government ($280,000) to contribute to cultural awareness and to develop student employability skills through Work Integrated Learning.
In Queensland, Australia, I am working with researchers and Aboriginal families from Wakka Wakka Country, on mapping Aboriginal routes and artefacts that are significant to protect and preserve Aboriginal cultural identity (ARC Linkage). As part of this project we are examining the value of research partnerships between universities and Aboriginal groups, and how best research can benefit communities.
I am a regular contributor to non-academic outlets, including The Conversation and national and local media in Australia and Argentina (Los Andes, Página 12). I regularly present my work at international conferences and events, including the World Urban Forum (UN-Habitat).
Works
Search Professor Sonia Roitman’s works on UQ eSpace
2018
Other Outputs
When neighbourhoods become dangerous, look to local strengths for a lifeline
Darchen, Sebastien, Simon, Gwendal and Roitman, Sonia (2018, 05 25). When neighbourhoods become dangerous, look to local strengths for a lifeline The Conversation
2018
Other Outputs
How to use the power of urban planning to tackle inequality
Roitman, Sonia (2018, 02 09). How to use the power of urban planning to tackle inequality The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Splintering (sub) urbanism and social, differences: gated, communities as the driver for suburban change in Chacras de Coria (Mendoza, Argentina)
Roitman, Sonia (2017). Splintering (sub) urbanism and social, differences: gated, communities as the driver for suburban change in Chacras de Coria (Mendoza, Argentina). Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda, 32 (90), 159-182. doi: 10.4067/S0718-83582017000200159
2017
Other Outputs
Urban food systems - a renewed role for local governments in Australia
Muriuki, Grace, Schubert, Lisa, Hussey, Karen and Roitman, Sonia (2017). Urban food systems - a renewed role for local governments in Australia. Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland.
2017
Journal Article
Challenging the productivity mantra: academic writing with spirit in place
Johnson, Laurel, Roitman, Sonia, Morgan, Ann and MacLeod, Jason (2017). Challenging the productivity mantra: academic writing with spirit in place. Higher Education Research and Development, 36 (6), 1181-1193. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2017.1300140
2017
Journal Article
Review of Peter Herrle, Astrid Ley and Josefine Fokdal (eds.) 2015, From local action to global networks: housing the urban poor, Farnham: Ashgate
Roitman, Sonia (2017). Review of Peter Herrle, Astrid Ley and Josefine Fokdal (eds.) 2015, From local action to global networks: housing the urban poor, Farnham: Ashgate. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 41 (2), 369-370. doi: 10.1111/1468-2427.12473
2017
Conference Publication
Economic Spaces and Mobility Nodes: Exploring the Relationship of Urban Informal Trading to Transport and Land Use
Recio, Redento B., Roitman, Sonia and Mateo-Babiano, Iderlina (2017). Economic Spaces and Mobility Nodes: Exploring the Relationship of Urban Informal Trading to Transport and Land Use. World Symposium on Transport and Land Use Research 2017, Brisbane, Australia, 3-6 July 2017.
2017
Journal Article
Revisiting policy epistemologies on urban informality: towards a post-dualist view
Recio, Redento B., Mateo-Babiano, Iderlina and Roitman, Sonia (2017). Revisiting policy epistemologies on urban informality: towards a post-dualist view. Cities, 61, 136-143. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2016.08.018
2017
Book Chapter
Teresa Caldeira
Roitman, Sonia (2017). Teresa Caldeira. Key thinkers on cities. (pp. 57-62) edited by Regan Koch and Alan Latham. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications.
2016
Journal Article
Urbanizaciones cerradas a escala planetaria
Roitman, Sonia (2016). Urbanizaciones cerradas a escala planetaria. Prospectiva: Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social (21), 13-22. doi: 10.25100/prts.v0i21.918
2016
Book Chapter
Top-down and bottom-up strategies for housing and poverty alleviation in Indonesia: the PNPM programme in Yogyakarta
Roitman, Sonia (2016). Top-down and bottom-up strategies for housing and poverty alleviation in Indonesia: the PNPM programme in Yogyakarta. Dynamics and resilience of informal areas: international perspectives. (pp. 187-210) edited by Sahar Attia, Shadan Shabka, Zeinab Shafik and Asmaa Ibrahim. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-29948-8_11
2015
Journal Article
The suburban question: grassroots politics and place making in Spanish suburbs
Phelps, Nicholas A., Tarazona Vento, Amparo and Roitman, Sonia (2015). The suburban question: grassroots politics and place making in Spanish suburbs. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 33 (3), 512-532. doi: 10.1068/c13136
2014
Other Outputs
The many faces of poverty: A month in the life of the Wesley Mission Brisbanes's Emergency Relief Serviece: A report for Wesley Mission Brisbane
Walters, Peter, Cheshire, Lynda, Johnson, Laurel and Roitman, Sonia (2014). The many faces of poverty: A month in the life of the Wesley Mission Brisbanes's Emergency Relief Serviece: A report for Wesley Mission Brisbane. St Lucia, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland Housing and Urban Studies Research Network (UQ HAUS).
2014
Conference Publication
The suburban question: grassroots politics and place making in Spanish suburbs
Phelps, Nicholas A., Tarazona, Amparo and Roitman, Sonia (2014). The suburban question: grassroots politics and place making in Spanish suburbs. Conflicts in the city congress: reflections on urban unrest (SiCC), University of Valencia, Spain, 2 - 4 April 2014.
2014
Conference Publication
The use of public space as an instrument for social inclusion: the case of Aboriginal and asylum seeker residents in Brisbane, Australia
Johnson, Laurel and Roitman, Sonia (2014). The use of public space as an instrument for social inclusion: the case of Aboriginal and asylum seeker residents in Brisbane, Australia. World Town Planning Day: Equality in the City: Making Cities Socially Cohesive, On line conference, 5-7 November 2014.
2014
Conference Publication
Housing policies and governance in Indonesia: top down or bottom up? The case of PNPM in Yogyakarta
Roitman, Sonia (2014). Housing policies and governance in Indonesia: top down or bottom up? The case of PNPM in Yogyakarta. ARCHCAIRO 2014: 6th International Conference. Responsive Urbanism in Informal Areas: Towards a Regional Agenda for HABITAT III, Cairo, Egypt, 25-27 November, 2014. Cairo, Egypt: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.
2013
Journal Article
Close but Divided: How Walls, Fences and Barriers Exacerbate Social Differences and Foster Urban Social Group Segregation
Roitman, Sonia (2013). Close but Divided: How Walls, Fences and Barriers Exacerbate Social Differences and Foster Urban Social Group Segregation. Housing Theory and Society, 30 (2), 156-176. doi: 10.1080/14036096.2012.728150
2013
Book
Descubriendo Uganda. Relatos desde una mirada muzungu
Roitman, Sonia (2013). Descubriendo Uganda. Relatos desde una mirada muzungu. Lomas de Zamora, Argentina: Editorial Mundos.
2013
Book Chapter
Methodological frameworks and interdisciplinary research on gated communities
Roitman, Sonia, Webster, Chris and Landman, Karina (2013). Methodological frameworks and interdisciplinary research on gated communities. Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning 5. (pp. 17-42) edited by Michael Hibbard, Robert Freestone and Tore Sager. Abingdon Oxon, U.K.: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group). doi: 10.4324/9780203407455
2013
Conference Publication
Rebirth from the ashes: crisis and the emergence of social movements in Argentina over the last two decades. The case of Tupac Amaru in Mendoza
Roitman, Sonia (2013). Rebirth from the ashes: crisis and the emergence of social movements in Argentina over the last two decades. The case of Tupac Amaru in Mendoza. RC21 Conference 2013: Resourceful cities, Berlin, Germany, 29-31 August, 2013. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Research Committee 21 (RC21).
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sonia Roitman is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Urban inequalities in the city
I am interested in how social inequalities are manifested in cities. This includes analysing how planning can contribute to tackle inequalities and create more just cities. You can read more on this in my article in The Conversation https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-the-power-of-urban-planning-to-tackle-inequality-91010 This also includes the analysis of the impacts of gated communities to the outside areas, including positive and negative impacts.
Please note that currently there are no funding opportunities for this project.
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Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11)
I am currently analysing how SDG11 is being implemented in several cities around the world and in particularly in the Global South. I examine the potential changes in governance structure and dynamics that result as a consequence of the New Urban Agenda and the implementation of SDG11.
Please note that currently there are no funding opportunities for this project.
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Urban planning responses to climate change adaptation in Pacific cities
Urbanisation is increasing in the Pacific Island Countries, while the region is one of the most vulnerable to climate change. The project aims to analyse the role of urban planning in responding to climate change in cities in the Pacific.
Please note that currently there are no funding opportunities for this project.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Affordable Housing Policies in Indonesia: Evaluations Analysis of National Programs (BSPS, FLPP and SSB)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Thomas Sigler
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Doctor Philosophy
Urban planning responses to climate change adaptation in Pacific cities
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Moving the Indonesian Capital City: An opportunity for conflict or inclusion?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Walters
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Doctor Philosophy
Political and Environmental Contributions of Agro-Forestry and Permaculture to Build Resilience to Climate Change
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Kristen Lyons
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Doctor Philosophy
Climate-based Urban Development Approach in Rapid Development Metropolitan Areas in Indonesia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Paola Leardini
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Doctor Philosophy
The Impacts of Climate Change on Women Households in Indonesian Coastal Urban Communities
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Walters
Completed supervision
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Settling into a New Place: Livelihood recovery and belongingness of households forced to relocate in Yangon, Myanmar
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen McNamara
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Governance Process in the Implementation of Land Acquisition Plan for Infrastructure Development in Indonesia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Decision-making process used by middle-middle class families to access homeownership in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Social Justice and Planning Policy: The provision of sewerage infrastructure in Jakarta, Indonesia
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding formal and informal relationships in settlement upgrading for planning just and inclusive cities: the case of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Walters
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Who Governs the 'Ungovernable'?: Examining Governing Relations in Urban Informality
Principal Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Loose praxis: Methodological assemblage in the social complexity of the Australian private rental system
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Counter-space: A Study of the Spatial Politics of the Urban Poor in the Megacity of Dhaka
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Adil Khan, Associate Professor Peter Walters
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Sonia Roitman directly for media enquiries about:
- Development Planning
- Gated communities
- housing policies
- International Development
- land policies
- private governance
- Qualitative research methodology
- segregation
- Social exclusion
- urban planning
- urban sociology
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