Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct our research, teaching, and service. We pay respects to Ancestors and Elders past and present who have always been caring for Country. We honour the work of emerging leaders standing strong for Country. We pay our respects to Country, the lifeworld that sustains us all. 

Our research, education, and service are already in a relationship with Country and the people of Country, here and in all the places we undertake our business. As mostly non-Indigenous people at CUR, we acknowledge our obligation in this relationship: to uphold the ngarn-ga (understanding) of Bundjil and practice respect for community and culture in all that we do. Though there is much we still need to learn, especially about ourselves, we affirm our dhumbali (commitment) to helping create shared futures grounded in recognition of First Peoples sovereignty. 

About the Centre

In a time of rapid population growth, a changing climate, and volatile global economic conditions, the need to improve how our cities work has never been more urgent. 

Most people on the planet already live and work in cities and by 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will be urban dwellers. Cities are vital for our social wellbeing, economic vitality and for addressing urgent issues of climate change and ecological degradation.  

We need better insights into these intersecting challenges across housing and land, resource and energy use, infrastructure and mobility, environmental justice and action on climate.  

The Centre for Urban Research is a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary research on these critical issues. Through our research, we aim to contribute new knowledge and understanding that is grounded in real-world problems, critical in orientation and collaborative in our approach to making and sharing knowledge.  

Our researchers are leading experts in the fields of geography, urban planning, public policy, economics, environmental science, ecology, spatial analysis, history and political science.

CUR is located at RMIT University’s city campus and has strong partnerships with researchers, centres, practitioners and change-makers across Australia and internationally.