Robin assumed the position of Dean of the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies in 2017 until 2020. Prior to this she led the team of Sustainability and Urban Planning academics as the Deputy Dean since 2013. Robin was the Director of RMIT’s Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) for four years and the inaugural Director of the Centre for Urban Research. She was also Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation in 2012.
Robin is an urban planner with broad interests in many aspects of planning, housing and public policy. Robin’s research interests centre on various aspects of urban planning and public policy. Her current research projects focus on: the nexus between urban research and policy making; the state of the art of planning in Australia and New Zealand; climate change and planning decisions; and, conflict and local government planners. Other recent projects and publications have focused on:
- the forms of private collective ownership of community assets in master planned estates;
- the planning for activity and retail centres in growth areas on the urban fringe; and,
- a comparison of retail form in the various Australian capital cities.
Robin has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses on:
- planning history;
- strategic planning;
- comparative international planning systems; and,
- transport planning and retail planning.
She has led study tours to China, Vietnam and Germany and supervised PhD students on topics related to planning and governance; housing; transport policy and provision; and, environmental performance at suburban scale.
Robin is co-author of the book Planning Melbourne – Lessons for a Sustainable City, along with Michael Buxton and Susie Moloney, which was published by CSIRO in 2016.
Robin is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and serves on its national education committee. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is active in a range of other community and professional roles.
Expert commentary on...
Expert commentary on...
Sustainable strategic planning, including planning for activity centres, planning practice and implementation, planning and housing and Melbourne’s planning history.
