Associate Professor Amelia Thorpe

I am currently Research Director (Impact and Engagement) and Associate Professor in Law. I am also Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee in Law, and co-Chair of the UNSW Women In Research Network (WiRN).

My research centres on the governance of cities, ranging from small scale, informal urban interventions to institutional frameworks for decision-making in planning and development. My approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on degrees in Architecture and City Policy as well as Law, and professional experience working on planning, housing and major infrastructure projects. I am currently working on three main research projects: one on equity and diversity on planning and design review panels across Australia; one on DIY urban infrastructure in Australia and North America; and one on housing diversity in Sydney.

Some of my publications can be downloaded for free from SSRN: http://ssrn.com/author=2832516 

I joined UNSW Law in 2012, having worked previously as a director at the Environmental Defender’s Office, Australia’s largest and oldest public interest environmental law organisation. At the EDO I led a capacity-building program for environmental law in the Pacific region, working primarily on climate change at national and international levels.

Before Law I studied Architecture and City Policy, and worked for the planning, transport and housing departments in Western Australia. I worked on projects including the award winning TravelSmart and Liveable Neighbourhoods programs, as well as New Metro Rail, then the largest infrastructure project ever undertake in the state, and Dialogue with the City, a deliberative planning process involving more than 1,000 people. A particular interest in the policy and regulatory aspects of urban development led me to study law. I completed degrees at the University of Oxford and at Harvard Law School and, later, a PhD at ANU. I remain actively involved in the practice of planning, and am currently community representative on the City of Sydney Local Planning Panel.

I have three young children and work part time.