Ep.18 Dorina Pojani - Brisbane‘s car-free community

Hustle & Bustle podcast

In this episode, I interview Dorina Pojani, who is Senior Lecturer in urban planning at The University of Queensland.

Her research interests encompass built environment topics, including urban design, urban transport, and urban housing, in both the Global North and South. She has completed her graduate studies in the US and Belgium, besides her native Albania. Over the years, she has held guest teaching or research positions in Austria, Chile, and Italy, and has been a consultant for various UN agencies including the United Nations Development Program, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, and UN Habitat. Prior to joining academia, she worked in urban design and planning in California. Her latest book is Trophy cities: A feminist perspective on new capitals, published by Edward Elgar, London. Offering a fresh perspective, the book analyses the socio-cultural and physical production of seven planned capital cities, including Canberra.

We discuss one of her latest research pieces looking at Brisbane's car free community.

We chat about:

1. Dorina's background and upbringing that led to her researching Brisbane’s car free community
2. What some of the main reasons people are shunning the car in Brisbane.
3. What are the societal benefits of being car-free?
4. How do we as planners and city shapers support a greater portion of the population in SEQ to make the switch to car-free?

It's a shorter 20 min chat, hope you enjoy!