School of Earth and Environment
Potential research projects offered for Level 4 (Honours) and Level 5
(Masters) students commencing in 2016.
Geography
Urban and Regional Planning
The Projects outlined in this Handbook are NOT necessarily all of
those available. Please feel free to talk to supervisors about
designing projects around your interests.
1
Table of Contents
Economic geography and regional development.................................................................................. 4
Global Commodity Prices and Regional Development Outcomes ........................................................ 4
Resource Dependence and Socio-Economic Wellbeing: A Quantitative Assessment .......................... 4
Economic restructuring and small towns in the Western Australian wheatbelt .................................. 4
Liveability in Perth ................................................................................................................................. 4
Spatial Economic Analysis and Regional Development ......................................................................... 5
The Geography and Regulation of Contentious Land-Uses................................................................... 5
From Dreamscape to Blandscape? Social, Economic, Environmental and Cultural Meaning,
Symbolism and Life in Suburbia ............................................................................................................ 5
The appropriateness of a hierarchy of activity nodes as a city structuring device under current
economic growth trends/dynamics/patterns and in the Perth city development context .................. 6
From a dot on a map in a plan to a viable urban activity node in practice– what are the critical
success factors? ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Exploring the trade-off between housing and transport costs of households ..................................... 6
Understanding train patronage trends in Perth .................................................................................... 7
Validating crowd sourced GPS data for congestion management ........................................................ 7
Bimodal distribution of travel speed ..................................................................................................... 8
Optimal locations of charging stations for electric vehicles ................................................................. 8
How Accessible are Perth’s Activity Centres? ....................................................................................... 8
Access to Jobs and Services ................................................................................................................... 9
Making Public Transport a Mode of Choice .......................................................................................... 9
The value of travel time: Productive travel time ................................................................................ 10
Regional Geographies of Innovation, Productivity and Worker Connectivity .................................... 10
Global Industrial Network Geometries ............................................................................................... 11
International Socio-Economic Spatial Analysis.................................................................................... 11
Natural hazards, risk and vulnerability ................................................................................................ 12
Planning and emergency Management/Disaster Management ......................................................... 12
Development of high resolution land-use land-cover classification of Perth neighbourhoods in
relation to physical activity ................................................................................................................. 12
Does Ownership Matter? Examining Hazard Preparedness of Renters and Absentee Homeowners in
conjunction with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.................................................... 13
Is Recovery Really Community Centric? The Role of Community in Disaster Recovery ..................... 13
Various collaborations with the Business School ................................................................................ 13
Urban Heat Island: Examining the role of the Built Environment on Increased Morbidity and
Mortality in Perth ................................................................................................................................ 14
Flooding: good for the environment but when does it become a disaster? ....................................... 14
WA Flood Risk: A comprehensive assessment of current flood studies to compare and contrast risk.
............................................................................................................................................................. 14
2
The role of geospatial technology in participatory mapping for flood-prone regions in Cambodia .. 15
The role of geospatial technology in participatory mapping for flood-prone regions in Fiji .............. 15
Geography and Health I....................................................................................................................... 16
Geography and Health II...................................................................................................................... 16
Urban Ecosystem Services ................................................................................................................... 16
Urban Aboriginal Wellbeing ................................................................................................................ 17
Gender and Mobility amongst Aboriginal Australians ........................................................................ 17
Aboriginal Presence in Perth ............................................................................................................... 17
Geographies of Educational Disadvantage amongst Adolescents in Kenya ....................................... 18
Social Demography, Migrants, and Regional development ................................................................ 18
Promoting just and inclusive community development in larger and smaller cities .......................... 19
The role of ecological research information in the urban planning process: mapping ecological
knowledge and needs against the West Australian planning system ................................................. 19
Biodiversity & conservation patterns in the novel ecological systems of West Australian cities:
studying socio-cultural contexts in Perth’s front gardens & public parks .......................................... 20
Promoting healthy urban nightscapes in an climate of global change: the ecological and planning
challenges of artificial lighting at night in Perth. ................................................................................. 21
Representations of identity and belonging in the West Australian city: exploring and advancing the
just and inclusive Perth ....................................................................................................................... 22
Physical drivers of reef carbonate sediment budgets ......................................................................... 23
Seasonal variability in the morphology of reef-protected beaches .................................................... 23
Quantifying storm impacts at moderate-energy beaches .................................................................. 23
Biogeomorphlogy of south coast rivers: Patterns of river change and vegetation degradation ........ 24
Climate Change and Transforming River Hydrology in SW WA .......................................................... 24
Water balance of “mega” Lake Woods ............................................................................................... 24
Coastal Planning and Development in Western Australia .................................................................. 25
Microbialte Ecohydrology and Sedimentology ................................................................................... 25
South West Western Australia Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology ....................................................... 26
Measuring the influence of the childcare indoor and outdoor environment on early health
behaviour ............................................................................................................................................ 26
The Built Environment and Child Health and Development ............................................................... 26
3
Project:
Economic geography and regional development
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Please come and discuss ideas relating to topics in economic geography and
regional development. This can include a range of topics across urban economies,
regions, development and so on.
Project:
Global Commodity Prices and Regional Development Outcomes
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Changes in global commodity prices have significant implications for regional
development. To date, however, few studies have attempted to quantify how
commodity prices affect investment, employment and population change
Project:
Resource Dependence and Socio-Economic Wellbeing: A Quantitative
Assessment
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
There is an extensive North American literature that examines the relationship
between dependence on the resource sector and levels of socio-economic
wellbeing in small resource towns. This study replicates an analysis based on 2006
census data with newer data available from the 2011 census
Project:
Economic restructuring and small towns in the Western Australian
wheatbelt
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
This project examines the issue of uneven development in the Wheatbelt region of
Western Australia. It builds on earlier research but examining how wider processes
of economic restructuring have affected the local economic, social and
demographic characteristics of the Wheatbelt.
Project:
Liveability in Perth
For majors
including:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Matthew Tonts, matthew.tonts@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2683
Matthew Tonts, matthew.tonts@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2683
Matthew Tonts, matthew.tonts@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2683
Matthew Tonts, matthew.tonts@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2683
4
Supervisor:
Matthew Tonts, matthew.tonts@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2683
Description:
This is less of a specific project, and more of a potential for students to engage in
projects developed in consultant with the Committee for Perth. The Committee
for Perth have interests spanning Perth's economic development, demography,
social structure etc. and how these relate to liveability and, ultimately, public
policy.
Project:
Spatial Economic Analysis and Regional Development
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Please email to make an appointment to discuss ideas related to topics in
economic geography and regional economic analysis. This can include a range of
topics, but especially geographies of local labour markets, regional
competitiveness and socio-economic wellbeing in resource communities.
Project:
The Geography and Regulation of Contentious Land-Uses
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Urban & Regional Planning
Description:
This is less a specific topic and more a general theme for students to consider
projects in relation to the geographical trends and patterns and regulations
surrounding various forms of ‘contentious land-uses’ (e.g. fast food outlets, bottle
shops, bars/hotels, gambling spaces, places of worship, and sexual
services/entertainment).
Project:
From Dreamscape to Blandscape? Social, Economic, Environmental and
Cultural Meaning, Symbolism and Life in Suburbia
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Urban & Regional Planning
Description:
The ‘great Australian dream’ is premised on the notion that Australians have the
‘right’ to purchase and live on their own ¼ acre block of land. Increasingly, for
people to realise this dream they have had to move to the outer suburbs where
land and housing have been historically cheaper. In an era of dominated by
sustainable development the suburbs and suburbanites have been increasingly
cast as the proponents of unsustainability, living in soulless places and suffering
from all manner of health problems – social, mental and physical. By way of
contrast, the inner-suburbs have often been portrayed as more sustainable,
accessible and neighbourly. This project seeks to explore life in suburbia by
focusing on what’s good and what’s bad about living in the outer- and innersuburbs from the perspective of suburbanites. This is an integrated longitudinal
case-study project whereby up to 3-4 students will individually focus on at least 2
case study suburbs – 1 inner and 1 outer metropolitan - to explore various aspects
of suburban environments and life via (i) conducting a household survey to gauge
Paul Plummer, paul.plummer@uwa.edu.au
Paul Maginn, paul.maginn@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2711
Paul Maginn, paul.maginn@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2711
5
people’s attitudes and experiences and (ii) analysing other, largely primary data,
on some other major aspect of the suburbs.
Project:
The appropriateness of a hierarchy of activity nodes as a city
structuring device under current economic growth
trends/dynamics/patterns and in the Perth city development context
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
A hierarchy of activity centres has been identified in recent planning policy
(Directions 2031 (August 2010)) as a city structuring element so that new growth
occurs in a “more balanced way” (Directions 2031, p 33). Starting from the basis
of classical urban location theory, this project seeks to investigate the applicability
and relevance of a hierarchy of activity nodes in the context of current economic
growth dynamics and trends and in the Perth development context. The project
would entail a spatial analysis of economic growth trends and travel patterns to
examine the underlying assumption of urban hierarchy theory that people will
neatly travel first locally and then increasingly further for higher order activities. A
possible approach would be to select a specific existing centre from each level of
the proposed hierarchy in Direction 2031 and analyse the “catchment area” for
each.
Project:
From a dot on a map in a plan to a viable urban activity node in
practice– what are the critical success factors?
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Strategic city plans usually contain ambitious and noble proposals of locations
where future economic growth will be accommodated, often presented as a
series of dots on a map, possibly of different sizes to indicate different intensities
or levels in a hierarchy. In reality, very few of these nodes materialise significantly
in practice with a strong body of evidence to suggest that the areas with the
greatest economic growth potential are those where economic growth trends are
already strong and that new primary nodes are most likely to emerge in relation
to high income residential areas. The intention of this project would be to explore
the factors which are important in predicting the location of new economic
growth in the urban context from the literature and to occur through a spatial
analysis of economic growth trends in relation to the range of factors identified in
the literature, recommending which are the best predictors of new growth. The
proposed activity centres in Directions 2013 could then be broadly assessed
against the outcomes of the analysis to provide a prognosis for success.
Project:
Exploring the trade-off between housing and transport costs of
households
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Sharon Biermann, sharon.biermann@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3385
Sharon Biermann, sharon.biermann@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3385
Sharon Biermann, sharon.biermann@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3385
6
Description:
City planning and policy documents are unanimous in their calls for more
affordable housing yet housing costs continue to be a major and often inhibitive
household expenditure item. Households respond by moving to the urban
periphery where housing is cheaper yet transport costs may be higher. These
same plans and policies promote higher densities along public transport corridors
and closer to the city centre to counteract urban sprawl and increase public
transport ridership. These locations may have lower transport costs but housing
costs are generally higher due to higher land cost and building costs (for multistorey housing). From the perspective of the household, analyse average annual
household expenditure on housing and transport in relation to household
location and attempt to understand the trade-offs households make between
housing and transport costs.
Project:
Understanding train patronage trends in Perth
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Using SmartRider train patronage data, investigate recent claims of declining
patronage across the Perth rail system. Consider spatial differences for different
train lines. Analyse patronage trends in relation to demographic, economic,
housing, train capacity and quality (such as overcrowding) metrics (amongst
others) in an attempt to explain the patronage trends you find. Perth trends could
be considered in relation to trends in other Australian cities and the dynamics
compared.
Sharon Biermann, sharon.biermann@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3385
Project:
Validating crowd sourced GPS data for congestion management
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Chao Sun, Chao Sun, 6488 8720
Description:
There has been a lack of reliable ways of measuring road network performance.
Coverage is one of the largest challenges facing traditional data collection
methods. Road counters and loop detectors located at traffic signals and
freeways are the most commonly used sources in Australia. However, these are
sparse point counts that do not necessarily reflect conditions over the distance of
the roads. Floating car surveys (actually driving along routes) can provide route
based information but their application is severely limited by their high costs.
In recent years, the prevalence of GPS devices has made crowd sourcing for road
performance monitoring possible. However, much of the data is synthesised from
taxis and trucks, which introduce sample bias into the data sets. This research will
validate the GPS data from one particular provider by using Main Roads WA’s
existing floating car survey results. It will help Main Roads WA make an informed
7
decision on whether crowd sourced GPS data is a viable alternative to floating car
surveys.
Project:
Bimodal distribution of travel speed
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Chao Sun, Chao Sun, 6488 8720
Description:
Individual travel speeds on a section of road sometimes follows a normal
distribution, which is expected. However, on other occasions they might follow a
bimodal distribution (the combination of two normal distributions) - at the same
time, on the same section of road, it appears that there is one group of
individuals moving more slowly than another group. This has been observed by
researchers and has been recently confirmed by crowd-sourced GPS data that we
have access to. Some authors suspect the bimodal distribution is caused by traffic
lights. However, our data has shown that this has been observed on freeways
where no traffic lights are present. This project will use crowd sourced GPS data
in combination with other sources such as Main Roads WA’s loop detectors to
determine the causes of bimodal distribution.
Project:
Optimal locations of charging stations for electric vehicles
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Chao Sun, Chao Sun, 6488 8720
Description:
Electric vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly mature. However, range anxiety
is still being labelled as its major obstacle, although some high performance EVs
can already match their fossil fuel counterparts. Many manufactures have
promised easy access to charging stations as a way to overcome this anxiety so
the location and number of these stations become an important decision. It
involves trade-offs between conflicting goals. This project will look at how to set
the criteria to achieve the best balance. A GIS and/or traffic modelling package
will need to be used for modelling.
Project:
How Accessible are Perth’s Activity Centres?
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
8
Supervisor:
Sharon Biermann and Gary McCarney, 6488 3385
Description:
The WAPC’s State Planning Policy 4.2 Activity Centres for Perth and Peel (August
2010) identifies a number of existing and proposed new centres where future
growth is to be concentrated. This planning approach is reinforced in the Draft
Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million Frameworks released for public comment in May
2015. But just how accessible are these centres by public transport – and by car?
How easy is it to get to UWA, for example? Are these centres in the most
accessible locations and if not which locations are? For those centres with poor
access, how could access be improved?
This research project is to investigate these questions, and any other issues that
may arise, using raw accessibility data that would be provided to the student in a
spreadsheet from the Departments of Transport and Planning transport model,
STEM.
Project:
Access to Jobs and Services
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Sharon Biermann and Gary McCarney, 6488 3385
Description:
As Perth’s population grows and Perth’s footprint expands, more and more
people will be living in the outer areas of Perth, further and further away from
the concentration of jobs and services in the central core. But is this an issue?
How accessible does an area need to be to be “accessible enough”. How does this
affect social inclusion, vulnerability etc? How does access to jobs and services for
someone living in, say, Subiaco compare with someone living in, say, Byford?
How is access to jobs and services likely to change over time as Perth expands
and congestion increases?
This research project is to investigate these questions, and any other issues that
may arise, using raw data of how many jobs can be accessed within 30 minutes
and 45 minutes by car or public transport from different areas covering the Perth
and Peel region, which would be provided to the student in a spreadsheet.
Project:
Making Public Transport a Mode of Choice
For majors
including:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Sharon Biermann and Gary McCarney, 6488 3385
Description:
There is considerable debate in Perth over how congestion can be addressed as
Perth expands to 3.5 million and beyond. Increased public transport, such as light
rail, is being considered. But just how competitive is public transport compared
9
to the car and how can it be made more competitive? What impacts would rising
fuel costs have, or free public transport?
This research project is to investigate these questions, and any other issues that
may arise, using a simple spreadsheet calculator that would be provided. The
calculator compares the relative costs of travel, including time, for car, public
transport and cycle trips. It has a number of parameters affecting travel time and
cost, eg. value of time, car operating costs, bus fares and parking charges. The
values can be adjusted, eg. PT fares set to zero, to determine the potential
impact on mode choice.
Project:
The value of travel time: Productive travel time
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
In most instances research in transport planning refers to travel time as a ‘cost’ in
costs of transport calculations.
Sharon Biermann, sharon.biermann@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3385
Time is converted to a monetary value and included in the generalised cost of
travel. More recently evidence is emerging that people are choosing to travel by
public transport, so that they can spend travel time productively, e.g. working on
the train or socialising through social media. These benefits of travel time have
even been referred to as the ‘gift’ of travel time (J. Jain and G. Lyons, Journal of
Transport Geography 16, 2008).
The purpose of this project would be to investigate how people in Perth, on public
transport, use their travel time and how this differs throughout the day and from
different geographical areas. Is there a specific pattern to be detected (mornings
work related, afternoons more social)? This study would highlight the value of
travel time when using public transport, rather than portraying it as a burden (of
costs).
Project:
Regional Geographies of Innovation, Productivity and Worker
Connectivity
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Linked to economic competitiveness, productivity has become increasingly
important in government policy and research worldwide. In Australia, for
example, the Productivity Commission explores the environmental, economic and
social factors affecting the welfare of Australians as means to understand regional
productivity differences. Two areas of productivity advantage lie in a regions’
capacity to support innovation as well as the virtual and physical connectedness
of its workforce. This project may include research into innovation, worker
connectivity and productivity aspects of regional or metropolitan Australia (or
other nations) to better understand the spatial relationships between these
factors as well as identify geographies associated with regional innovation
systems.
Kirsten Martinus, kirsten.martinus@uwa.edu.au, 6488 7674
10
Project:
Global Industrial Network Geometries
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Corporate headquarters are increasingly viewed as expressions of economic
power, particularly as the regulatory role of the state undergoes marginalisation.
This research seeks to understand the geometries of corporate power and
connectivity using the locations of corporate headquarters as a proxy for
estimating the dynamic nature of intra- and inter-city relations. The project can
examine the dynamics from the point of view of a particular industry and/or
country of choice.
Project:
International Socio-Economic Spatial Analysis
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Increasing globalisation and advancing technologies have inextricably linked
nations into one large international community. This makes research exploring the
social and economic environment of other nations more important than ever to
Australia. This is not a specific project, but gives students an opportunity to engage
in a range of social and/or economic analysis topics in a country or global region of
their choice.
Kirsten Martinus, kirsten.martinus@uwa.edu.au, 6488 7674
Kirsten Martinus, kirsten.martinus@uwa.edu.au, 6488 7674
11
Project:
Natural hazards, risk and vulnerability
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Description:
If you are interested in any project relating to disaster management, natural
hazards, risk and vulnerability, you are more than welcome to discuss your ideas
with me. Depending on the project there are possibilities for links with the
Department of Emergency Service, Department of Parks and Wildlife, the State
Emergency Management Committee and many local governments around the
states.
Project:
Planning and emergency Management/Disaster Management
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Description:
A recent call from the Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) asks
for a closer examination of the links between planning and emergency service
delivery topics include:




Emergency service delivery in new and gentrifying communities
Better integration of emergency service needs in the planning process of new
developments
Geospatial tools for assessing the integration of emergency management
needs on new and gentrifying developments
Response capacity in new and gentrifying communities.
Project:
Development of high resolution land-use land-cover classification of
Perth neighbourhoods in relation to physical activity
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Research in the Centre for Built Environment and Health focuses on the factors
that promote physical activity in people’s neighbourhoods. Land-use mix is
considered one influencing factor, however to date these measures are coarse in
resolution. This project would use high resolution multi-band imagery and state of
the art technology to develop a classification to better understand the mix of
land-use and land-cover people expose themselves to when conducting physical
activity.
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
12
Project:
Does Ownership Matter? Examining Hazard Preparedness of Renters
and Absentee Homeowners in conjunction with the Department of Fire
and Emergency Services
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Recently the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has conducted a
survey of several hundred absentee landowners focusing on what motivates
owners to prepare properties that are not their primary residence. The
organisation has conducted a cursory analysis of the data but this project provides
the opportunity to work more closely with the results conducting in depth
analysis. The project may also require follow up interviews with survey
respondents.
Project:
Is Recovery Really Community Centric? The Role of Community in
Disaster Recovery
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
The Western Australian Local Recovery Plan (2009) states, among others, that
disaster recovery should adopt a community centred approach. Over the past
several years, many WA communities have experienced significant hazard impacts
and are engaged in (or have engaged in) the recovery process. This project would
examine one or more case studies of community recovery to examine the level to
which recovery was truly a community centred process. Surveys and interviews
would form the basis of data collected for this project.
Project:
Various collaborations with the Business School
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning
Description
Over the past several years a working relationships with the Business School has
been developed. If you are interested in the spatial dimensions of any of the
following topics please see me to discuss specific projects.
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700, Doina Olaru and Bret Smith









- Social exclusion (limited access to urban facilities and activities);
- Sustainable transport solutions for Perth – Light rail (or integration of
PnR into the landscape of travel options) or cycling and walking;
- Hedonic pricing (residential areas);
- Value capture for transport services derived from commercial
activities (HP but for commercial properties instead of residential);
- Smartrider data - intra–individual vs inter-individual travel variability
(spatio-temporal) and comparison with travel surveys for PT users;
- Travel patterns of elderly population;
- Urban sprawl vs containment and intensification measures for 2014
in Perth;
13




- Social housing – spatial analysis of how integrated the new
developments are in the city;
- Activity spaces and data needs;
- Impact of tourist mobility in Perth CBD.
Project:
Urban Heat Island: Examining the role of the Built Environment on
Increased Morbidity and Mortality in Perth
For majors
including:
Geography, Health, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning,
Environmental Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Paula Hooper
Description:
Temperature and humidity influence thermal comfort with the direct impacts of
heat exposure include heat fatigue, exhaustion, heat rash, cramps and oedema.
Groups vulnerable to increased temperatures include the elderly, the young,
people with disabilities, and the homeless among others. A recent, study funded
by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility developed a Heat
Vulnerability Index for Australia’s Major metropolitan cities. The assessment
however, used a number of course special metrics to measure heat related
vulnerability. This project will use GIS and Remote Sensing technologies in an
attempt to further refine this methodology to develop new and innovative ways
to measure heat vulnerability in the urban environment.
Project:
Flooding: good for the environment but when does it become a
disaster?
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Physical Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Flooding is a natural element of the geomorphic processes and is essential for the
movement of materials through the landscape. But at what point does it become
a problem for society? This project seeks to understand the impacts of flooding
and what the threshold of an event is for it to become a disaster. An investigation
of the hydrological, physical and social dimensions of previous flood events in WA
will assist in answering this question. The research will contribute to Western
Australia’s State Risk Project led by the State Emergency Management
Committee.
Project:
WA Flood Risk: A comprehensive assessment of current flood studies to
compare and contrast risk.
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Physical Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Geoscience Australia lists 85 flood studies undertaken in Western Australia since
1980. To determine the top flooding risks within the State, studies must be
compared. This project involves collating and analysing flood study data, ensuring
data is comparable. Relevant study areas will be compared and contrasted to
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Heather Taylor
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Heather Taylor
14
provide an overview of the highest risk areas, allowing the prioritisation of flood
risk across the state.
The project will involve:



Sourcing flood study data
Developing a method to compare and contrast flood risk
Determining the areas within the state with the highest flood risk.
Project:
The role of geospatial technology in participatory mapping for floodprone regions in Cambodia
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Physical Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Natasha Pauli,
natasha.pauli@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3546
Description:
This project will investigate the role of GIS technology in participatory mapping of
flood risks and vulnerabilities at a field research site in the Mekong River Basin
(Prek Prasob District, Cambodia). The project is part of a broader collaborative
research project that will develop and implement an innovative, spatially-explicit
approach to integrating local and scientific knowledge of flood risks and
vulnerabilities in selected regions of Cambodia and Fiji. Local knowledge is
important for identifying fine-scale changes in land use and flood hazards,
demographic patterns, the aftermath of floods, and desired future development
paths. However, incorporating local knowledge into GIS platforms presents
conceptual and technical challenges. This research project will focus on
developing locally-appropriate methods to use GIS technology as part of a
participatory spatial planning process, where community members contribute to
the mapping process and final product. Fieldwork at the research site may be
required and supported as part of this project; only a highly motivated student
with strong interests and/or demonstrated capabilities in the topic will be
considered for this interesting and challenging research project.
Project:
The role of geospatial technology in participatory mapping for floodprone regions in Fiji
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Physical Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Natasha Pauli,
natasha.pauli@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3546
Description:
This project will investigate the role of GIS technology in participatory mapping of
flood risks and vulnerabilities at a field research site in the Ba Watershed
(northwestern Viti Levu, Fiji). The project is part of a broader collaborative
research project that will develop and implement an innovative, spatially-explicit
approach to integrating local and scientific knowledge of flood risks and
vulnerabilities in selected regions of Cambodia and Fiji. Local knowledge is
important for identifying fine-scale changes in land use and flood hazards,
demographic patterns, the aftermath of floods, and desired future development
paths. However, incorporating local knowledge into GIS platforms presents
conceptual and technical challenges. This research project will focus on
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developing locally-appropriate methods to use GIS technology as part of a
participatory spatial planning process, where community members contribute to
the mapping process and final product. Fieldwork at the research site may be
required and supported as part of this project; only a highly motivated student
with strong interests and/or demonstrated capabilities in the topic will be
considered for this interesting and challenging research project.
Project:
Geography and Health I
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Description:
The Centre for the Built Environment and Health operates jointly between the
School of Earth and Environment and the School of Sport and Exercise Science.
There are a number of opportunities for research in this area avenues for research
in this area. Please discuss your interests with me.
Project:
Geography and Health II
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, GIS, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Management
Description:
A number of projects have been suggested by the WA Department of Health.
These projects provide opportunities to work with and within a state government
organisation. Please contact me if you are interested in any of the following
topics:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Dr Grace Yun, Department of
Health
- geographic variations in female breast cancer mortality in Perth Metropolitan
Area
- current diabetes service location and utilisation
- the impact of dog ownership on community health especially child’s health
Project:
Urban Ecosystem Services
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, GIS, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Management
Description:
In an urban setting, ecosystems support the health of residents and improve
quality of life whilst contributing to the liveability of our neighbourhoods. Within
the urban environment key natural components include: street trees, lawns and
parks, urban forests, cultivated land, wetlands, lakes and sea, and rivers. Students
interested in the quantification and provision of urban ecosystem services are
encouraged to discuss potential projects with us. These could include the use of
geospatial technologies, environmental auditing tools such as iTree, or other
types of geographic analysis.
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700; Natasha Pauli,
natasha.pauli@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3546
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Project:
Urban Aboriginal Wellbeing
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography and Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Aboriginal presence in cities is often unrecognized or considered inauthentic by
the majority population. At the same time, many Aboriginal people live and move
within cities in ways that are 'unseen', but are critical to their sense of wellbeing.
This project will map Aboriginal people’s sense of wellbeing in the city. It will draw
on innovative mapping techniques, and/or methods such as photovoice, geobiographies, yarning, or interviews to examine what spaces and places Aboriginal
people move between in the city, where they feel most ‘well’ and ‘unwell’, and
why.
Project:
Gender and Mobility amongst Aboriginal Australians
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography and Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Generally speaking, Aboriginal people are more mobile over the short-term than
non-Aboriginal people. In fact, temporary, often circular, population movements
within and between the towns and cities of a particular region remain a common
feature of many hunter-gatherer based societies. There are a number of factors
that shape Aboriginal mobilities, ranging from customary ceremonial journey’s, to
the need or desire to access seasonal job markets, or retail, recreational and
medical services. One of the demographic aspects of these kinds of movements
that is not well understood is the differences (if any) between the mobilities of
Aboriginal men and women. There is some evidence within the literature that
gender plays a significant role in shaping Aboriginal mobilities but further
research is required to determine how and why mobility may vary with gender.
This project will examine the gendered nature of Aboriginal mobilities through
interviews, life histories, or focus groups with Aboriginal participants.
Project:
Aboriginal Presence in Perth
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography and Urban and Regional Planning
Description:
Australia’s Aboriginal population is increasingly urban-based. And yet, most
Aboriginal Affairs policy and funding remains directed at rural and remote
Australia where need is assumed to be most acute. Further research is required to
determine the characteristics of urban Aboriginal populations and examine how
they compare to those of rural and remote localities. Using data from the two
most recent Census’, this project will analyse and map how the Aboriginal
population in the Perth metropolitan area has changed in the last five years and
what emerging policy issues these changes may signal. Areas of potential focus
include change in: population distribution, age profile, migration trends, housing
tenure type, education levels and/or employment.
Sarah Prout, sarah.prout@uwa.edu.au, 64883433
Sarah Prout, sarah.prout@uwa.edu.au, 64883433
Sarah Prout, sarah.prout@uwa.edu.au, 64883433
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Project:
Geographies of Educational Disadvantage amongst Adolescents in
Kenya
For majors
including:
Master of International Development; Geography; and Urban and Regional
Planning
Supervisor:
Sarah Prout, sarah.prout@uwa.edu.au, 64883433
Description:
Education is a key global poverty alleviation strategy. The United Nation’s
Millennium Development Goals recognize this, targeting universal access to
primary school education for all children. However, in Kenya where primary
school education is technically free and accessible to all children, extreme poverty
persists in many areas. Many children who are bright and driven are unable
pursue secondary studies because they cannot afford to pay school fees.
Consequently, they re-enter the cycle of poverty from which they came. Other
students, particularly those in rural areas, who are able to embark on a secondary
education, often face extreme challenges that undermine their ability to advance
with their studies or find sustainable employment. Through a comprehensive
literature review, interviews with members of the Kenyan diaspora community in
Western Australia, and document analysis, this project will begin to map out the
various geographies of secondary educational disadvantage in Kenya. It will
examine the unique economic, social, cultural barriers to, and facilitators of,
secondary educational achievement in rural localities.
Project:
Social Demography, Migrants, and Regional development
For majors
including:
Master of International Development; Geography; Urban and Regional Planning
Supervisor:
Sarah Prout sarah.prout@uwa.ed.au 6488 3433
Description:
Please come and discuss ideas relating to topics in social demography and
regional development. This can include a range of topics including (but not
limited to):
1. Forced migration in the Global South (particularly related to extractive
industries)
2. Native Title and Indigenous development in Australia;
3. The experiences and needs of diaspora communities (e.g. refugees and
migrants) in Perth;
4. Food deserts in Perth
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Project:
Promoting just and inclusive community development in larger and
smaller cities
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science
Description
Urban planning must register social and political geographies of community and
community-led development. Within or around Perth and WA, each project
explores and advances the use of socio-spatial data and patterns to inform better
decision-making and collaborative projects in urban planning as we address landuse and resource conflict, human-nature relations, and improving city life amidst
urbanisation, rapid growth, and climate injustice.
Clare Mouat, clare.mouat@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2652
Please come and talk about topics that you are passionate about exploring. Below
are some suggested projects, and variations or alternatives are welcome:
1. Cross-boundary planning for climate justice
2. Local government amalgamation challenges for community-level
democracy and strategic planning
3. Social innovation and competitive advantage in WA
4. Play deserts for children and young people in Perth CBD and suburbs
5. Creative community responses to community development and wellbeing
(especially related to performance, craft, yarnbombing, art and culture)
6. Gentle geographies of everyday life that are acts of resistance or
revitalisation (including local/global enterprises and environmentalism)
NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a
complementary team environment.
Project:
The role of ecological research information in the urban planning
process: mapping ecological knowledge and needs against the West
Australian planning system
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science
Description
Urban planning must register that Perth and West Australian cities are
ecologically distinctive urban developments within Australia. Within or around
Perth, each project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the
use of ecological information in urban planning addressing landuse, human-nature
relations, and improving city life amidst urbanisation, rapid growth, and climate
injustice. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to examine the
challenges and opportunities for advancing the use of ecological information.
Clare Mouat, clare.mouat@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2652
PROJECT
This project addresses how local governments engaged considering local
biodiversity in planning decisions and impact assessments. In preparing for this
project, comparative analysis and methodological guidance, students should read:
Yli-Pelkonen and Niemelä (2006) Use of ecological information in urban planning:
Experiences from the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Urban Ecosystems 9(3):
211-226.
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NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a
complementary team environment.
Project:
Biodiversity & conservation patterns in the novel ecological systems of
West Australian cities: studying socio-cultural contexts in Perth’s front
gardens & public parks
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science
Description
Urban planning must register that Perth and West Australian cities are
ecologically distinctive urban developments within Australia. Within or around
Perth, each project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the
use of ecological information in urban planning addressing landuse, human-nature
relations, and improving city life amidst urbanisation, rapid growth, and climate
injustice. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to examine the
challenges and opportunities for advancing the use of ecological information.
Clare Mouat, clare.mouat@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2652
PROJECT
This project addresses the planners need to understand whether and how
communities are connected or disconnected from local biodiversity in an era of
global change. In developing conservation strategies for cities, planners need to
know how this can be or is this reflected in demographic and amenity
characteristics of (sub)urban local government areas and particularly open public
spaces and private gardens (for example, the native-ness / non-native-ness of
public open spaces and garden species). In preparing for this project,
development, comparative analysis and methodological guidance, students
should read:
Head L & Muir P. (2006) Suburban life and the boundaries of nature: resilience
and rupture in Australian backyard gardens. Transactions of the Institute of British
Geographers 31(4): 505-524.
Kowarik, I. (2011). Novel urban ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation.
Environmental Pollution, (8), 1974-1983.
NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a
complementary team environment.
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Project:
Promoting healthy urban nightscapes in an climate of global change: the
ecological and planning challenges of artificial lighting at night in Perth.
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science
Description
Urban planning must register that Perth and West Australian cities are
ecologically distinctive urban developments within Australia. Within or around
Perth, each project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the
use of ecological information in urban planning addressing landuse, humannature relations, and improving city life amidst urbanisation, rapid growth, and
climate injustice. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to
examine the challenges and opportunities for advancing the use of ecological
information.
Clare Mouat, clare.mouat@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2652
PROJECT
This project addresses how, in an era of climate change and globalisation, artificial
lighting at night poses unsustainable financial and ecological costs for cities.
Hence local government plans and policy must consider mitigating carbon and
ecological costs in planning decisions and impact assessments.
Your project might address any combination of the following: urban design,
healthy nightscapes, technological opportunities and challenges of streetlighting,
best practice examples from overseas, lighting and building standards, landscape
design, public health, crime prevention through environmental design, energy
practices of households and institutions, public and planning policy, for example.
In preparing for this project, comparative analysis and methodological guidance,
students should read:
Longcore T & Rich C. (2006) Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting,
Washington, DC: Island Press.
Grose M & Mouat CM. (2011) Unsustainable streetlights: harbingers of future
directions for policy and practice. World Schools of Planning Congress. Perth,
Australia.
NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a
complementary team environment.
21
Project:
Representations of identity and belonging in the West Australian city:
exploring and advancing the just and inclusive Perth
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
Description
Healthy and inclusive urban development must include representations of identity
and belonging for residents of the city. This development includes multicultural
and indigenous representations of identity in a variety of ways and places to
create senses of place and city. ‘Inclusion of Indigenous peoples in civic
landscapes contributes not only to their spiritual and cultural renewal and
contemporary identity, but also to the whole community’s sense of self and to the
process of reconciliation’ (Malone, 2007: 158). Within or around Perth, each
project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the use of art,
open space, and public domain in urban planning addressing land use, intercultural relations, and improving vitality amidst urbanisation and rapid growth
pressures. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to examine
the challenges and opportunities for advancing the identity and belonging in the
public domain. These are suggested projects and variations or alternatives are
welcome to the following suggested ideas: NOTE: These projects are best suited
to students interested in working in a complementary team environment.
Clare Mouat, clare.mouat@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2652; Sarah Prout
sarah.prout@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3433
Project 1: “The art of belonging in the post-colonial city: mapping the evolving
representation of cultural history and civic identity in Perth”
This project addresses how identity and belonging is exhibited in art, monuments,
memorials and statuary over the stages of Perth’s colonial and post-colonial
history. In preparing for this project, comparative analysis and methodological
guidance, students should read Malone (2007 and his 2012 dissertation available
on OneSearch) for his work in Adelaide.
Malone G. (2007) Ways of Belonging: Reconciliation and Adelaide's Public Space
Indigenous Cultural Markers. Geographical Research 45(2): 158-166.
Project 2: “The park as post-colonial landscape of identity: exploring the
evolving aesthetics of Shenton Park”
This project addresses how the aesthetics of public parks evolve in the stages and
priorities of urban development of a city, reflect local and global as well as postcolonial elements of public open spaces, and the differential needs and desires of
different stakeholders. In preparing for this project, comparative analysis and
methodological guidance, students should read McBride (1999).
McBride BEN. (1999) The (Post)colonial Landscape of Cathedral Square: Urban
Redevelopment and Representation in the “Cathedral City”1. New Zealand
Geographer 55(1): 3-11.
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Project:
Physical drivers of reef carbonate sediment budgets
For majors
including:
Supervisors:
Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Marine Science, Geology
Description:
Predicting future changes to coastlines fringed by coral reefs requires quantifying
sediment budgets in these environments. To do this we must understand the
physical parameters and biological composition of sediment deposits; the ecology
of the calcifying (production) community; and the dominant sediment transport
mechanisms. This study will examine previously collected datasets
(sedimentological, biological, hydrodynamic, and aerial photographs) from
obtained along the Ningaloo Reef coast. The student will utilize GIS tools to
examine both spatial and temporal trends in these data. These analyses will
provide critical data for understanding the link between the calcifying community
of a reef and its sediment reservoir, and in turn, the mechanisms by which
material is transported between regions of the reef. Understanding transport
mechanisms within reef environments will act as the foundation for an improved
understanding of carbonate sediment budgets in fringing coral reefs, which
remains a critical gap in our ability to forecast future resiliency of reef-protected
coastlines.
Project:
Seasonal variability in the morphology of reef-protected beaches
For majors
including:
Supervisors:
Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Marine Science
Description:
The seasonal cycle of beach erosion and accretion on open-ocean sandy beaches
has been studied for decades. However many beaches globally (and most along
the west coast of Australia) experience some degree of wave sheltering by coastal
limestone reefs; evidence indicates that these reefs play a major role in
moderating the seasonal changes to morphology observed on local beaches. For
this project, a field program will be implemented to regularly survey the spatial
changes that occur along a local reef-fringed beach (or possibly series of beaches);
the morphology would be monitored at intervals over a summer-to-winter cycle
and could also incorporate available historical field data sets. Observed changes in
beach morphology will be related to associate changes in observed near shore
processes (waves and currents) observed during the study period, in order to
understand how the presence of these offshore reefs ultimately shapes our local
beaches.
Project:
Quantifying storm impacts at moderate-energy beaches
For majors
including:
Supervisors:
Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Marine Science
Description:
Short-term changes in beach morphology resulting from storm events have
primarily been studied at sites that typically experience little wave energy (wave
heights <1 m) and thus when storms occur the impact is often considerable. This
Ryan Lowe (Ryan.Lowe@uwa.edu.au), 6488 2706 and Mike Cuttler
Jeff Hansen jeff.hansen@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3724 and Ryan Lowe
Jeff Hansen jeff.hansen@uwa.edu.au, 6488 3724 and Ryan Lowe
23
project aims to evaluate the impact of storm events, and particularly the pace of
post-storm recovery, at beaches that have more energetic baseline conditions
(wave heights ~1-2 m), such as those adjacent to Perth. A field program will be
developed in which daily beach surveys will be conducted prior to, during, and
follow winter storm events. The recorded beach morphology changes will then be
related to the observed wave conditions to determine what factors control the
amount and timing of the morphology changes as well as regulate how fast the
beach recovers following the storm. This information will be valuable to those
tasked with protecting coastal resources as well as provide basic insights into the
processes that control beach evolution over short time scales.
Project:
Biogeomorphlogy of south coast rivers: Patterns of river change and
vegetation degradation
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Environmental Science
Description:
Changes in river geomorphology are often related to changes in the riparian
vegetation communities, but factors such as slope are stream power are also
important. This project looks to better understand the links and patterns between
areas that have (and have not) experienced shifts in river morphology in relation
to vegetation degradation and boundary condition factors such as slope. The aim
of this project is to build a better understanding of where rivers have become
most unstable and where vegetation-based river management may offer the
greatest potential for success.
Project:
Climate Change and Transforming River Hydrology in SW WA
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Environmental Science
Description:
Southwestern Western Australia has experienced a significant reduction in rainfall
since the 1970s. This has resulted in significant changes to river flow processes,
including changes to flow duration (perenniality) groundwater baseflows and
salinity. Some of our recent work shows that some river have or will soon
transform or undergo threshold shifts in their underlying hydrology, with
significant implications for the ecology of rivers in SW WA. This project will focus
on analysing streamflow sites with a long (>30 years) records across the SW to
map the extent and magnitude of rivers undergoing transformation in river
hydrology.
Project:
Water balance of “mega” Lake Woods
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography, Environmental Science
Description
Lake Woods is an iconic wetland in northern Australia that has been fed by pulses
of water from the Australian Summer Monsoon. The current Lake Woods sits
Nik Callow nik.callow@uwa.edu.au, 6488 1924
Nik Callow nik.callow@uwa.edu.au, 6488 1924
Nik Callow nik.callow@uwa.edu.au, 6488 1924
24
within a much larger basin and includes relict wave-cut shorelines that have been
associated with the “mega” Lake Woods extent under a past climate regime. This
project will use novel satellite data to build a water balance model of the current
Lake Woods and explore scenarios that can be used to infer the palaeoclimate
during the “mega” Lake Woods extent.
This project will require students to have good geospatial (GIS) skills and
knowledge of hydrological processes and modelling (e.g. ENVT2251 and
ENVT3362).
Project:
Coastal Planning and Development in Western Australia
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Geography; Environmental Science
Description:
The potential topics are:
Julian Clifton, julian.clifton@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2695
Marine protected areas in Western Australia, focused on the current bio-regional
planning process and an examination of the priorities and concerns of principal
coastal resource users and stakeholders in order to evaluate the significance and
impacts of this process for Western Australia;
Metal pollution in estuarine and coastal environments, including a systematic
sampling of sediments in an estuarine or coastal habitat in order to determine
current and historic levels of heavy metal contamination in these sediments. This
would enable the determination of likely sources, trends over time and the
potential environmental significance of these contaminants;
Marina developments in coastal Western Australia, focused on the current and
future trends in marina developments, examining the process by which marinas
are evaluated in environmental and economic terms as well as evaluating the
planning process which considers these proposals and the potential impact of
future expansion of marinas in Western Australia; and
Other topics related to marine and coastal planning and management, indigenous
environmental management, community participation in management, pollution
management.
Project:
Microbialte Ecohydrology and Sedimentology
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Hydrogeology, Geology, Geography, Environmental Science
Description:
South West Western Australia contains a large number of microbialte bearing
wetlands which are under threat from climate change, anthropogenic water use
and landuse change. Microbialites (stromatolites, thrombolites and tufas) are all
formed by the presence of microbial communities which form CaCO3 deposits.
Multiple project opportunities exist at multiple sites to assess microbialite
formation, microbialite sedimentology, microbialite evotuion, wetland surface and
groundwater interaction, links between microbial assemblage and water quality to
contribute towards developing environmental water requirements.
Ryan Vogwill ryan.vogwill@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2680
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Project:
South West Western Australia Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology
For majors
including:
Supervisor:
Hydrogeology, Geography, Environmental Science
Description:
South West Western Australia is an area of high population, critical groundwater
resources and amazing biodiversity with landuse change, climate change and
water resource utilization all threatening sustainability. Consequentially the area
has been recognized by WWF as a global biodiversity hotspot. Assessment of
available groundwater resources, environmental impacts and links between the
two is urgently needed at multiple sites. Multiple project opportunities exist to
partner with the Department of Water or the Department of Parks and Wildlife to
work across these critical issues.
Project:
Measuring the influence of the childcare indoor and outdoor
environment on early health behaviour
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Ryan Vogwill ryan.vogwill@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2680
Hayley Christian, hayley.christian@uwa.edu.au, 6488 8501
Description:
The child care setting is where young children spend a considerable portion of
their time and is an important setting in which children should have the
opportunity to accumulate physical activity and other forms of unstructured
physical play. This research examines the influence of the physical and spatial
environment on young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour while
attending childcare. Spatial measures of the size, attributes and greenness of the
outdoor childcare space as well as physical environment surrounding the childcare
centre will be developed. This project will provide information on how best to
create a healthy childcare environment.
Project:
The Built Environment and Child Health and Development
For majors
including:
Geography, GIS, Remote Sensing, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental
Management
Supervisor:
Bryan Boruff, bryan.boruff@uwa.edu.au, 6488 2700
Hayley Christian, hayley.christian@uwa.edu.au, 6488 8501
Description:
Built environments that support healthy child development could have a large
impact on the health of children over their lifetime and are especially critical for
the overall health and wellbeing of the community. The built environment
incorporates land use patterns, transportation systems, building design and social
infrastructure including public open space, and creates conditions that are optimal
(or detrimental) for child health and development. This research will involve
developing spatial measures of the built environment that are important for child
health and development within different settings (i.e., home environment, local
neighbourhood, childcare facilities).
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