Urban Futures

Urban Futures

How can humanity live prosperously, equitably and sustainably in cities?

With global society increasingly urbanised, human futures are urban futures. Ongoing transformation of our natural, physical and social world will be manifest in and be mediated through, urban economic, social and ecological processes. 

Understanding how urban humanity can become smarter, more equitable, more sustainable - regenerative even - while avoiding risks and harms of urban transformations and wider planetary irruptions is a critical challenge for researchers, industry, policy makers and communities in Australia and around the world. 

Jago Dodson

Our Vision

Professor Jago Dodson
Director, RMIT Urban Futures Platform

The vision of the Urban Futures EIP is to support, enable and mobilise RMIT University's world-leading capability in urban futures research to contribute to addressing the industry, government and civil society challenges facing urban humanity, through collaborations and partnerships at local, metropolitan, national and global scales.

Read about Jago's research

Working with stakeholders & partners

Working with stakeholders is core to research impact in this area. By working with outside partners - whether local governments or communities, businesses or international organisations - we build-in relevance from the start and learn with them as we go. 

The Urban Futures Platform provides a space for professionals from diverse industries and areas to come together and address shared problems. We place emphasis on understanding practitioners’ worlds and needs, co-designing research with them, and translating, applying and disseminating our findings in appropriate, impactful ways. We believe in the value of public dialogue and work hard to stimulate discussion and new thinking.

Policy change

The Platform has a particular appreciation for and expertise in the potentially transformative effects of policy change. We have strong relationships with policy makers in diverse areas and work with them to reimagine how cities and their numerous initiatives and systems can be planned, built and rebuilt, managed, governed, shared and enjoyed. We embrace the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a valuable guide for the ambitious, far-reaching, cross-sectoral changes needed and recognise the importance of simultaneously advancing Indigenous sovereignty in Australia. 

Key to the Platform is the ability to bring together the researchers from across RMIT and other institutions and to integrate their diverse expertise as needed into appropriate and innovative insights and solutions. It recognises that research is part of what needs to transform to achieve more regenerative outcomes.

The changes involved in this area of work are enormous but exciting. The Urban Futures Platform is committed to working with others to achieve the ambitious, practical transformations needed.

Creating impact

Read some examples of collaborative projects supported by the Urban Futures Platform and how it has supported RMIT researchers, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to solve issues.

Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design for more lively urban futures
Conserving nature in cities has benefits for human health and wellbeing, as well as for biodiversity.
Read full case study
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Case study | Planning liveable cities with the Australian Urban Observatory

The Australian Urban Observatory is a digital liveability planning tool developed for decision-makers and the community to measure and map the liveability of neighbourhoods in Australian cities and create more liveable places through planning.

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Researcher story | Dr Lucy Gunn

When a researcher is well-prepared, has situated herself in a supportive research environment and makes the right connections during industry events, a journal article can grow into an important partnership with the Victorian Department of Transport (VDOT).

Portrait of Chris de Gruyter

Researcher story | Dr Chris De Gruyter

Dr Chris De Gruyter thinks a great deal about the future of our cities and how new residential developments affects the transport system.

Research and innovation priorities

The Urban Futures Enabling Impact Platform supports RMIT researchers working across the university’s ‘smart and sustainable cities ‘priority area, in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and globally.

The Urban Futures platform’s supports impact by:

  • connecting researchers across diverse fields of urban knowledge and practice  
  • enabling a transformative culture of urban research
  • leading thinking for ambitious urban research collaborations
  • imagining new critical agendas on urgent urban challenges   
  • communicating RMIT’s urban expertise to diverse audiences

Concept papers and briefs

As part of its commitment to stimulating public discussion, policy change and practical solutions, the Urban Futures Platform has invested in the development of a suite of Concept Papers (outlining issues and ideas in accessible ways) and Policy Briefs (synthesising research findings from across projects into usable insights for policy makers) and Practice Briefs (the same, for practitioners to use in their work). 

Examples include: 

Aligned networks and centres

Want to find out more about the Urban Futures Platform?

Explore our Enabling Impact Platforms

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

More information
aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

More information