Dr Awais Piracha
Dr Awais Piracha
Senior Lecturer, Geography and Urban Studies
- Biography
- Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
- Grants / Current Projects
- Awards and Recognition
- Selected Publications
- Memberships and Engagement
Biography
Dr Awais Piracha is a prominent Sydney-based researcher of sustainable urban and regional development and the use of spatial analysis/techniques in land use and transport planning. He has been working at UWS as a researcher and course coordinator for urban planning since February 2003. His international reputation follows his work with the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Bangkok and University of Dortmund Germany. At UWS, Awais has been conducting research on the NSW planning reforms and their implications for planning education, natural and built environment and society at large. He is currently developing that research into an ARC grant application, and has assembled an eminent research team to that end. His work on transport policy and planning reveals the gaps between policy rhetoric and action, especially in regard to environmental sustainability. In his work for the Irrigation Futures CRC project he analysed change in land use over time and helped in preparing related inputs for hydrological and economic modelling. Dr Piracha has a valued depth of experience in the use of GIS and modelling tools for environmental planning, and is thus highly sought after for collaborative projects in Australia and throughout the world.
Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
Spatial Analysis and Modelling in Urban Planning
Sustainable Transport Planning
Planning Policy and Planning Reforms
Grants / Current Projects
Collaborative Community Transport Study (with Transition Epping) for improvements in Public Transport in Epping Area (2011)
Liveable Cities in a Rapidly Urbanizing World: A study conducted for Philips Centre of Health and Well-being Singapore (2010)
Collaborative City Liveability Study (with Penrith City Council) using Gehl Methodology: Pedestrian and Bike Counts and Stationary Activity Survey Penrith (2009-10)
CRC Irrigation Futures: analysis of change in land use over time and preparation of inputs for hydrological and economic modelling (2007-08)
Awards and Recognition
International Award for Excellence in the area of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses by The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses (May 2011)
Fellowship from Harvard University to attend The Third International Research Symposium in Management of Intelligent Cities (July 2009)
Selection by Australia and New Zealand Association of Planning School to be on the Editorial Board of the 4th and 5th editions of the Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning (2008-09 and 2011-12)
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Piracha A, (2010) The NSW (Australia) Planning Reforms and their Implications for Planning Education and Natural and Built Environment, (opens in a new window) Local Economy, vol 25, no. 3, pp 240-250
Shahid Z, Piracha A, (2010) Climate Change Impacts in Pakistan: Awareness and Adaptation, The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, vol 2, no. 1, pp 119-130
Stevenson D, Dunn K, Possamai A, Piracha A, (2010) Religious Belief across 'Post-secular' Sydney: the multiple trends in (de)secularisation, (opens in a new window) Australian Geographer, vol 41, no. 3, pp 323-350
Book Chapters
Choe S, Marchtullio P, Piracha A, (2007) Approaches to Cultural Indicators in Urban Crisis: Culture and the Sustainability of Cities, (opens in a new window) M. Nadaraja and Ann Tomoko Yamamoto, Tokyo, pp 193-213
Rana R, Piracha A, (2007) Cultural Frameworks in Urban Crisis: Culture and the Sustainability of Cities, (opens in a new window) M. Nadaraja and Ann Tomoko Yamamoto, Tokyo, pp 13-50
Adeel Z, Piracha A, (2004) Critical Links Between Environment and Development in South Asia in South Asia in the World: Problem Solving Perspectives on Security, Sustainable Development, and Good Governance, (opens in a new window) Ramesh Thakur and Addny Wiggen, Hong Kong, pp 205-224
Piracha A, Morishita H, (2003) Regional Rural Development in Punjab Province: and Environment-Based Approach for Guiding Decisions on Industrial Location in Human Settlement Development, (opens in a new window) Saskia Sassen, Oxford, UK, pp 1111-2222
Conference Papers
Pelleri D, Piracha A, 2010, Urban Design and Walkability in North-West Sydney, First International Conference on Sustainable Urbanization, (opens in a new window) pp 1612-1621
Piracha A, Ma R, 2010, Climate change mitigation and adaptation at local governments in NSW, Third Knowledge Cities World Summit, (opens in a new window) pp 656-674
Piracha A, Majeed Z, 2010, Water Use in Pakistan's Agricultural Sector: Water Conservation under the Changed Climatic Conditions, (opens in a new window) 4th International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments, (opens in a new window) pp 413-422
Piracha A, 2009, Community wishes vs. developers' wants: ePlanning as an instrument of the neo-liberal planning reforms in NSW Australia, Computers in Urban Planning and Urban Management, pp 1-12
Khan S, Piracha A, 2009, What drives technological innovation in planning systems: Simplified development control or enhanced community engagement, The State of Australian Cities: City Growth, Sustainability, Vitality and Vulnerability, (opens in a new window) pp 1-18
Dunn K, Maginn P, Mcguirk P, Buxton M, Piracha A, Phibbs P, Pelleri D, 2009, What do publics want from the planning system, State of Australian Cities: City Growth, Sustainability, Vitality and Vulnerability, (opens in a new window) pp 1-44
Piracha A, 2009, Sustainable transport: Bridging the gap between policy rhetoric and action, State of Australian Cities: City Growth, Sustainability, Vitality and Vulnerability, pp 1-16
Piracha A, 2008, Geoinformatics for Guiding Industrial Locations In Punjab Pakistan, (opens in a new window) 2nd International Conference on Advances in Space Technologies, pp 105-111
Piracha A, 2008, The NSW Planning Reforms and their Implications for Planning Education and Natural and Built Environment, ANZAPS Conference 2008: Planning Education in Globalized World, pp 173-188
Memberships and Engagement
Member, International Society of City and Regional Planners (opens in a new window)
Member, Institution of Engineers Australia (Environmental College) (opens in a new window)
Corporate Member and Certified Practicing Planner, Planning Institute of Australia (opens in a new window)
