Doctor Louise Crabtree

• Biography
• Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
• Grants / Current Projects
• Awards and Recognition
• Publications
• Engagement
• Contact Details

Biography

Dr Crabtree was awarded her PhD in Human Geography from Macquarie University in 2007 and has been Research Program Coordinator with the Urban Research Centre since 2007. Her research focuses on the social, ecological and economic sustainability of community-driven housing developments in urban Australia; on the uptake of housing innovation in practice and policy; and, on the interfaces between sustainability, property rights, institutional design and democracy. She is interested in the translation of the community land trust model of land stewardship from the US and UK into an Australian context, and in challenges encountered in scaling up or replicating innovation in housing design and delivery.

In addition to her research, her role in the Urban Research Centre focuses on the identification, development and coordination of research opportunities, areas, activities and partnerships of relevance to the Centre and to the Sydney greater metropolitan area.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Urban studies, Sustainability, Human geography, Housing, Community land trusts

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Grants / Current Projects

2008-09 'Housing affordability, adaptive comanagement and resilience: an audit of innovative housing in Australia'. Univeristy of Western Sydney Research Seed Grant Scheme.

2008 'Shared equity housing: contemporary models of land stewardship in the USA'. Urban Research Centre seed grant.

2000-2005 'Messy humans, dirty economies and leaky houses: citizenship, sustainability and housing'. Australian Postgraduate Award.

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Awards and Recognition

2009 Housing Minister's Award for Early Career Researchers

2005 IAG award for an Outstanding Postgraduate Presentation

2000 Jim Rose Prize for Honours in Human Geography, Macquarie University

1996 Global Environment Prize, Macquarie University

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Publications

Book chapters

Crabtree L (2009) 'Sub/urban dream(ing): land speculation and the quarter acre block', in de Souza K and Begg Z (eds) There Goes the Neighbourhood: Redfern and the Politics of Urban Space. Sydney: You Are Here, 102-105.

Journal articles

Crabtree L and Hes D (2009) 'Sustainability uptake in housing in metropolitan Australia: an institutional problem, not a technological one', Housing Studies, 24(2), 203-224.

Crabtree L (2008) 'The role of tenure, work and cooperativism in sustainable urban livelihoods', Acme, 7(2), 260-282.

Crabtree L (2006) 'Sustainability begins at home? An ecological exploration of sub/urban Australian community-focussed housing initiatives', Geoforum, 37(4), 519-535.

Crabtree L (2006) 'Disintegrated houses: exploring ecofeminist housing and urban design options', Antipode, 38(4), 711-734.

Crabtree L (2005) 'Sustainable Housing Development in Urban Australia: exploring obstacles to and opportunities for ecocity efforts', Australian Geographer, 36(3), 333-350.

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Professional activities

Dr Crabtree has acted as a reviewer for Housing Studies, Australian Geographer, Geoforum, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment and Environment Design Guide.

Dr Crabtree was a member of the Board of Directors, Association to Resource Cooperative Housing, 2007-09.

Dr Crabtree developed and maintained a website to disseminate her research throughout her PhD. This is archived at http://www.thirdangel.com/sustainability.

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