Julie Lawson

Dr Julie Lawson is Adjunct Professor with RMIT AHURI Research Centre and Centre for Urban Research.
Julie is the lead author of the United Nations #Housing2030 report and has a long term interest in housing issues and their resolution in many different countries through her research of housing systems, explanations for their development pathways and policy alternatives. She is co-editor of the journal Housing Theory and Society and has published on international developments in urban development, affordable and social housing, housing finance, performance and management of systems of housing provision in Europe, Australasia, North America and Asia, via various mediums including leading academic journals, peer reviewed scientific reports, as well as radio documentaries and podcasts. She has a long time association with RMIT's Centre for Urban Research and collaborated with institutes and universities (AHURI, RMIT, UNSW, University of Sydney, TU Delft, Institute of Housing Studies, Erasmus and University of Amsterdam), the United Nations (UN Habitat, UN ECE), as well as Housing Europe, Australian governments, the Norwegian Housing Bank and many city governments and community organizations.

She obtained her PhD in urban planning (University of Amsterdam), post graduate studies in Public Policy (Melbourne) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science (RMIT) while playing an active role in housing policy reform. Julie is currently living in the Netherlands (due to diplomatic posting) and collaborates with colleagues across the AHURI and European research network and with international agencies.

The main themes of her research concern:
• National housing and urban strategies
• Housing systems in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia
• Housing finance and affordable housing promotion
• Social housing management including performance management and regulation
• Social inclusion and environmental sustainability
• Comparative and evaluative research methods
• Historical research and long term case study research
• Theoretical and methodological developments in housing studies