Congratulations to the planning team! In awarding this fund (nearly $50,000), the Faculty noted that our application clearly showed UQ|UP’s commitment to high-quality teaching during the difficult and unexpected circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. While we were more than willing to take on additional duties to achieve this, this had an impact on our research. This funding has enabled us to return to our excellent research trajectory. We are using this grant to study the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on Brisbane. We are focusing on five aspects of planning, based on the areas of expertise of each UQ|UP member:

1. Sustainable Transport: Will fear of infection in public transport vehicles lead more people to embrace automobility? Or will more people take up individual micromobility? How will this impact vulnerable communities with restricted access to cars / electric vehicles? What policies should be adopted to ensure fairness?
2. Community Solidarity: What forms of solidarity have developed within communities to respond to the economic hardship produced by the pandemic? Are there differences based on socio-economic levels? What are the conditions promoting or discouraging solidarity within local communities? How have local Indigenous communities fared in the pandemic?
3. Cultural Production: What policies and/or government initiatives are needed to support the struggling music/art industry in Brisbane? Is there funding available for musicians/artists experiencing economic hardship due to the downturn and the closure of music venues?
4. Housing Affordability: What housing challenges have vulnerable communities (e.g., tenants, the poor, single parents, the unemployed) experienced during and after the pandemic? How can Brisbane provide more affordable and inclusive housing after the pandemic?
5. Planning Practice: What role can local planning play in advancing the ‘just city’ concept in the post-pandemic period? What opportunities and challenges exist within current professional settings? What role can university research play in growing industry’s commitment to principles of fairness and equity in urban planning?

The research will provide a comprehensive picture of the knock-on effects of the pandemic in Queensland’s capital. The research findings will be published in a Special Issue of Australian Planner, Australia’s leading peer reviewed journal for the planning profession. Published in association with the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), this the most read and influential planning journal in Australia and the Pacific Region (IF: 1.2, CiteScore: 1.8).