Jon Kellett

Jon Kellett

School of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Jon is an urban planner who has worked in the UK and Australia. He is passionate about his role as both a teacher and researcher and is motivated by a desire to carry out research in areas that are relevant to improving the sustainability of cities. He believes that the best urban policy is informed by evidence and strives through his teaching and research to make a difference to the cities in which he lives and works.

As an urban planner I am interested in the way that cities develop and how they contribute to the quality of human life as well as how they impact on the environment. In this latter regard I have a long standing research interest in the energy demand of  cities and the variety of ways this demand  is met along with  the  environmental implications of particular energy policies. This interest led me to be interested in climate change and how cities, as major energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters, can mitigate their impacts by adopting energy efficiency measures and employing renewable technologies into their energy mix.  Following on from this aspect I became interested in how cities might adapt more generally to a changing climate. My second research interest concerns the mechanisms by which urban development occurs. Government investment in infrastructure, private sector investment in new property and  the interactions and synergies between these two major forces is a growing area of my research activity. A common theme that unites all of my research is its applicability to policy. I strive to ensure that my work is disseminated to a professional audience and to government and try to take every opportunity to use the outcomes of my research to inform policy making.

I am  a member of the Sustainable Built Environment Research Group and China-Australia Sustainable Research Unit.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2019 - ongoing Adjunct Professor University of Adelaide
    2014 - 2019 Professsor of Planning & Property University of Adelaide
    2005 - 2014 Associate Professor of Urban & Regional Planning University of South Australia
    1985 - 2005 Senior Lecturer in Urban & Regional Planning Sheffield Hallam University
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2018 Fellowship Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia Planning institute of Australia Australia -
    2014 Award Award for Excellence for Journal paper International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses - -
  • Language Competencies

    Language Competency
    French Can read, write, speak and understand spoken
    Spanish; Castilian Can read
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    1978 - 1982 Sheffield Hallam University United Kingdom PhD
    1976 - 1978 University of Liverpool United Kingdom Master of Civic Design
    1972 - 1975 University of Sheffield United Kingdom BA
  • Research Interests

2017                   Myer Foundation: Placemaking Sandbox  (Partners UniMelb, UTS, Curtin & UQ)

2016                   Urban Disruption: A Scenario Based Analysis for the Introduction of Driverless Vehicles  

2015                   Seawater Flooding Study Yorke Peninsula Council

2013                   Coastal Settlements Adaptation Study District Council of Mallala

2011-2012          Dept. Climate Change & Energy Efficiency: Coastal Adaptation Pathways Project.

2010-2011          NCCARF Learning from Regional  Climate Analogues

2010                   Renewable Energy Resource Assessment  for the City of Onkaparinga

2010                   Energy and Carbon Baseline Assessment for the City of Onkaparinga

2010-2011          NCCARF: LGA Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

2009                   Creating Active Communities: South Australian Heart Foundation

2009-2011          Premiers Science & Research Fund Human Dimensions TREND Project

2008-2011          ARC Linkage – Tools for the Assessment of Urban Sustainability    LP0883493

2007-2010          ARC Linkage –  Lifetime Affordable Housing  LP0776834

2006-2009           ARC Linkage – Carbon Neutral Communities LP 0775120

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2015 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Green Urbanism in Contemporary Cities: A Socio-technical Transition Analysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Martin Larbi
    2015 - 2023 Principal Supervisor A Study of Social Sustainability of High-Rise Living in Kolkata, India Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Saurav Mitra
    2015 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Understanding Brownfield Regeneration in Iran through the Lens of International Experience Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Armin Mehdipour
    2014 - 2017 Co-Supervisor To Flow, or to Fortify? Water, Development, and Urbanism in Building a Deltaic Metropolis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Fahmid Ahmed
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2006 - ongoing Member Planning Institute of Australia Australia

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External Profiles