Karen Vella

Professor Karen Vella is an expert in environmental planning and governance in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at QUT. Her research uses novel frameworks and mixed methods that bring practical and theoretical perspectives together and build evidence bases about governance health. This understanding is used by governments, rights holders and stakeholders at multiple levels to improve decision-making systems to enable outcomes such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Focus areas for research includes the evaluation of planning and governance health in cities, for natural resources, climate adaptation and disaster recovery and for large scale environmental restoration.