Alan March
Professor, Urban Planning
The University of Melbourne
Contact
Research on urban planning and related mechanisms to do with planned relocation and retreat. I have investigated sea-level rise, environmental impacts and bushfire.
Design and planning
Research
Amy Fransen
Policy Officer - Planned Retreat
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
Contact
Developing policy guidance and tools for the planned retreat or property and assets impacted by coastal hazards and sea level rise in Victoria.
Policy
State government
Victoria
Ang Li
Senior Research Fellow
The University of Melbourne
Contact
My research is focused on the intersection between housing, climate change/disasters, and health and social wellbeing.
Research
Anna Kelderman
Director
Shape Urban
Contact
We deliver coastal hazard community engagement, planning and engagement across WA and nearby areas. We have experience with complex discussions on planned and managed retreat in several locations, as well as deep engagement on adaptation options assessment with communities.
Communication
Community engagement
Consulting
Design and planning
Facilitation
Western Australia
Annah Piggott-McKellar
COPRRRA Co-founder and co-convener, and Senior Research Fellow
Queensland University of Technology
Contact
I am co-founder and co-convener of COPRRRA, and a researcher specialising in climate change-related planned relocation, with a particular focus on how people, communities and governments navigate decisions to stay or relocate in the face of increasing climate and disaster risks. My research explores the social, cultural and governance dimensions of relocation, as well as the long-term outcomes for communities following relocation. I have worked across a range of contexts, including projects across Australia, Fiji, the Maldives and Alaska.
Advocacy
Australia
Global
Pacific
Policy
Research
Anne Leitch
Senior Policy & Communications Officer
Griffith University, NCCARF, Climate Action Beacon
Contact
Long term and diverse interests. I have written on early planned retreat policy by Byron Shire Council. I am now writing a section for the CoastAdapt (national coastal adaptation knowledge platform) on planned relocation and retreat. I live in the Northern Rivers region where planned relocation is occurring. I am on an advisory panel for a project on timber houses for buy-back in the NR region.
Australia
Community engagement
New South Wales
Research
Becca Dakini
First Peoples Climate Justice Lead
Oxfam Australia
Contact
Engaging with this as working with First Nations communities impacted by climate change, campaigning for climate justice including the issues of adaptation & migration - eg Torres Strait Islands.
Advocacy
Australia
Communication
Community engagement
NGO
Policy
Research
Ben Hague
Research Scientist
Bureau of Meteorology
Contact
I develop actionable coastal hazard insights to support adaptation decisions and identify when planned relocation or retreat may be needed. I also co-chair the National Partnership for Climate Projections User Needs Working Group and serve on the Practitioners for Effective Response to Sea Level Rise (PEERS) Oceania Steering Committee.
Australia
Research
Cameron Davies
Practice Partner
Deicke Richards
Contact
Cameron Davies is an architect and urban designer with over 30 years' experience in community-centred design and post-disaster recovery. His leadership of the Grantham Master Plan following the 2011 Queensland floods exemplifies his commitment to place-based, resilient, community-led rebuilding. Cameron brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement and dignified approaches to complex urban transitions. Most recently he has worked on the reconstruction of Lismore following the devastating 2022 flood.
Architecture
Australia
Community engagement
Design and planning
Carmen Elrick-Barr
Senior Research Fellow
University of the Sunshine Coast
Contact
Governance of climate risks including managed retreat/relocation in the context of climate adaptation and disaster response.
Australia
Community engagement
New South Wales
Pacific
Policy
Queensland
Research
Western Australia
Carolyn Lambert
PhD Researcher
Queensland University of Technology
Contact
My research explores pre-emptive relocation planning, decision-making, policy and governance and what impact it has on communities at risk in Australia.
Australia
Indian Ocean Territories
Research
Victoria
Cass Philippou
Program Manager, Coastal Monitoring
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
Contact
I project managed Victoria's first regional coastal adaptation and resilience plan which included multiple locations with retreat pathways in the future. I continue to work in the Coastal Adaptation and Planning team, and with the marine and coastal policy group on relocation and retreat planning.
Policy
Research
State government
Victoria
Chris Mene
Director
Mene Solutions Ltd
Contact
Provision of advice and support for designing, planning, facilitating and reporting on planned relocation and retreat engagement processes.
Community engagement
Consulting
Facilitation
Emma Hodson
Consultant / Coastal Team Leader Victoria
Alluvium Consulting
Contact
I support governments and communities to plan and deliver managed retreat, integrating long‑term coastal adaptation, strategic planning, and policy development. My work has spanned the QCoast2100 and Victoria’s Resilient Coast frameworks and includes recent engagement and facilitation for DEECA to develop coastal planned retreat policy.
Communication
Community engagement
Consulting
Design and planning
Policy
Fiona Chandler
Principal Consultant
Alluvium Consulting
Supporting primarily government clients integrate across disciplines, manage risks, and participatory-based decision making.
Community engagement
Design and planning
Fiona Miller
Associate Professor, Geography and Planning
Macquarie University
Contact
I undertake research on the social equity dimensions of environmental change with a focus on vulnerability to extreme events, adaptation to climate change and society-water relations. My research on relocation has focused on major flood and coastal resettlement schemes in Vietnam. More recently I have been undertaking research on floods and displacement in NSW.
Australia
Research
Genevieve Quinn
Social Impact Lead
Deicke Richards
Genevieve Quinn is an architect and is the Deicke Richards Social Impact Lead. She has a decade of experience in socially responsive design, and five years of experience in contributing to disaster resilience. Her work on the Lismore Resilient Lands Program alongside Cameron Davies reflects her commitment to community-led recovery. Genevieve brings deep expertise in inclusive engagement, social and affordable housing for vulnerable communities, and design grounded in equity and care.
Architecture
Community engagement
Design and planning
Greg Bloom
Lead Facilitator
Climate Resilient Insurance Strategy Project
Contact
Designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues about the role of insurance in climate adaptation – based in the US, working anywhere!
Advocacy
Communication
Community engagement
Facilitation
Global
Issa Bungara
Consultant
Emergency Management Professional
Contact
My work plan would focus on research, community engagement, and policy development. My work's aim is to examine existing frameworks, conduct research, and identify progress and gaps to leverage on in line with community best practices.
Community engagement
Policy
Research
James Gall
Director
Jim Gall Architects
Contact
I have completed a number of urban/architectural design projects including for competitions (Brisbane, Gold Coast). This includes climate change adaptation for Apia in Samoa and for Samoan Tourism Precincts (via the UNDP). I have looked at flood impact adaptation options for Brisbane working with a developer client.
Architecture
Australia
Design and planning
Pacific
Queensland
Jane McAdam
Professor & Director, Evacuations Research Hub
Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW
Contact
Legal issues concerning planned relocation, especially human rights protections; historical examples of cross-border relocations in the Pacific; relationship between planned relocations and other forms of mobility (displacement, evacuations, migration); safeguarding nationality and associated rights.
Australia
Global
Legal
Pacific
Policy
Research
Jess Van Son
COPRRRA Co-founder and co-convener
Queensland University of Technology
Contact
I am a humanitarian, having spent 12 years working on migration, displacement and climate change issues across Australia and the Asia Pacific. I previously led an international peer-learning and knowledge exchange network of migration practitioners, have expertise in policy and advocacy, and have conducted research on planned relocation in Australia and climate mobility across Oceania. I co-founded and co-convene COPRRRA.
Australia
Facilitation
NGO
Research
Victoria
John Richardson
Executive Director
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience
Contact
We focus on putting best available knowledge into hands of people working in DRR. Planned relocation is an critical measure to reduce disaster risk, and has application in mitigation and recovery. We provide guidance in both spaces.
Australia
Research
Julia Davis
Senior Policy & Communications Officer
Financial Rights Legal Centre
Contact
I am developing collaborative policy recommendations in the resilience and mitigation space, mostly aimed at creating affordable home insurance options for legacy housing and high-risk communities. Managed retreat is an important part of the puzzle as we reduce risk in our built environment.
Finance and insurance
Legal
Policy
Julie Brook
Principal
Meridian Urban
Contact
We assist policy implementers with policy design.
Australia
Consulting
Policy
Kieran Wong
Director
The Fulcrum Agency
Contact
The Fulcrum Agency currently is working for First Nations corporations in remote communities to assist with community master planning, design and advocacy.
Advocacy
Community engagement
Consulting
Design and planning
Liam Moore
Lecturer in International Politics and Policy
James Cook University
Contact
After starting examining planned relocation policy and practice in Fiji, my research has expanded to look at how relocations sit within a broader framework of climate (im)mobilities both within and between states in the wider Pacific region. Particularly interested in policy and practice surrounding relocation processes in the Torres Strait Islands and Australia's overseas territories.
Pacific
Research
Melodie Cartel
Senior Lecturer
UNSW Business School
Contact
My research team investigates the role of place attachment in shaping local councils' capacity to manage relocation processes safely and effectively. The diverse ways in which people experience, understand, and narrate place can significantly affect councils' capacity to co-develop and implement relocation strategies in partnership with residential communities.
New South Wales
Research
Mihir Joshi
Senior Manager
Engineers without borders
Contact
Mihir Joshi is a disaster resilience and recovery practitioner with over 20 years of experience across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. He specializes in recovery planning, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, infrastructure resilience, and community-led recovery, supporting governments and communities to rebuild livelihoods, strengthen governance, and enhance resilience.
Advocacy
Australia
Community engagement
Design and planning
Global
Monica Taylor
Lecturer
Queensland University of Technology
Researching the legal and justice implications of planned relocation and retreat within the broader context of fair and just climate adaptation.
Australia
Legal
Research
Naomi Hay
Lecturer in Design
Australian National University
Contact
I lead a transdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners on the research project Relocating Australian Communities at Risk: Strategies and Actions in Time. For project information please visit: https://relocatingausatrisk.com/. Collaborations are very welcome!
Australia
Community engagement
Design and planning
Research
Narelle Poole
Senior Consultant
Water Technology Pty Ltd
Contact
Our Consultancy offers a wide variety of services. I work in areas of disaster recovery, community engagement and emergency planning to ensure the safety and wellbeing of community members, ensuring their voices are heard.
Australia
Community engagement
Consulting
Design and planning
New Zealand
Paula Jarzabkowski
Professor
The University of Queensland
Contact
Research into policies that shape relocation and resilience measures and research into erosion of financial systems, such as insurance, in areas at risk.
Australia
Finance and insurance
Global
Research
Piet Filet
Founder and Convenor
Flood Community of Practice
Contact
Our network facilitates the sharing skills and expertise on all aspects of flood risk and water management. We promote and hold events on planned relocation and retreat.
Communication
Community engagement
Consulting
Rachelle Longstaff
Senior Strategic Planner-Natural Hazards and Resilience
Lismore City Council
Contact
My role focuses on shaping strategic planning and policy to reduce natural hazard risk and support resilient communities. I work to enable informed decision-making, streamline processes, and deliver practical pathways for relocation, recovery and long-term adaptation.
Communication
Community engagement
Local government
Policy
Rebecca Price
Principal Policy Officer
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
Contact
To deliver policy guidance and a suite of tools that l support the integration of ‘planned retreat’ into local coastal hazard adaptation planning.
Policy
State government
Victoria
Sanjula Weerasinghe
Senior Research and Policy Associate, Evacuations Research Hub
Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW
Contact
My experience includes drafting global guidance and practical tools on planned relocation and developing a global dataset and analysis of planned relocation cases worldwide. My current research examines the relationships between evacuations and planned relocation, generating evidence to inform policy and practice.
Advocacy
Global
Legal
Pacific
Policy
Research
Scotia Monkivitch
Executive Officer
Creative Recovery Network
Contact
We work at connecting and supporting culture and creativity across disaster preparedness and recovery, imperative for place making and defining identity, therefore resilience - in new and old home spaces, connecting culture when Country is not accessible, sharing and creating old and new stories of people and place.
Australia
Community engagement
Steven Liaros
Director
PolisPlan
Contact
Developing a mixed use urban form as alternative to Greenfield subdivisions for regional areas. The concept--referred to as Circular Economy Villages—integrates renewable energy, nature-based water systems, and regenerative agriculture with a built environment where a community can live, learn, work and play. This model includes the planning policy and financial strategy processes for delivering a pipeline of these village-scale projects. Can be used to relocate existing at-risk communities to a more resilient living environment.
Advocacy
Consulting
Design and planning
Policy
Research
Timothy Heffernan
Lecturer
Australian National University
Contact
I am an anthropologist who works with communities in Australia and the Nordic countries affected by disaster displacement and planned relocation. My interests include working with residents and other stakeholders to develop pathways for community-centred relocation models and also the role of social capital and interpersonal ties in building successful recovery outcomes.
Australia
New South Wales
Research
