Associate Professor Laurence Troy
People_

Associate Professor Laurence Troy

Senior Lecturer in Urbanism
Co-Program Director Bachelor of Architecture &
Environments
Director USyd AHURI Research Centre
Phone
02 8627 9581
Address
G04 - Wilkinson Building
The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Laurence Troy

Laurence Troy is a Senior Lecturer in Urbanism in the School of Architecture Design and Planning. His research focuses on urban renewal, the governance or urban change, the economies of housing and urban development, and the role of urbanisation in shaping modern society. Laurence’s recent work focusses on:

  • The political economy of the higher density multi-unit residential development sector in Australia’s largest city and their relationship to the land use planning system that facilitates this process via value uplift.
  • Funding models for social affordable housing and cost implications of different policy options for new housing delivery.
  • Understanding housing outcomes of deregulated and incremental approaches to affordable housing delivery in Sydney.
  • Implications of labour market changes and housing outcomes on the shape of modern Australian society.

Prior to joining the University of Sydney, Laurence was a research fellow and lecturer in at City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, where he worked on a range of housing, urban renewal and urban governance research. He was lead author on a project title ‘Renewing the Compact City’ which focused on urban renewal challenges of apartments under fragmented private ownership. This work was award both the NSW (2016) and National (2017) Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Award for Planning Excellence in Research and Teaching. While at UNSW, Laurence also developed CityViz, an online data visualisation platform the aims to provide a space to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches to research in an open and accessible format.

  • 2017 – PIA National Award for Planning Excellence – Cutting Edge Research and Teaching
  • 2016 – PIA NSW Award for Planning Excellence – Cutting Edge Research and Teaching
Urban and Regional Planning and Policy

Publications

Book Chapters

  • Troy, L. (2024). Housing, income, and precarity: The Australian suburban settlement in an age of uncertainty. Australian Urban Policy: Prospects and Pathways, (pp. 329-348). Australia: ANU Press.
  • Pettit, C., Ticzon, C., Reades, J., Wentz, E., Ong, P., Martin, C., Troy, L., Crommelin, L. (2019). How Disruptive Technology is impacting the housing and property markets - an examination of Airbnb. In Richard Reed, Chris Pettit (Eds.), Real Estate and GIS: The Application of Mapping Technologies, (pp. 36-64). Abingdon: Routledge. [More Information]
  • Crommelin, L., Troy, L., Easthope, H., Randolph, B. (2018). Everybody needs good neighbours, especially in strata. In Glen Searle (Eds.), Compulsory Property Acquisition for Urban Densification, (pp. 148-165). London: Routledge. [More Information]

Journals

  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Pinnegar, S. (2024). Value switching: Extracting profit from the city. Environment and Planning F: Philosophy, Theory, Models, Methods and Practice, online. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., van den Nouwelant, R. (2023). Accessory Dwelling Units and Incremental Urbanism: Becoming 'Urban' or just 'Intensive Suburban'? Built Environment, 49(1), 39-57.
  • Ma, X., Rogers, D., Troy, L. (2023). Chinese property developers after the decline in foreign real estate investment in Sydney, Australia. Housing Studies. [More Information]

Conferences

  • Crommelin, L., Troy, L., Easthope, H. (2017). Inequitable density: the place of lower-income and disadvantaged residents in the compact city. State of Australian Cities (SOAC), Adelaide: SOAC 2017. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Martin, C. (2017). Rental Vulnerability: a new methodology for measuring and mapping disadvantage in rental housing. State of Australian Cities (SOAC), Adelaide: SOAC 2017. [More Information]
  • Randolph, B., Troy, L., Easthope, H., Pinnegar, S. (2015). Generating Generation Rent. 2015 State of Australian Cities National Conference (SOAC 2015), Gold Coast: Australian Cities Research Network (ACRN).

Magazine / Newspaper Articles

  • Easthope, H., Crommelin, L., Troy, L., Nethercote, M. (2020). Quality of life in high-density apartments varies. Here are 6 ways to improve it. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Lawson, J., Dodson, J., Flanagan, K., Jacobs, K., Troy, L., Van den Nouwelant, R. (2019). Australia's social housing policy needs stronger leadership and an investment overhaul. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Van den Nouwelant, R. (2019). Build social and affordable housing to get us off the boom-and-bust roller coaster. The Conversation. [More Information]

Research Reports

  • van den Nouwelant, R., Troy, L., Soundararaj, B. (2023). Quantifying Australia's unmet housing need: a national snapshot., Australia: Community Housing Industry Association.
  • van den Nouwelant, R., Troy, L., Soundararaj, B. (2023). Quantifying Australia's unmet housing need: a regional snapshot, Australia: Community Housing Industry Association.
  • Troy, L., van den Nouwelant, R., Randolph, B. (2020). Secondary Dwellings in Central and Southern Sydney, (pp. 1 - 48). Sydney, Australia, Australia: City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

2024

  • Troy, L. (2024). Housing, income, and precarity: The Australian suburban settlement in an age of uncertainty. Australian Urban Policy: Prospects and Pathways, (pp. 329-348). Australia: ANU Press.
  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Pinnegar, S. (2024). Value switching: Extracting profit from the city. Environment and Planning F: Philosophy, Theory, Models, Methods and Practice, online. [More Information]

2023

  • Troy, L., van den Nouwelant, R. (2023). Accessory Dwelling Units and Incremental Urbanism: Becoming 'Urban' or just 'Intensive Suburban'? Built Environment, 49(1), 39-57.
  • Ma, X., Rogers, D., Troy, L. (2023). Chinese property developers after the decline in foreign real estate investment in Sydney, Australia. Housing Studies. [More Information]
  • Whelan, S., Pawson, H., Troy, L., Ong, R., Lawson, J. (2023). Financing first home ownership: opportunities and challenges. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Final Report, (408). [More Information]

2022

  • Easthope, H., Crommelin, L., Kerr, S., Troy, L., Van den Nouwelant, R., Davison, G. (2022). Planning for Lower-Income Households in Privately Developed High-Density Neighbourhoods in Sydney, Australia. Urban Planning, 7(4). [More Information]
  • Lawson, J., Troy, L., van den Nouwelant, R. (2022). Social housing as infrastructure and the role of mission driven financing. Housing Studies. [More Information]
  • Crommelin, L., Denham, T., Troy, L., Harrison, J., Gilbert, H., Duhr, S., Pinnegar, S. (2022). Understanding the lived experience and benefits of regional cities. Final Report Series of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), 377. [More Information]

2021

  • Crommelin, L., Parkinson, S., Martin, C., Troy, L. (2021). Airbnb and Amenity: Is Short-Term Letting Reshaping How We Live in the City? Critical Housing Analysis, 8(1), 119-128.
  • Konings, M., Adkins, L., Bryant, G., Maalsen, S., Troy, L. (2021). Lock-in and lock-out: Covid-19 and the dynamics of the asset economy. Journal of Australian Political Economy, 2021 (87), 20-47.

2020

  • Easthope, H., Crommelin, L., Troy, L., Randolph, B. (2020). A new pathway to displacement? The implications of less-than-unanimous strata renewal laws for vulnerable residents. Australian Planner, 56(4), 261-269. [More Information]
  • Pinnegar, S., Randolph, B., Troy, L. (2020). Decoupling Growth from Growth-dependent Planning Paradigms: Contesting Prevailing Urban Renewal Futures in Sydney, Australia. Urban Policy and Research, 38(4), 321-337. [More Information]
  • Easthope, H., Crommelin, L., Troy, L., Davison, G., Nethercote, M., Foster, S., Kleeman, A., van den Nouwelant, R., Randolph, B., Horne, R. (2020). Improving outcomes for apartment residents and neighbourhoods. Final Report Series of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), Final Report No. 329, 1-137. [More Information]

2019

  • Lawson, J., Dodson, J., Flanagan, K., Jacobs, K., Troy, L., Van den Nouwelant, R. (2019). Australia's social housing policy needs stronger leadership and an investment overhaul. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Van den Nouwelant, R. (2019). Build social and affordable housing to get us off the boom-and-bust roller coaster. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Van den Nouwelant, R., Randolph, B. (2019). Estimating need and costs of social and affordable housing delivery, March 2019, (pp. 1 - 18). Sydney, Australia: City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales. [More Information]

2018

  • Leao, S., Troy, L., Lieske, S., Randolph, B., Pettit, C. (2018). A GIS based planning support system for assessing financial feasibility of urban redevelopment. GeoJournal, 83(6), 1373-1392. [More Information]
  • Crommelin, L., Martin, C., Troy, L. (2018). Airbnb regulation needs to distinguish between sharing and plain old commercial letting. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Lawson, J., Pawson, H., Troy, L., Van den Nouwelant, R. (2018). Australia needs to triple its social housing by 2036. This is the best way to do it. The Conversation. [More Information]

2017

  • Troy, L., Easthope, H., Randolph, B., Pinnegar, S. (2017). 'It depends what you mean by the term rights': strata termination and housing rights. Housing Studies, 32(1), 1-16. [More Information]
  • Crommelin, L., Bunker, R., Troy, L., Randolph, B., Easthope, H., Pinnegar, S. (2017). As compact city planning rolls on, a look back: lessons from Sydney and Perth. Australian Planner, 54(2), 115-125. [More Information]
  • Easthope, H., Troy, L., Crommelin, L. (2017). Equitable Density: The place for lower-income and disadvantaged households in a dense city: Report 1 The Building Scale, Shelter Brief 61, (pp. 3 - 13). Sydney, Australia: City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

2016

  • Troy, L. (2016). Making nature and money in the East Perth redevelopment. In Nicole Cook, Aidan Davison and Louise Crabtree (Eds.), Housing and Home Unbound: Intersections in economics, environment and politics in Australia, (pp. 116-133). Abingdon: Routledge. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Rogers, D., Power, E., Pawson, H., Iveson, K., Crabtree, L., Darcy, M., Phibbs, P. (2016). Sydney needs higher affordable housing targets. The Conversation. [More Information]
  • Bunker, R., Troy, L. (2016). The changing political economy of the compact city and higher density urban renewal in Perth, 20 April 2016, (pp. 5 - 33). Sydney, Australia: City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

2015

  • Randolph, B., Troy, L., Easthope, H., Pinnegar, S. (2015). Generating Generation Rent. 2015 State of Australian Cities National Conference (SOAC 2015), Gold Coast: Australian Cities Research Network (ACRN).
  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Easthope, H., Pinnegar, S. (2015). Planning the end of the Compact City. 2015 State of Australian Cities National Conference (SOAC 2015), Gold Coast: Australian Cities Research Network (ACRN). [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Randolph, B., Crommelin, L., Easthope, H., Pinnegar, S. (2015). Renewing the Compact City: Economically viable and socially sustainable approaches to urban redevelopment - Final Report, November 2015, (pp. v - 116). Sydney, Australia: City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

2014

  • Troy, L. (2014). (Re)Producing nature in pyrmont and ultimo. Geographical Research, 52(4), 387-399. [More Information]
  • Troy, L., Iveson, K. (2014). Featured graphic. A community-led critique of accessibility of Sydney's public transportation network. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 46(10), 2273-2275. [More Information]

2012

  • Troy, L. (2012). 2012 review of Alexander, I., Greive, S. & Hedgcock, D., 2010 Planning Perspectives from Western Australia: a reader in theory and practice, Fremantle Press. Australian Geographer, 33(1), 102-104.
  • Pritchard, W., Neave, M., Hickey, D., Troy, L. (2012). Rural Land in Australia: A framework for the measurement and analysis of nationwide patterns of ownership change, aggregation and fragmentation, 12/038, (pp. i - 138). Canberra, Australia: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
  • Pritchard, W., Neave, M., Hickey, D., Troy, L. (2012). Rural Land in New South Wales: Spacial Patterns of Ownership Change: Aggregation and Fragmentation, 12/128, (pp. i - 373). Canberra, Australia: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

2008

  • Davies, A., Tonts, M., Troy, L., Pelusey, H. (2008). Australia's Rural Workforce: An analysis of labour shortages in rural Australia, Australia: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

Selected Grants

2024

  • Rental vulnerability in Australia, Troy L, Martin C, Maalsen S, Buckle C, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Linkage Projects (LP)
  • Mapping the Frontiers of Private Property in Australia, Leach A, Rogers D, Troy L, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
  • Australias multi-provider social housing systems, Lawson J, Troy L, Werner G, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Ltd (AHURI)/National Housing Research Program - Research Projects
  • Short term rental accommodation: models, impacts and policy responses, Gurran N, Troy L, Phibbs P, Shrestha P, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Ltd (AHURI)/National Housing Research Program - Research Projects

2022

  • NSW Rental Vulnerability Index, Troy L, Tenants’ Union of NSW/Client Commissioned Research
  • Social and affordable housing: needs, costs and subsidy gaps by region, Troy L, Community Housing Industry Association Limited (CHIA)/Client Commissioned Research
  • The Value of Housing, Rogers D, Morton A, Troy L, Blatman N, Altun S, The Henry Halloran Trust/Research Seminar and Publication Scheme

In the media