edX Online
Instructor photo

Peter Newman

John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University

About me

Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University. He sat on the Board of Infrastructure Australia and is the Co-ordinating Lead Author for Transport on the IPCC. In 2014 Peter was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport, particularly related to the saving and rebuilding of Perth’s rail system. He has been recognised as the Scientist of the Year at the 2018 Western Australian Premier’s Science Awards. He has worked in local government as an elected councillor and in state government as an advisor to three Premiers. In 2001-03 Peter directed the production of Western Australia’s Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. In 2004-05 he was a Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney advising the government on planning and transport issues. A Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia Charlottesville he taught there 2006-08, Peter has also taught at University of Pennsylvania in the 1990’s and at National University of Singapore 2010-13. Professor Newman has written 20 books and over 350 papers, including ‘Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence’ (2017), ‘The End of Automobile Dependence: How Cities are Moving Beyond Car-Based Planning’ (2015), ‘Green Urbanism in Asia’ (2013), ‘Green Urbanism Down Under’ (2009) and & Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence & with Jeff Kenworthy which was launched at the White House in 1999. His book ‘Cities and Automobile Dependence’ (1989) with Jeff Kenworthy has been described as ‘one of the most influential planning books of all time’ by Reid Ewing Professor of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah.