I am Head of School of the Built Environment and  Professor of International Land Policy and Urban Development at Oxford Brookes University. 

I am an urbanist with a particular research interest on the interface of economic globalisation and urban development, low income and affordable housing policy, urban social sustainability, and impact of land and property markets on urban development and urban equity.

I have a strong track record of international comparative urban research managing a number of international projects either as principal or co-investigator. These include projects funded by the European Union, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, University of Oxford, the British Council, Inter-American Development Bank, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), International Labour Office, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Government of Iran and the Government of Sharjah. As part of these activities I have undertaken research in many locations around the world including the UK, Central/Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India, Brazil, China and Asia Pacific and Southern Africa.  

I have been a consultant on the Urban Upgrading and Housing Reform Programme (UUHRP) in Iran advising on the City Development Strategies (CDS) component of the work for the then Ministry of Housing. 

I am the founding and managing editor of the International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development and sit on the steering group for the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign and Global Network for Sustainable Housing.