- Centre for Urban Infrastructures
- Eco-Cities
About me
Johan Woltjer (1968) is Professor of Urban Infrastructures at the University of Westminster, UK. He also is an Honorary Professor in urban and regional development at the University of Groningen and a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading. He was previously at the University of Groningen, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Twente, Netherlands. Professor Woltjer focuses his substantive work on understanding international urban and regional development (particularly Europe and Asia), resilient cities, urban geographies, and capacities for water and infrastructure management.
Professor Woltjer has held a wide range of international positions, in educational development (e.g. with universities in Indonesia, Germany, and China), for reviewing panels (e.g., Economic and Social Research Council UK, Swedish Research Council for Environment, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) and research networks (e.g., Urban Infrastructure Research Centre, Sustainable Society Institute, Coastal Governance and Resilience Group, International Planning Evaluation network). He is a board member for the Journal of Regional and City Planning and an editor for Cities, one of the leading journals in the global field of urban studies.
The impact of his research is visible through funded projects, books and articles appearing in high-impact journals, and the delivery of policy advice on issues like water and infrastructure for several institutions including a large variety of government agencies.
Teaching
Professor Woltjer is strongly committed to teaching and capacity building in his field. During his career he has been instrumental to the development of various international degree programs (including ‘MSc Environmental and Infrastructure Planning’, ‘MSc Development Planning and Infrastructure Management’, ‘MSc Water and Coastal Management’), featuring advanced collaboration with international partners in Indonesia, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Typical course modules have been focusing on urban geographies, infrastructure, water policies, comparative research and international planning, and policy evaluation. Prof Woltjer has been a winner of various teaching awards, and an enthusiastic supporter of international teaching.
Current modules: 'Sustainable Cities and Neighbourhoods', 'Planning in a Globalised World', 'Planning Theory and Practice 2'.
Research
Research work by Professor Woltjer focuses on regional governance, international development, water and urban planning. He contributes an international and internationally comparative view to urban planning and infrastructure development, particularly focusing on Europe and Asia. The impact of his work is visible through papers and articles on urban governance, regional development, infrastructure development, water management, policy evaluation, and capacity building, appearing in high-impact journals. Recent books are ‘Place-Based Evaluation for Infrastructure and Spatial Projects (Ashgate)’, and ‘Evaluation for Participation and Sustainability in Planning’ (Routledge).
Recent Grants and Projects:
- Sustainable urban infrastructure and wellbeing in the UK and China (British Council)
- Urban Planning and Management, Jharkhand Institute India (Department for International Development)
- Designing Cities (Quintin Hogg Fund)
- Worldwide Governance Indicators and Contemporary Governance in Indonesia (World Bank)
- Learning Capacity in Water Way Programmes (National Waterway Agency)
- Resilience strategies in flood risk management and urban planning (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research)
- Metropoles and the Future of Urban Indonesia (Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences)
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.