Dr Christopher Standen
PhD
Master of Environmental Management
BSc (Hons.) Physics and Computer Science
I am a Research Fellow in Urban Development within the Faculty of Medicine and Health at UNSW Sydney, working in a joint role with Sydney Local Health District.
My work focuses on how urban planning, infrastructure and public policy decisions affect health, equity and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in improving impact assessment and business case methods to better reflect health, sustainability and liveability outcomes.
My research combines quantitative, spatial and mixed-methods approaches, with experience in health impact assessment, business case development, travel behaviour, welfare economics, spatial analytics and data science. Much of my work has been applied and undertaken in collaboration with government and health-sector partners.
Current and recent projects include health impact assessments relating to major urban redevelopment and infrastructure projects, development of methods for assessing the health and equity impacts of infrastructure, and spatial analysis to support public health planning and policy development.
I also teach and develop courses and professional training in areas including health impact assessment, transport planning, geospatial analytics, data science, quantitative methods and visual data analytics.
I am an editorial board member for Oxford Open Infrastructure and Health and the Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
City of Sydney Community Services Grant: "Community-led Health Impact Assessment of the Waterloo Redevelopment" (2025).
Public Health Wales: "Development work to better understand the strategic inclusion of health and health inequalities in Local Development Plans in Wales" (2024). $38,103
CPHCE Research Stream Seed Funding Scheme: "Embedding health into urban planning education" (2023).
NSW Ministry of Health: “NSW Active Transport Health Model Phase 3” (2021).
Healthy Urban Environments Collaboratory Seed Funding Scheme: "Waterloo housing estate redevelopment: Longitudinal assessment/study of residents’ health needs and circumstances (pilot project)" (2020).
University of Sydney Business School Pilot Research Grant: "Looking for Positives: Health, Wellbeing and Active Transport Following a Pandemic" (2020).
Charles Perkins Centre Seed Funding Scheme: “Evaluation of the health impact of new urban motorway infrastructure” (2019).
City of Sydney Environmental Grant: “Profiling of George Street cycleway users for a community social marketing program” (2014).
Sydney Local Health District Innovation and Excellence Award: Health Innovation and Research, Highly Commended (2023)
Dean's Citation for Teaching, University of Sydney Business School (2020)
Australian Postgraduate Award Industry Scholarship (2013)
Expert witness
- NSW Parliament Inquiry into the impact of the Rozelle Interchange, May 2024
Consulting
- Health impact assessment for Sydney Metro West project
- Economic Active Transport Project to deliver a best-practice method to cost the health benefits of active transport in NSW
In the media
-
The Sydney Morning Herald, May 27, 2025:
The transport minister made a safety promise. Four days later, it was torn apart -
The South Sydney Herald, December 13, 2024:
Unlawful footpath narrowing -
Eastside Radio, August 22, 2024:
Sydney traffic chaos -
The Sydney Morning Herald, July 18, 2024:
Rozelle Interchange has taken a toll, but for Sydney transport, the road ahead looks grim -
UNSW Newsroom, July 15, 2024:
Stress, lethargy, congestion: the unhealthy symptoms of Sydney’s transport system -
Radio Skid Row
Parliamentary inquiry into the Rozelle Interchange -
ABC NewsRadio, March 11, 2024:
Health impacts of SUVs -
Yahoo News, February 7, 2024:
$30 per hour SUV parking tax set for Paris – would it work in Australia? -
UNSW Newsroom, January 24, 2024:
Would congestion pricing work in Australia? -
news.com.au, December 7, 2023:
Urban planning expert says Rozelle interchange working as planned, despite chaos and community outrage -
The Sydney Morning Herald, December 6, 2023:
The Rozelle interchange is working exactly as planned -
ABC News, December 5, 2023:
Rozelle Interchange design issues will be a problem for Sydney's future, experts say -
The World Today, ABC Radio National, December 4, 2023:
Urgent changes being made to Australia's newest motorway maze -
The Sydney Morning Herald, March 14, 2022:
Brace yourself Sydney for more transport chaos -
The Sydney Morning Herald, Apr 23, 2019:
The M4 East: so much pain and public expense and for what? -
The Conversation, May 10, 2018:
Why the need for speed? Transport spending priorities leave city residents worse off -
The Conversation, Sep 7, 2017:
People take to their bikes when we make it safer and easier for them -
The Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 18, 2016:
Who’s planning Sydney? Not Lucy Turnbull, as Haberfield shows -
The Sydney Morning Herald, May 12, 2016:
Sydney needs congestion on its roads so we don't have complete gridlock
My Teaching
My teaching experience includes:
- Course design and coordination
- Transport planning
- Health impact assessment
- Supply chain planning/design
- Climate change and health
- Lecturing/tutoring
- GIS/spatial data analytics
- Inequalities, inequities and health
- Quantitative methods for transport/logistics
- Data science
- Visual data analytics
- Guest lecturing
- Environmental health
- Transport, sustainability and health
- Regional landscape outreach studio