Joined UNSW in mid 1991 after six years with a Sydney planning, research and heritage consultancy. Held previous appointments in the NSW Department of Planning, Department of Geography at the University of Melbourne and the Urban Research Program at the Australian National University. Council member of the International Planning History Society and President 2002-2006. Head of Planning Program 2001-2004. Acting Associate Dean (Research) in 2007. Elected a Fellowof the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia in 2008 and the Institute of Australian Geographers in 2009.
Planning history (PLAN2122), master planning (PLAN3032) , research design (PLAN4031) and planning projects (PLAN4132).
Development of modern planning theory and practice in Australia, heritage conservation, metropolitan re-structuring and planning education. Involved in ARC funded research on the role of sustainability in remote communities town planning (LP0667822), the contribution of early town planning associations in development of Australian planning theory and practice (DP0771569), and the evolution and policy implications of major airport activity centres, internationally and within Australia (LP0775225).
Freestone, R. & Hanna, B., 2008, Florence Taylor's Hats: Designing, Building and Editing Sydney, Halstead Press, Sydney.
Freestone, R. Designing Australia's Cities: Culture, Commerce and the City Beautiful, 1900-1930. Sydeny, UNSW Press, 2007.
"The Limits to Nationalism: Moves Toward an Australian Town Planning Association 1913-
1917", Australian Historical Studies, Vol 40, No 1, 2009, pp. 32-46 (with Margaret Park).
Freestone, R. & Park, M., 2008, 'From the corridors of power to the community soapbox: the town planning association of New South Wales in postwar Sydney', in Public versus Private Planning: Themes, Trend and Tensions. Proceedings, International Planning History, 13th Biennial Conference, eds Christopher Silver, Chicago, Chicago, pp. 543 - 555
Freestone, R., 2008, 'Town Planning', in Sydney Journal, vol 1, pp. 11 - 23.
Freestone, R., 2008, 'The Adelaide wars: an introduction', in Planning Perspectives, vol 23, pp. 221 - 224.
Freestone, R., Marsden, S. & Garnaut, C., 2008, 'A methodology for assessing the heritage of planned urban environments: An Australian study of national heritage values', in International Journal of Heritage Studies, vol 14, pp. 156 - 175.
Freestone, R. & Baker, D., 2008, 'Reconciling public and private interests in the planning and development of airports: the Australian experience,. 1995-2008', in Public versus Private Planning: Themes, Trend and Tensions. Proceedings, International Planning History, 13th Biennial Conference, eds Christopher Silver, Chicago, Chicago, pp. 474 - 484
Freestone, R. & Park, M., 2008, 'Spreading the good news about town planning: the educative role of the town planning association of New South Wales 1913-1928', in Sea Change: New and renewed urban landscapes, proceedings, 9th Australasian Urban History/ Planning History Conference, eds Lynette Finch, Caloundra, Maroochydore,
Nichols, D. & Freestone, R., 2008, 'Henry F Halloran's Coastal Town Planning projects of the 1920s', in Sea Change: New and renewed Urban landscapes, Proceedings, 9th Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference(CD), eds Lynette Finch, Caloundra, Maroochydore,
Williams, PJ., Freestone, R. & Thompson, SM., 2008, 'Quantifying student perceptions of work experience to assess the effectiveness of practice-based learning', in Planning Education in a Globalised World, Conference Proceedings, ANZAPS Conference 2008, eds S. Thompson, N. Gurran, P. Phibbs and G. Searle, Sydney, Sydney, pp. 141 - 158
James, P. & Freestone, R., 2008, 'Norman Weekes' Contribution to modern Town Planning and design in New South Wales', in Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, vol 94, pp. 201 - 218.
Garnaut, C., Iwanicki, I. & Freestone, R. 'Modernism in the Desert: The planning and design of Woomera Village 1947-1967'. In: Panorama to Paradise: XXIVth International Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand. Adelaide, University of South Australia, pp. 1 - 16 2007.
Pinnegar, S. & Freestone, R. 'Identifying Australian sites of urban planning heritage: results from a national web-based survey'. Australian Planner 2007; 44(4): pp. 36 - 42.
Freestone, R., Williams, PJ., Thompson, SM. & Trembath, K. 'A Quantitative Approach to Assessment of Work-based Learning Outcomes: An Urban Planning Application'. Higher Education Research and Development 2007; 26 No.4(December 2007): pp. 347 - 361.
Stevens, N., Baker, D. & Freestone, R. 'Understanding the Australian Airport Metropolis'. In: Proceedings of the State Australia Cities National Conference 2007. Adelaide, , 2007.
"A History of Planning’" in Susan Thompson (ed) Planning Australia, Sydney: Cambridge University Press, pp. 67-90.
Hanna, BJ. & Freestone, R. 'Florence and Marion: Friendship and Enmity between Australia's Pioneering Women Architects'. In: Panorama to Paradise: XXIVth International Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand. Adelaide, University of South Australia, 2007.
Williams, PJ., Freestone, R. & Thompson, SM. 'Measuring the Effectiveness of Practice-Based Learning: Monitoring Student Perceptions of Work Experience'. In: Developing Competent People. University of Salford, UK, Centre for Education in the Built Environment, pp. 1 - 18 2007.
Freestone, R. 'Aesthetics, Utility and the Shaping of Public Space: Implementing the City Beautiful in Australian Government Projects in Perth and Brisbane'. In: C. Miller and M. Roche, eds. Past Matters: Heritage and Planning History - Case Studies from the Pacific Rim. First. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007.
Freestone, R. 'John Sulman and Town Planning Australia'. In: C. Miller and M Roche, eds. An Introduction to the Study of Town Planning in Australia. Facsimile. : National Trust of Australia, 2007.
Freestone, R. 'The Internationalization of the City Beautiful'. International Planning Studies 2007; 12(1): pp. 21 - 34.
Freestone, R., 2006, 'Bradfield's Vision: Re-shaping Sydney's infrastructure', in Bridging Sydney, eds , Historic Houses Trust, Sydney.
Freestone, R., 2006, 'The Americanization of Australian Planning', in Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning 2, eds , Routledge/Taylor and Francis, Abingdon, Oxon, UK.
Freestone, R., Thompson, SM. & Williams, PJ., 2006, 'Student Experience of Work Based Learning in Planning Education', in Journal of Planning Education and Research, vol 26, pp. 237 - 249.
Freestone, R. & Gibson, CR., 2006, 'The Cultural Dimension of Urban Strategies: An Historical Perspective', in Culture, Urbanism and Planning, eds , Ashgate, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK.
Freestone, R., Prasad, DK. & Blair, JM., 2006, 'Master planned communities and sustainability in Sydney', in Talking About Sydney: Population, community and culture in contemporary Sydney, eds , UNSW Press, Sydney.
Freestone, R. & Wood, D., 2006, 'Exploring Strategics for Linking Research and Teaching', in Journal for Education in the Built Environment, vol 1, pp. 94 - 111.
Freestone, R., 2006, 'Royal Commissions, planning reform and Sydney improvement 1908 - 1909', in Planning Perspectives, vol 21, pp. 213 - 231.
Freestone, R., Williams, PJ. & Bowden, A., 2006, 'Fly Buy Cities: Some Planning Aspects of Airport Privatisation in Australia', in Urban Policy and Researcfh, vol 24, pp. 491 - 508.
Freestone, R., 2006, 'Contribution of the Plan of Adelaide to modernn town planning theory', in A Blancing Act: past-present-future, eds C Garnaut and K Round, Adelaide, Adelaide, pp. 38 - 55
Freestone, R., 2006, 'Public Spaces and Urban Beautification in Australia 1900 - 1930', in Past Matters: Heritage, History and the Built Environment, eds CL Miller and MM Roche, Wellington, NZ, Palmerston North, NZ, pp. 121 - 133
Freestone, R., 2006, 'Popular Modernism and Urban Planning in Australia 1901-1950', in Australian Cultural History, vol 25, pp. 157 - 176.
Freestone, R. & Hanna, BJ., 2004, 'Future Sydney: The Mid-Twentieth Century Visions of Florence Taylor', in The 21st Century City: Past/Present/Future. Proceedings from the 7th Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference, eds G.Lehmann & D.Nichols, School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, Geelong, Australia, pp. 173 - 187
Freestone, R. & Nichols, D., 2004, 'Realising new leisure opportunities for old urban parks: the internalreserve in Australia', in LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING, vol 68(1), pp. 109 - 120.
Freestone, R. & Nichols, D., 2004, 'The Rise and Fall of the Internal Reserve', in Landscape Research, vol 29(1st), pp. 293 - 309.
Freestone, R. & Veale, S., 2004, 'Sydney 1901: Federation National Identity and the Arches for Commemoration', in National Identities, vol 6(1st), pp. 215 - 232.
Freestone, R., 2004, 'The Americanization of Australian Planning', in Journal of Planning History, vol 3(1st), pp. 187 - 214.
Management Group
