
Doctor of Philosophy (University of Queensland)
Dr Umberto Baresi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an urban and environmental planner with International experience in Australia and Italy. In his career, he has worked as a professional planner in Italy, contributing to urban plans and land use regulations in several Italian cities while developing original research at his alma mater (Politecnico di Milano, Milan). His experience with government, industry and academia makes Umberto an effective chief investigator in several government-funded research projects: Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program; Monitoring collective capacity and effectiveness of implementation of the Reef 2050 Plan; Review and synthesis of existing partnerships in the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Baresi's research areas include environmental planning, strategic assessment, collaborative learning, governance and social and ecological systems in the context of sustainable development. Since 2008, Umberto has collaborated with decision-makers, academics and professionals across multiple disciplines, delivering research and professional outputs presented to International audiences and published as statutory documents and peer-reviewed journals. His research advocates the need for more effective assessment of the human impacts on the environment, caused by urban and regional planning. Recent research activities and publications developed by Dr Baresi and colleagues reflect on pathways for improving procedures of strategic environmental assessment, with a focus on Australian national and state planning and assessment frameworks.
Additional information
Professional Urban and Environmental Planner hired by Italian City Councils (City of Como, City of Cremona, Town of Martinengo, Town of Osio Sotto)
Contribution to Urban Plans and Land Use Regulations. Analysis and mapping of social, cultural, economic and environmental assets in urban landscapes. Design and evaluation of development scenarios.
Reviewer for peer reviewed journal
- Environmental Impact Assessment Review. Elsevier (United States)
- Landscape and Urban planning. Elsevier (Netherlands)
- Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. Routledge (United Kingdom)
- Anthropocene. Elsevier (United Kingdom)
- Baresi, U., Vella, K. & Sipe, N. (2020). A limits-oriented adaptive approach for strategic environmental assessment. Environmental Science and Policy, 114, 128–139. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205066
- Baresi, U., Vella, K. & Sipe, N. (2017). Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 62, 14–24. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/102372
- Hamman, E., Baresi, U. & Vella, K. (2021). Cumulative impacts and strategic environmental assessment: policy development for Australias Great Barrier Reef. In JA. Blakley & DM. Franks (Eds.), Handbook of Cumulative Impact Assessment (pp. 123–139). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/210895
- Vella, K., Baresi, U., Lockie, S. & Taylor, B. (2021). Challenges and opportunities for assisted regional ecosystem adaptation: International experience and implications for adaptation research. PLoS One, 16(9). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205065
- Understanding the relationship between collaborative governance and agricultural practice change: A Great Barrier Reef catchments case study
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Karen Vella, Dr Angela Dean, Dr Angela Guerrero Gonzalez