Land Equity International - About Us

SPMS - Strategic Planning and Management Services Pty Ltd

Company History & Clients

Strategic Planning and Management Services (SPMS) Pty Ltd was established in 1994 to provide consulting, education and professional advisory and administrative services to a wide range of clients in the urban planning and development sector. In July 2011, Land Equity International (Pty Ltd) acquired SPMS.

The company has undertaken work for arrange of government and international development agencies, professional organizations and private clients. These include AusAID, World Bank, Queensland and NSW government, Australian Planning and Landscape Architecture Institutes, Australian and New Zealand Regional Science Association, IDP Australia, CSIRO and Hanson Partners International (Vietnam) and Maunsells. SPMS has managed projects and undertaken assignments for Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNCHS, ACFID and Engineers Australia in Asia and Africa.

Personnel Profiles

Brian Roberts - Emeritus Professor Brian H Roberts is an international urban management expert, with qualifications in land surveying, urban and regional planning, and business management. He holds a PhD inurban and regional economic development. He has held senior positions with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, Queensland state government (Australia), two academia institutions and the consulting industry. These positions have involved responsibility for the management of large and complex multi-discipline projects, overseeing national and regional institutional reform programs, developing national urban management policy, higher level education and training, and briefing heads of State and ministers in several countries. In October 2006 he retired as the Director of the Centre for Developing Cities at the University of Canberra and been working full time to develop the company business. Professor Roberts has co-authored more than 100 publications and conference papers including four books. His most recent for the ADB and Cities Alliance (World Bank) on Urbanization and Sustainability in Asia: Good Practice Approaches to Urban region Development.

Projects & Services

SPMS provides knowledge and capabilities through services in:

Urban Management and Public Policy
Urban and Regional Planning
Economic, Industry and Tourism Development
Land Administration and Management
Education and Training
Quality Assurance
Project Design and Management

SPMS have lead or provided technical assistance* over the past 20 years across a range of consultancy themes within the urban sector. These projects are listed below:

Urban Management and Public Policy
Advisor on Urban Management, Public Sector Linkages Program, Jakarta & Bekasi, AusAID
Advisor Urban Management Program for Asia, Phase 2&3 UNCHS & UNDP
Adviser to ACT Government on Urban management, Planning and sustainability*.
Design Framework for Local Governance Development Program, AusAID, Philippines*
Philippines Provincial and Regional Municipal Development Program, Phase II design, AusAID*
Australian Aid Priority Urban Development Projects for India, AusAID
National report for the UN World Habitat II Conference, Istanbul, DHARD
Development of Planning Institute for Solomon Islands, RAPI*

Urban and Regional Planning
National Capital Region Plan, Hanoi, (National Institute Urban and Regional Planning), Vietnam*
Canberra Plan, National Capital Australia, ACT Chief Ministers Dept*
Strategic Plan for Gateway Ports (Trade coast) Development Area, Brisbane, QLD Government*

Economic, Industry and Tourism Development
Policy Note, Sustainable Economic Development Strategy for Aceh, World Bank*
Regional Economic Development: Analysis and Strategy, co-authored university text book*
Regional economic risk analysis and regional risk management in regions
Best practices in regional economic development, Queensland State Government
Evaluating the economic competitiveness and development of FNQ, CREDC.
Economic Development Strategy Framework Workshop, Beijing, China, World Bank
Brisbane Gateway Ports Economic Network, Queensland State Government*
Economic Development strategy for Northlake’s New Town, Brisbane, Lend Lease Dev*

Urban Research and Sustainability Studies
Urbanization and Sustainability in Asia: Best Practice book, ADB & WB Cities Alliance
Managing Asian Cities, book chapter, ADB
Best Practice Sustainable Urban Development in Asia, Report for ADB
Managing the Risks: An Investigation of Risks Affecting the ACT Economy, book ACT Gov
Sustainable Regions Study for Indonesia and Philippines, Asia Development Bank
Industrial ecology: its applications for sustainable development of Industrial areas in QLD
Industry cluster analysis as a tool for regional economic development, ARC research Grant

Land Administration and Management
Mapping Needs Assessment for Aceh (Indonesia) Tsunami Recovery, AusAID*
National Development Assessment Model for Australia, DOTAR, Australian Government
Land Administration and Management Project, Phase I&II AusAID, Philippines*
Peer review Lao PDR Land Administration Project, AusAID*
Land Administration and management Project, Ghana (Land Equity/World Bank)*
Land Administration and Management in Zimbabwe (AusAID)*

Education and Training
Responsible for Masters of Urban Management and PHD programs University of Canberra
Teaching urban management, strategic planning, research methods and regional development, UC
18 District and provincial Planning courses in Indonesia, IASTP program, AusAID
Training course for Continuing Professional Education, Planning Institute of Australia
Certificated Provincial Planners Training Course, Shangdong Municipality, Anstar Group
Highway and Road Network Planning course. Australia China Development Pty Ltd
Certificated Urban Transport and Management Course, CBUM program, Indonesia, ADB
Three District and Provincial Planning courses in Australia, IASTP program, AusAID
Philippines Australia Short term Training Program, Project Management for ODA Projects
Capacity Building for Planning & Urban Management, Local Government in Vietnam, AusAID
Training Program to enhance planning capacity in the provinces of the Solomon Islands, RAPI
Institutional capacity building in Ho Chi Minh City, HCMC, Vietnam UNCHS*
Urban management training program VIE/95/051 for Vietnamese planners in Australia, UNCHS
Urban partnership workshops and training program for City Net, Nepal. UNUMP*
Workshops in Vietnam for UN Urban Management Program, UNUMP
Teaching courses in regional economic development, industry, urban management and planning.*
Management of Continuing Professional Education for Planners, Queensland Division, RAPI

Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance Adviser, Land Administration and Management Project, AusAID, Philippines*
Evaluation of City Alliance projects proposal and other reports, Cities Alliance, World Bank*
Peer review of Journal Articles, Australian Planner, Regional Science, Cleaner Production*
Australian Research Council, grants assessor, Department of Science Education & Technology*
Peer Review, Economic White Paper and Spatial Plan for Canberra, ACT Government*

Publications

The following is a list of recent publications and for a full list of publications, click here.
• Choe, K., and B. Roberts. (2011) Competitive cities in the 21st century: Cluster-based local economic development. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank.
• Roberts, B.H (to be published 2011) Tools For Rapid Economic Assessment and Development Priorities for Investment Projects in Asian Cities, Asian Development Bank, Manila
• Roberts B.H, Bai X, Quach, T. (2010) The Environment and Climate Change in Asian Cities, Chapter 5, in the State of Asian Cities Report, UNCHS –UNESCARP, Bangkok
• Roberts, B.H (2008) Planning and the Economics of Development, Australian Planner, March
• Roberts B.H, Bai X, Quach, T. (2008) Assessment of the Application of “Programmatic Clean Development Mechanism (pCDM)” Activities to Support Sustainable Urban Development Projects in Asia, Research Paper, Asian Development Bank
• Roberts B.H & Kanaley, T.H (2007) Sustainable Urban Development in Asia, Australian Planner, Planning Institute of Australia, Canberra, Vol 44, No 1, pp 18-21.
• Roberts, B.H. & Fisher K. (2006) Urban regional economic development in Asia: trends, issues and future challenges, Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2006, iv -187
• Roberts B.H & Kanaley, T.H (2006) (Eds) Urbanization and Sustainability in Asia: Good Practice Approaches to Urban Region Development, Manila, Asian Development Bank and Cities Alliance (World Bank)
• Roberts, B.H. & Fisher K. (2006) Trends, Issues and innovation in Urban Economic Regions of Asia: the Challenge to Achieving Sustainable Growth, Australia New Zealand regional Science Conference, Beechworth, Victoria, Sept
• Roberts, B.H (2006) Analysing and Managing Local Economic Development Risk: A Study of Two Australian Cities. Special Issue of Built Environment, Learning from Urban Disasters: Planning for Resilient Cities. (Guest Editor Stephen Hamnett), Vol 32, No 4, 413 -433
• Roberts, B.H. (2005) Innovation: the path to a sustainable future, in Sustainability for the ACT: The Future in Our hands, Canberra, ACT Government Publication pp 57-61

Consulting Opportunities

LEI and SPMS are looking to expand our consultancy database in this complimentary Urban Management field. If you believe you have more than 5 years international experience and can make valuable contributions providing consulting and/or research on urban development projects, then we’d like to hear from you. Please send your curriculum vitae to Rebecca Palmer on rpalmer@landequity.com.au.

Contact Details

Brian Roberts
Emeritius Professor
35 Woolley Street
Dickson, ACT
AUSTRALIA 2602
Phone/Fax: +61 (02) 6257 7429
Mobile: +61416041837
Email: broberts@landequity.com.au
For Brian Roberts Curriculum Vitae please click here