Dr Alison Pooley

Alison has over 20 years’ experience within higher education, particularly within architecture and the built environment, where she has led and developed undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Alison came to the University of Suffolk in 2022 having led discipline areas at Anglia Ruskin University and the Centre for Alternative Technology where she taught across their postgraduate programmes and developed a unique Masters in Architecture (MArch).

Alison has a PhD from Cardiff University, a Professional Diploma in Architecture (RIBA Part 2 exemption) and a BSc (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1 exemption).

PhD Supervision 

Integration of citizen science in environmental diplomacy for sustainable cities: a comparative study (completion due 2027)

Great Women’s Houses: Building Becoming in the Lives and Works of Woolf, Du Maurier, Christie, and Winn (completion due 2027)

An exploration into a primary school’s experiences and actions in addressing energy management and sustainability awareness (completion due 2026)

How effective is the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnerships Building Growth Sector in delivering the growth and housing targets of the New Anglia LEP Strategic Economic Plan? (completion due 2026)

Creating community from space: the role of everyday mutuality in future cities (completed 2025)

Community-driven, Nature-based design framework for the regeneration of neglected public spaces in urban environments (completed 2024)

Research and Knowledge Exchange

Alison’s work has included housing and older people, community resilience, building performance, material use, and housing impacts on health. Most recently awarded funding from Innovate UK for a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) due to complete in 2028, developing operational strategies and impact with the Almshouse Association. This work combined has led to the development of wider networks and groups operating across institutions, third sector, SMEs and local authorities, including presenting to policy groups and government departments.

Alison is currently working with communities to develop collaborative approaches for future research bids, including environmental action, renewable energy, and housing for marginalised populations.

Selected recent publications/conferences:

Wilms Floet, W. & Pooley, A. (2026). Housing forever: a comparison of the Dutch and English almshouse culture. DASH (Delft Architectural Studies on Housing). [Forthcoming].

Read, R., Pooley, A., & Gladwell, V. (2025). Home Truths: what private renting means for health and wellbeing in Suffolk. [online resource] https://safesuffolkrenters.org/health-and-housing-research/

Read, R., Odeleye, N., Hirst, A., & Pooley, A. (2025). The Poly-Rhythmic City: Urban Community Land Trusts as Opposition to the Slow Violence of Housing Development. Urban Planning, 10, Article 9123. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.9123

Callahan, E., Pooley, A., Murtagh, N. & Pannell, J. (2025) Resilient cities: building, people, and reciprocal interactions. AMPS Proceedings, 39.1, pp. 380-386. https://amps-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Amps-Proceedings-Series_39.1.pdf

Murtagh, N., Callahan, E., Pooley, A., Pannell, J. and Benzimra, A. (2024) Co-production within academic constraints: a case study evaluation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21 (11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111503

Read, R.; Hirst, A.; Pooley, A.; & Odeleye, N.-D. (2024) Negotiating Shared Lives: Territorialisation and Conviviality in an Urban Community Land Trust. Soc. Sci. 2024, 13, 574. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13110574

Callahan, E., Murtagh, N., Pannell, J. & Pooley, A. (2024) The Knowledge Hub on Resilience in Almshouse Communities. [online resource] https://www.ustsc.org.uk/arc-for-the-future