Personal profile
Biography
Jane M. Jacobs was awarded her PhD in human geography from University College London (1991), with a specialisation in cultural and urban geography. Across her career she has contributed to scholarship on colonial and postcolonial geographies, architecture and society, high-rise urbanism, and the politics of urban heritage.
Dr Jacobs has published widely in these fields, including peer review papers, edited collections and single and co-authored books. Her key publications include: Edge of Empire: Postcolonialism and the City (1996 Routledge), Cities of Difference (1998 University of Minnesota Press), Uncanny Australia (1998 University of Melbourne Press), and Buildings Must Die: A Perverse View of Architecture (2014 MIT Press). Most recently, she has been involved in a digital humanities project on Digital Historical Maps of Southeast Asia and a multi-disciplinary project Foundations for Home-Based Work in Singapore.
Dr Jacobs has extensive international experience in higher education, having taught and assumed senior administrative roles at The University of Melbourne (1991-2001), University of Edinburgh (2001-2011) and Yale-NUS College, Singapore (2012- 2023). She is a keen advocate of peer mentoring in academic contexts, having experienced first-hand the professional development value of receiving scaffolded feedback from colleagues.
Education/Academic qualification
Geography, PhD, Heritage and Urban Redevelopment in the City of London and Spitalfields, University College London
Award Date: 19 Jun 1990
Geography, MA, University of Adelaide
Award Date: 17 May 1983
Geography, BA (Hons), University of Adelaide
Award Date: 17 May 1978
Research area keywords
- Urban Studies
- urban geography
- heritage
- postcolonial studies
- home based work
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Traditions of transition: change and innovation in the built environment
Jacobs, J. M., 2022, In: Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. 34, 1, p. 11 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review
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Building Capital
Jacobs, J. M., 2020, SAGE Handbook of Historical Geography. Domosh, M., Heffernan, M. & Withers, C. W. J. (eds.). 1st ed. UK: SAGE Publications Ltd, 22 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Edges and eddies: Learning to be a high-rise society in post-independence Singapore, 1960–1995
Jacobs, J. M. & Yuen, B., 2023, Women Reclaiming the City: International Research on Urbanism, Architecture, and Planning. Haas, T. (ed.). 1st ed. Lanham MD USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, p. 271-282 12 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Monarchy and urban change: the post-independence development of the Pesanggrahan Ambarrukmo, Yogyakarta
Purwani, O., Jacobs, J. M. & Cairns, S., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Urban Studies. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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An introduction to home-based work in Singapore
Jacobs, J. M., 2025, Design Manual: Home Audits: 23 Singaporean Home-Based Workers and their Homes. Chee, L. (ed.). Foundations of Home-Based Work Research Team, p. 5-11 7 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Creative Book) › Other
Prizes
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Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
Jacobs, J. (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Election to learned society