Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Nicole Kalms is a Professor in the Department of Design and founding director of the Monash University XYX Lab which leads national and international research in Gender and Place. Nicole is the Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.
Nicole has a PhD in Architecture from Monash University. She obtained her Bachelor Degree in Architecture from RMIT and practiced architecture for several years before undertaking a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture (RMIT). Nicole is a full-time member of Monash University’s Faculty Art, Design and Architecture where she is focused on cross-disciplinary research.
Professor Kalms’ scholarly contributions include the edited book Contentious Cities: Design and the Gendered Production of Space (Routledge 2021), the monograph Hypersexual City: The Provocation of Soft-Core Urbanism (Routledge 2017) examining sexualized representation and precincts in neoliberal cities. Her recent monograph She City: Design Out Women's Inequity in Cities (Bloomsbury 2023) draws on interdisciplinary research from gender scholars, design practitioners, and feminist activists to update the significant research on gender and the city.
The innovation of Kalms’ research is the examination of digital, experiential, political and material interventions collated to articulate both the shared and conflicted struggles of minoritised communities internationally. Her praxis repositions design as a strategic tool for challenging inequity.
Professor Kalms regularly writes for a diverse non-academic audience, and is frequently invited to speak to the public about identity and urban space at major national and international cultural institutions. Kalms has been interviewed on BBC World TV (2018) and France 24 TV (2019). Kalms was the keynote speaker at the Planning Institute of Australia Congress (2019) and the Autonomy Mobility Summit in Paris (2019). Dr Kalms serves on a variety of advisory boards, committees and panels in relation to public policy, urban safety and placemaking.
Research interests
Urbanism
Feminism
Spatial Practice
Feminism and Media
Critical Studies
Interdisciplinarity
Gender
Co-Design
Gender Equality
Transport and Mobility
Parks, Sports and Recreation spaces
Women and Girls
Supervision interests
Urbanism
Feminism
Spatial Practice
Spatial Media
Critical Studies
Interdisciplinarity
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):
Education/Academic qualification
High Performance Leadership, High Performance Leadership, University of Oxford
Award Date: 12 May 2023
Architecture, PhD, Hypersexual City: The Provocation of Soft-Core Urbanism, MONASH UNIVERSITY
3 Mar 2011 → 5 May 2017
Award Date: 30 May 2017
Landscape Architecture, Masters (Research), After Landscape, RMIT University
Award Date: 25 May 2006
Architecture, Bachelor (Hons), RMIT University
Award Date: 17 Mar 1998
Research area keywords
- Sexuality
- Gender
- Feminism
- Urbanism
- Hypersexuality
- Gender equality
- Reduced Inequalities
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Self-service airport security checkpoint
Flynn, D., Aung, N., Camens, M., Morfuni, R., Thiessen, M., Hwang, I., Kalms, N., Coxon, S., Laubscher, M., Millward, T., Luzuriaga, J., Webb, I., Ma, H., Lertruangamorn, B., Lu, S. & Ma, Y.
30/09/21 → 30/08/26
Project: Research
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PETAL: Pedalling Towards Active Living (PETAL): A co-designed approach to promote bike riding in young women
Pearson, L., Beck, B., Kalms, N. & Skouteris, H.
16/04/24 → 11/10/24
Project: Research
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Safer Cities Crowd Mapping Project
Kalms, N., Ainsberg, A., Bawden, G., Berry, J., Sturmfels, B., Matthewson, G. & Larin, T.
Department of Communities and Justice (New South Wales)
28/06/23 → 31/05/24
Project: Research
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AICPAIRSP1: Audit on safety and accessibility for women and people with disabilities: Tanete Rilau and Palanro Stations, South Sulawesi railway line
Kalms, N., Natalia, V., Patandianan, M. V. & Matthewson, G.
12/07/22 → 11/12/22
Project: Research
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Making Home: Older women at risk of homelessness
Kalms, N., Dyring, S. & Donnelly, S.
27/03/22 → 1/04/22
Project: Research
Research output
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Commentary on Let Us Pee
Kalms, N. & McVey, L., 2025, The Feminist Legislation Project: Rewriting Laws for Gender-based Justice. Batagol, B., Seear, K., Askola, H. & Walvisch, J. (eds.). 1 ed. Oxon UK: Routledge, p. 186-191 6 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Participatory Interventions: Digital Crowd Mapping Perceptions of Safety in Public Space
Matthewson, G., Kalms, N. & Berry, J., 2025, In: Urban Planning. 10, 13 p., 9043.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Open Access
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YourGround NSW: Baseline Insights Report
Matthewson, G., Larin, T. & Kalms, N., 2024, NSW Government. 114 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Consenting Cities
Bawden, G., Kalms, N., Berry, J., Webb, I. & Hwang, I., 2023Research output: Non-textual form › Design / Architecture › Research
Prizes
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2018 Dean's Award for Research Impact
Kalms, Nicole (Recipient), Bawden, Gene (Recipient), Salen, Pamela (Recipient), Matthewson, Gill (Recipient), Edwards, Allison (Recipient) & Korsmeyer, Hannah (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2019 Premier's Design Awards - Service Design - Finalist: 'SHEcity'
Kalms, Nicole (Recipient), Bawden, Gene (Recipient), Berry, Jess (Recipient), Salen, Pamela (Recipient), Korsmeyer, Hannah (Recipient), Edwards, Allison (Recipient) & Condliffe, Zoe (Recipient), 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2020 Good Design Awards - Communication Branding and Identity - Gold Winner: 'Yours, Mine, Ours'
Bawden, Gene (Recipient), Webb, Isabella (Recipient), Kalms, Nicole (Recipient) & Korsmeyer, Hannah (Recipient), 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
2021 AGDA Awards - Spatial/Exhibition Design - Distinction: 'HyperSext City'
Bawden, Gene (Recipient), Kalms, Nicole (Recipient), Webb, Isabella (Recipient), Berry, Jess (Recipient), Matthewson, Gill (Recipient) & Moore, Timothy (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
2021 Designers Australia Awards - Interact Category - Winner: 'HyperSext City'
Kalms, Nicole (Recipient), Bawden, Gene (Recipient), Berry, Jess (Recipient), Webb, Isabella (Recipient), Matthewson, Gill (Recipient) & Moore, Timothy (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Victorian Planning & Environmental Law Association
Nicole Kalms (Organiser)
29 Aug 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Intersectional Gender Equity
Nicole Kalms (Contributor), Natalia Dopazo (Contributor) & Priyanka Ashraf (Contributor)
28 May 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Design Excellence approach in Casey: Why good design is more important than ever for growth areas
Nicole Kalms (Contributor)
30 Jul 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Leading the way to more gender inclusive transport
Nicole Kalms (Contributor), Hulya Gilbert (Contributor) & Jane Bringolf (Contributor)
30 May 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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YourGround: XYX Lab’s Gender + Place Research
Nicole Kalms (Contributor)
27 Apr 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
Press/Media
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Women are 34 times more likely to queue for the loo, while men are flush with options
21/09/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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‘Not safe to run in the dark’: how inadequate lighting in public spaces is creating barriers for women
8/09/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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'Bad vibes' and sinister incidents: These are the areas where women feel unsafe
8/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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