Patrick Nicol Troy was born in Geraldton, Western Australia on 22 January 1936. Son of trade unionist Paddy Troy, he worked in the private sector and in State and local government, as a planner in New South Wales and as a senior administrator in the Commonwealth, including as Deputy Secretary in the Federal Department of Urban and Regional Development in the Whitlam Government.
He held various positions at the Australian National University from 1966-2000 including professor and head of the Urban Research Unit, Research School of Social Sciences 1984-1991.
He served on State and Federal government agencies and as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Urban and Regional Development (1973-1975) he was involved in the establishment and operations of the South Australian Land Commission, Western Australian Land Council, New South Wales Land Council, Victorian Land Council and the Australian Housing Corporation. Troy held numerous appointments as a member of the South Australia Urban Land Council 1975-1977; Deputy Chairman Australian Housing Corporation 1975-1976; member of the Australian Housing Council 1984-1992; member Building Research and Development Advisory Committee 1984-1987; member of the board National Building & Technology Centre 1985-1988; member Ministerial Advisory Committee on Housing Access 1989-1990; member Urban Regional Development Advisory Committee 1992-1993; member ACT Planning and Land Council 2003-2006.
He published 15 books on cities and many papers on housing, infrastructure, transport, urban planning and development, and energy and water consumption.
Troy died in Canberra on 24 July 2018. The Patrick Troy Memorial Prize has been established at the Australian National University as a tribute to his work.