Description:
Grouping regional towns and cities in Australia according to economic functions could improve understanding of the importance of economic factors in determining growth. Several researchers have used clustering techniques to examine the growth and characteristics of regional cities in Australia. The current study extends clustering methodologies by adopting an optimisation approach based on a clustering technique using the k-means algorithm to investigate the impact of socio-economic factors on population growth and decline in regional Australia. The analysis in the paper suggests that industry of employment, individual weekly income, age group and education level have an important impact on population change. These findings have policy implications for economic planning of regional areas in Australia.
Description:
The focus of this paper is peripheral urban growth centres on the edges of capital cities in Australia and the challenges they face as dormitory suburbs attempting to establish their own local business development. These challenges create dilemmas as infrastructure and climate change place pressure on long commuting times, while developing strong locally based communities is limited by many resource and demand constraints. The main research question is to examine how these challenges are being addressed in both public policy and academic research. Two propositions emerge from this analysis. The first is that, despite clear recognition of these challenges by public policy makers, there is a lack of coherent policy vision in addressing the dilemmas that are facing these urban growth centres. The second is that, despite all the concerns and lack of policy vision, there is a dearth of useful academic research in Australia to understand the dilemmas and provide guidance for appropriate policy options. In the context of ad hoc policy and academic neglect; Casey, Melton and Wyndham are the three major urban peripheral local government areas in Victoria that are profiled in this paper. They serve as examples in examining incoherence of policy and then analysing the elements that are needed for effective and strong peripheral growth centres that could propel these centres towards efficient and equitable liveable communities. A broad composite model of regional economic development is used to examine the attendant problems in these urban centres and the various viable policy options for addressing these problems. In the process, this paper aims to provide a basis for further rigorous academic investigation of peripheral urban growth centres in Australia and, arising from this, more coherent policies for the economic development of such centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Towards an inclusive curation of WWI heritage: integrating historical aerial photographs, digital museum applications and landscape markers in “Flanders Fields” (Belgium)
Description:
Global warming, increasing traffic congestion, diminishing resources and declining health levels have led to the introduction of several policies aimed at deterring car-usage. However many such policies have not only often failed to achieve their objective, they also risk jeopardising the retail sector. To help understand why, this study measures the importance shoppers assign to car convenience, their perceptions of shopping malls and shopping strips (also referred to as Main Street or the High Street) in relation to it, and then compares them in their actual provision of it. To achieve these objectives, the study utilised a consumer household survey and a retail audit. The results of the study indicate that consumers regard car convenience as an important determinant of where they choose to shop, and perceive malls as a superior source of it. Moreover, with the sole exception of being able to park close to desired stores, malls offer car-borne shoppers more convenient access and parking. The findings suggest that any strategy designed to deter car usage should be designed to impact equally on both mall shopping and strip shopping, or risk tipping the balance even further in favour of the mall.
Description:
Education policies and practices developed for urban populations are not always effective when implemented in regional and remote locations. Despite government policy initiatives that may provide for collaboration across communities, a singular issue is that a diversity of solutions may be required rather than a 'one size fits all' approach. This article presents a potential solution to this problem through engaging collaboration and co-creation to optimise educational opportunities in initial teacher education in Australia. Qualitative analysis of a collaborative and co-created process of enhancement, lesson development and reflection brings together the every-day problem-solving processes used by pre-service teachers and classroom students with those used by research scientists and community experts. A consequence of such a process that benefits regional and remote communities is the development of collaborative networks founded in co-creation of educational opportunities and based on daily life in local communities.
Description:
The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR ‘on the ground at the business frontline’.
Description:
The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR ‘on the ground at the business frontline’.
Description:
Public space is being increasingly managed by defensive architecture, surveillance and other subtle filtering mechanisms to make it more palatable and attendant to the needs of capital. This reinforces social boundaries, making space inhospitable to those people whose presence is not welcome, and serves to ‘discipline’ city inhabitants into primarily consumption based modes of interacting with and in the city. However, disenfranchised urban populations still find ways to exist in and navigate these spaces. The purpose of this article is to highlight these ways by introducing the concept of ‘desire lines’ as a means of overcoming or re-imagining defensive space. We use Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of desire as productive force, combined with De Certeau’s notion of ‘walking the city’, to explore how individuals and social movements might practically, and in a metaphorical sense, create new collective paths, creating ‘desire lines’ of resistance and change within what is often an increasingly unforgiving and dominated urban environment, created by and for capital at the expense of a vibrant public realm.
Description:
In this paper we theorize an “enabling place pedagogy” drawn from the findings of two studies of exceptional place-based teaching and learning initiatives in primary schools in low socio-economic communities in rural and regional Australia. In each case the place-based teaching and learning involved the whole school community and was extended to the communities outside of the school. Children across all grade levels participated in the programs, which were enacted in varying degrees across the curriculum. We propose the notion of “organized chaos” as a way to understand the extraordinary nature of the pedagogical encounters offered by the two leading teachers. Through a pedagogy of organized chaos, infinite connections are made possible, opening the way for alternative learner subjectivities, especially for children who are different and those who do not achieve well in conventional classroom teaching. We argue that through a pedagogy of organized chaos in diverse outdoor learning environments, deep ecological learning takes place that enables different ways of being in and knowing the world.
Description:
Sixteen supply-side and seven demand-side export promoting policies were simulated and examined for export and associated employment impacts. Policy design considered the spatial distributions of export promoting and constraining variables defined within the Tiberi-Vipraio Hodgkinson (TVH) regional innovation context typology (2000), and examined movements in their value-added industry support export enhancing information multipliers. These were derived using innovation indicator matrices (IIMs) within an extended input-output framework as designed by the author. The information sector was derived using a modified decomposition and aggregation (Jussawalla et al., 1988) whilst IIMs build upon DeBresson's (1999) innovative interactive matrices to show innovation strategy information spillover contributions rather than innovation inputs and outputs as an intermediate transactions quadrant subset. Policy simulations showed that information sharing consistent with the innovative milieu theory best stimulated exports and associated employment. That is, assistance to promote related scientific research delivered the best export, associated employment outcomes and related flow-on effects.
Description:
This paper presents the findings of two surveys conducted on behalf of BREAZE, a Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions community group in the Ballarat region. The research presented in this study was designed to identify the group's effectiveness in supporting its members to achieve zero emissions. Another objective of the research was to identify the knowledge and information needs of the broader Ballarat community in relation to climate change and sustainable behaviours. Survey findings indicate that both BREAZE and wider Ballarat community members are looking for means to reduce their barriers to adoption of pro-environmental choices. Key results also indicate that the Ballarat community has some desire and intention to change their behaviour. There was considerable interest and demand for high quality, clear, in-depth information and working examples on which individuals can base their choices and purchase decisions. The paper concludes with a discussion on future actions to engage the wider community towards more sustainable behaviour.
Description:
Multisectoral partnerships with local government have emerged as a strategy for solving wicked' problems in communities, although research about these types of public-private partnerships is limited. Available evidence suggests that differentials in power and status, value bases and perspectives on priorities have been problematic in partnership building with community. This paper examines the role of local government as the funded, lead organisation, in a public-private partnership for planning, designing and constructing a business accelerator in one of Australia's growth regions. Partnership scope, role and outcomes were measured against a conceptual framework mapping success indicators. Findings show core principles for successful partnership were achieved and supported by the role, capacity and commitment of local government to forming strong working relationships with consortium partners. Relationship building and commitment to collective project outcomes were pivotal to success. Further research is needed to assess whether emerging trends hold and consolidate over time.