Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residen ....Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residents in 50 Brisbane communities. We will compare similar data from Chicago and Stockholm to investigate the Australian contribution of CE to spatial crime patterns and its potential for future crime prevention programs.Read moreRead less
The development and application of a conceptual and statistical framework for the measurement of non-market factors affecting social inequality and social wellbeing. In response to global and national forces, a new social and economic policy framework has promoted multiple impacts on families, communities and regions in Australia. This project will respond to an increasingly important research and policy question concerning the development of alternative measures of social wellbeing and social i ....The development and application of a conceptual and statistical framework for the measurement of non-market factors affecting social inequality and social wellbeing. In response to global and national forces, a new social and economic policy framework has promoted multiple impacts on families, communities and regions in Australia. This project will respond to an increasingly important research and policy question concerning the development of alternative measures of social wellbeing and social inequality to the conventional measures of economic resources within households that are currently employed. This research will provide a nationally and internationally recognized evidence base on which to develop policies of importance to the quality of life in Australia's urban and regional communities.Read moreRead less
Enhanced agency response strategies through modelling geo-temporal characteristics of emergency services calls. Understanding the timing and geographic distribution of emergency calls to agencies such as Fire, Police and Ambulance, is critical to improving emergency response and developing effective preventive strategies. In turn, improved response and prevention strategies can help save lives and minimise economic costs. This project uses advanced geographic and statistical methods to analyse f ....Enhanced agency response strategies through modelling geo-temporal characteristics of emergency services calls. Understanding the timing and geographic distribution of emergency calls to agencies such as Fire, Police and Ambulance, is critical to improving emergency response and developing effective preventive strategies. In turn, improved response and prevention strategies can help save lives and minimise economic costs. This project uses advanced geographic and statistical methods to analyse fire incidents and develop the evidence base necessary to inform effective response and prevention strategies. The project will critically assist emergency fire response, but will also provide a case study that can be adapted for other kinds of emergency response.Read moreRead less
Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities a ....Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities and infrastructure to enable schools to operate successfully as more than a school, encouraging the development of resilient and connected communities. The outcomes are expected to include a development framework for maximising schools as community hubs.Read moreRead less
Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of informatio ....Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of information and services, urban sustainability and healthier local economies. Understanding the opportunities afforded by digital augmentation of social networks will help Australians negotiate the complex web of daily choices, access a greater social safety net and participate in the socio-cultural and socio-economic life of their neighbourhood and city.Read moreRead less
Defining the Status of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Young People. This project aims to improve the social cohesion of Australian society and the living standards of a significant group of our young people. Around 25 per cent of all Australians aged 12 to 24 are from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. In collaboration with nine Australian organisations, the project aims to critically define the status of CALD youth; develop the first national status reporting frame ....Defining the Status of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Young People. This project aims to improve the social cohesion of Australian society and the living standards of a significant group of our young people. Around 25 per cent of all Australians aged 12 to 24 are from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. In collaboration with nine Australian organisations, the project aims to critically define the status of CALD youth; develop the first national status reporting framework for the group that will generate new social, economic and cultural indicators; and build a knowledge hub to store and curate CALD youth data. Data and understanding from this project is intended to enable governments to meet the group’s specific needs and enhance their opportunities.Read moreRead less
Building sustainable social capital in new communities. Industry partners and investigators have identified the need for foundation knowledge about social capital and the development of new communities in Australia. The current environment is of increasing responsibility for property developers to account for their social responsibility/corporate citizenship, and manage increasing responsibility for developing communities which provide social, economic and cultural benefit to Australia's well-be ....Building sustainable social capital in new communities. Industry partners and investigators have identified the need for foundation knowledge about social capital and the development of new communities in Australia. The current environment is of increasing responsibility for property developers to account for their social responsibility/corporate citizenship, and manage increasing responsibility for developing communities which provide social, economic and cultural benefit to Australia's well-being. The study identifies the extent to which planning and strategic interventions in new communities contribute to, or detract from, social capital building. The results will be used to identify long term theoretical and practical strategies for strengthening and sustaining social capital in new communities.Read moreRead less
Multi-level leadership for engaging young people through innovations in senior learning: Brokering socio-economically aligned learning and work. This research will provide new evidence about the conditions and actions that are favourable to innovation leadership. The project will contribute to Australia's efforts to promote cultural and economic innovation through its exploration of innovation leadership in the 'brokering of integrated, socio-economically aligned learning and work'. It will be ....Multi-level leadership for engaging young people through innovations in senior learning: Brokering socio-economically aligned learning and work. This research will provide new evidence about the conditions and actions that are favourable to innovation leadership. The project will contribute to Australia's efforts to promote cultural and economic innovation through its exploration of innovation leadership in the 'brokering of integrated, socio-economically aligned learning and work'. It will benefit Australian policy makers working to re-articulate the links between education, training and work, and advance conceptual knowledge of the leadership capacities required for multi-level, large-scale, cross-sectoral innovations in non-school-centric innovations in the senior phases of learning.Read moreRead less
Moving On: Researching a drama based program designed to assist survivors of institutional childhood abuse to experience more fulfilling lives. In the past decade serious personal, social and economic consequences arising from the abuse of children in government and church institutions have been identified in a number of developed countries. In Queensland extensive counselling provided by the Industry Partner has ameliorated but not resolved the problems of the on-going trauma and negative exper ....Moving On: Researching a drama based program designed to assist survivors of institutional childhood abuse to experience more fulfilling lives. In the past decade serious personal, social and economic consequences arising from the abuse of children in government and church institutions have been identified in a number of developed countries. In Queensland extensive counselling provided by the Industry Partner has ameliorated but not resolved the problems of the on-going trauma and negative experiences of these adult survivors. The aim of this project is to research the effectiveness of a range of innovative drama techniques and theatre performance with ex-residents of institutions designed to empower them to experience more fulfilling lives, and to assist other survivors to do so.Read moreRead less
Caring at end of life: understanding the nature and effect of informal community care networks for people dying at home. This project will provide an understanding of the function and purpose of caring networks for people at the end of their life, specifically for people who are dying at home. This understanding will enable the development of communities capacity in addition to informing a national health promotion approach to palliative care.