Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. Nation ....Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. National benefits include greater understanding of the significance of festivals. Research will empower rural communities and advance theory on rural restructuring, post-productivism and the reciprocal relationship between place and identities. In these ways, the project seeks to strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural Australia. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100339
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,505.00
Summary
Re/connecting People, Nature and Sustainable Futures via Indigenous tourism. This project aims to identify how Australians might appropriately learn from and act on Indigenous knowledges for more sustainable futures. In the face of global ecological crises, Indigenous custodians are increasingly recognised as sustainable land managers from who much can be learned, yet it is not clearly understood how different individuals might be influenced by Indigenous sustainability thinking. In collaboratio ....Re/connecting People, Nature and Sustainable Futures via Indigenous tourism. This project aims to identify how Australians might appropriately learn from and act on Indigenous knowledges for more sustainable futures. In the face of global ecological crises, Indigenous custodians are increasingly recognised as sustainable land managers from who much can be learned, yet it is not clearly understood how different individuals might be influenced by Indigenous sustainability thinking. In collaboration with NSW-based Indigenous tour operators, this project aims to discover the potential of Indigenous custodians as change agents towards sustainability thinking and action, communicated widely through research publications, reports to policy-makers. and documentary film.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775716
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Infrastructure for a Spatially Integrated Social Science e-Research Facility. The requested facility with its Nationally Distributed Socio-Spatial Data System and On-Line Analysis, Modeling and Visualisation Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity for secondary data analysis and modeling of socio-spatial information with visualisation, substantially reducing the cost of innovative research conducted at various levels of spatial scale to investigate both local and na ....Infrastructure for a Spatially Integrated Social Science e-Research Facility. The requested facility with its Nationally Distributed Socio-Spatial Data System and On-Line Analysis, Modeling and Visualisation Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity for secondary data analysis and modeling of socio-spatial information with visualisation, substantially reducing the cost of innovative research conducted at various levels of spatial scale to investigate both local and nationally significant demographic, social, economic and behavioural issues. It will deliver national/community benefits through enabling hundreds of researchers and graduate students across the university system to investigate demographic, economic and social issues at various levels of spatial scale.Read moreRead less
Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'cult ....Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'culture jamming'. The research will contribute to better understanding the nature of globalisation, relationships between global and local change and strategies of resistance. The research is significant in bringing together insights from new approaches in both economic and cultural geography.Read moreRead less
Understanding Sydney's changing role as a global city in the Australian urban and regional network. In recent decades Sydney has changed from being a capital city linked mainly to a hinterland of NSW towns and regions, to a global city with a 'blizzard' of linkages in new sectors involving cities and territories around Australia and across the globe. As yet we know little about this blizzard apart from what can be inferred from the global cities literature and from minimal evidence that is large ....Understanding Sydney's changing role as a global city in the Australian urban and regional network. In recent decades Sydney has changed from being a capital city linked mainly to a hinterland of NSW towns and regions, to a global city with a 'blizzard' of linkages in new sectors involving cities and territories around Australia and across the globe. As yet we know little about this blizzard apart from what can be inferred from the global cities literature and from minimal evidence that is largely selective and anecdotal. This Project will produce a detailed profile of Sydney's linkages - locally, nationally and internationally. Better data and analysis on Sydney's place in the global economy is a critical issue for government and corporate planning especially in and around the Sydney basin where growth pressures are intense.Read moreRead less
Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and qu ....Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and quality of life. But these opportunities have not yet been thoroughly observed, described or analysed. This project addresses this serious gap in knowledge and gives policy-makers, planners and regional and rural communities crucial information they need to decide their futures.Read moreRead less
Alternative Models of Governance for Australian Local Government: Classification, Evaluation and Policy. Local government plays a central role in the lives of almost all Australians by providing essential services subject to local democratic oversight. Its smooth running is thus critical to the national interest. However, many local authorities are in dire financial straits, with services curtailed, and vital infrastructure deteriorating. Various alternative models of local governance, often inv ....Alternative Models of Governance for Australian Local Government: Classification, Evaluation and Policy. Local government plays a central role in the lives of almost all Australians by providing essential services subject to local democratic oversight. Its smooth running is thus critical to the national interest. However, many local authorities are in dire financial straits, with services curtailed, and vital infrastructure deteriorating. Various alternative models of local governance, often involving resource sharing and regional alliances, have been adopted as solutions to these problems. Unfortunately, almost no scholarly effort has been invested in this area. This project seeks overcome this neglect by identifying these models, evaluating their potential, and contributing to policy discussion and development.Read moreRead less
Crisis and change: cultural-economic research on the adaptability and sustainability of Australian households. This research will enable better understanding of the ways in which households respond to governmental imperatives to become more sustainable in their own circumstances. It will reveal unheralded patterns of adaptation and innovative responses among ordinary households to the problems of climate change, financial crisis, and demographic transition. Funding this research will provide an ....Crisis and change: cultural-economic research on the adaptability and sustainability of Australian households. This research will enable better understanding of the ways in which households respond to governmental imperatives to become more sustainable in their own circumstances. It will reveal unheralded patterns of adaptation and innovative responses among ordinary households to the problems of climate change, financial crisis, and demographic transition. Funding this research will provide an opportunity for government to listen to Australian households, and to learn from their experiences as they grapple with contemporary economic, environmental and demographic challenges. It will enhance Australia's ability to become more environmentally sustainable, strengthen the social fabric of communities and reveal vernacular forms of innovation culture.Read moreRead less
Measuring the benefits of reuse in the circular economy. The project will advance understanding of reuse commodity chains, their societal benefits and contributions to a more sustainable circular economy. Drawing on case study research with charitable and community reuse organisations, factors facilitating or inhibiting reuse will be identified, and rigorous methods developed for assessing the benefits of reuse organisations in terms of quantities of materials processed, employment, skills devel ....Measuring the benefits of reuse in the circular economy. The project will advance understanding of reuse commodity chains, their societal benefits and contributions to a more sustainable circular economy. Drawing on case study research with charitable and community reuse organisations, factors facilitating or inhibiting reuse will be identified, and rigorous methods developed for assessing the benefits of reuse organisations in terms of quantities of materials processed, employment, skills development and contributions to regional economic development. Research outputs will provide a sound evidence base for government policy and decision-making and strengthen conceptual understanding of drivers and enablers of reuse and links with broader economic activities. Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992397
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,467,253.00
Summary
Cultural environmental research: the missing link in multidisciplinary approaches to sustainability. Despite widespread calls for cultural change to enable Australia to craft an environmentally sustainable future, the nation lacks systematic investment in cultural environmental research. This proposal will establish a critical mass of internationally competitive researchers in the cultural dimensions of environmental sustainability and human-environment interactions, including climate change. Th ....Cultural environmental research: the missing link in multidisciplinary approaches to sustainability. Despite widespread calls for cultural change to enable Australia to craft an environmentally sustainable future, the nation lacks systematic investment in cultural environmental research. This proposal will establish a critical mass of internationally competitive researchers in the cultural dimensions of environmental sustainability and human-environment interactions, including climate change. This will facilitate more effective multidisciplinary research across the natural science/social science divide and improve the relevance of environmental policies. Our ethnographic and related research methods will strengthen community capacity to respond to and shape the complex interactions of environmental and social change ahead.Read moreRead less