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
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
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
Regional boards: Understanding the impact of gender diversity on board performance. The aim of this project is to identify what the impact of public policies to increase women's representation on boards has been to the operations and effectiveness of regional development boards. Given the concerted efforts made at both federal and state levels to increase women's representation on key decision-making boards in regional locations, it is timely now to assess whether the benefits assumed to occur ....Regional boards: Understanding the impact of gender diversity on board performance. The aim of this project is to identify what the impact of public policies to increase women's representation on boards has been to the operations and effectiveness of regional development boards. Given the concerted efforts made at both federal and state levels to increase women's representation on key decision-making boards in regional locations, it is timely now to assess whether the benefits assumed to occur as a result of diversity have been achieved for these boards and their communities, and if not, why not? This information will be used to inform policy making concerning regional boards, and government boards more generally, at both federal and state levels.Read moreRead less
Advancing spatial research by reconstructing Australia's economic geography. Significant National Benefits will arise: (a) Innovative and demanded spatial data based on the new economic geographies created will value-add to a current ARC LIEF project; (b) A newly created socio-economic atlas will enhance our understandings of regional Australia; (c) An understanding of the 'new regional geography of winners and losers' through new analyses of new spatial data; (d) Racilitating the development of ....Advancing spatial research by reconstructing Australia's economic geography. Significant National Benefits will arise: (a) Innovative and demanded spatial data based on the new economic geographies created will value-add to a current ARC LIEF project; (b) A newly created socio-economic atlas will enhance our understandings of regional Australia; (c) An understanding of the 'new regional geography of winners and losers' through new analyses of new spatial data; (d) Racilitating the development of spatially informed policies to enhance the capacity of citizens to participate in the socio-economic life of their communities; (e) Capacity building through skill transfers within the social science research community focused on spatial research and policy.Read moreRead less
Australia's Rural Heartlands: Declining Economic Fortune or Dynamic Regional Adjustment? Agriculture in the rural heartlands provides high quality food and fibre for domestic consumption and export making significant contributions to national earnings. The heartlands are the custodians of our natural resources and cultural heritage and farmers play a vital economic and social role in the sustainability of these regions. While there is considerable variability between these places this research ....Australia's Rural Heartlands: Declining Economic Fortune or Dynamic Regional Adjustment? Agriculture in the rural heartlands provides high quality food and fibre for domestic consumption and export making significant contributions to national earnings. The heartlands are the custodians of our natural resources and cultural heritage and farmers play a vital economic and social role in the sustainability of these regions. While there is considerable variability between these places this research will provide a detailed understanding as to why it is that rural places differ in their development. A major benefit will be to present Australian governments, the agricultural industry and rural communities with a more accurate picture of how the rural heartlands now function, and to articulate the public policy implications.Read moreRead less
Evolving urban structure, mode choice, travel behaviour and energy consumption: A study of the Sydney planning strategy. The project will analyse the emerging Sydney Strategic Plan which is designed to address excessive car reliance that is claimed to cause inefficient energy use, congestion, adverse health and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The Project's policy framework will contribute to of an environmentally sustainable Australia and will promote public debate. While other funding will ....Evolving urban structure, mode choice, travel behaviour and energy consumption: A study of the Sydney planning strategy. The project will analyse the emerging Sydney Strategic Plan which is designed to address excessive car reliance that is claimed to cause inefficient energy use, congestion, adverse health and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The Project's policy framework will contribute to of an environmentally sustainable Australia and will promote public debate. While other funding will have expired, the professional academic network will continue to flourish at spatially oriented workshops and conferences which will provide the means of disseminating the analytical techniques, empirical results and policy analysis from the project, thereby enhancing the research capacities of network members.Read moreRead less
Improving the contribution of protected areas to quality of life in rural and regional communities. This research addresses the fundamental question of how local communities value the contribution of natural and cultural heritage, in particular in Protected Areas, to their wellbeing, and how these 'community' values differ from those of protected area managers and policy makers. It examines the role of nature based tourism as a vehicle for improving quality of life in rural communities, and how ....Improving the contribution of protected areas to quality of life in rural and regional communities. This research addresses the fundamental question of how local communities value the contribution of natural and cultural heritage, in particular in Protected Areas, to their wellbeing, and how these 'community' values differ from those of protected area managers and policy makers. It examines the role of nature based tourism as a vehicle for improving quality of life in rural communities, and how regional development strategies can be enhanced through the contributions of Protected Areas.Read moreRead less
Water and Energy profiles for Sydney: Towards Sustainability. The critical problem of urban sustainability is addressed in collaboration with NSW Landcom. The sustainability problem in Australian cities arises largely because urban management systems have failed to account for the effects of the built environment on water and energy consumption patterns. Cities such as Sydney, and its western regions, require urgent attention due to huge foreseen urban growth and development. By examining the ne ....Water and Energy profiles for Sydney: Towards Sustainability. The critical problem of urban sustainability is addressed in collaboration with NSW Landcom. The sustainability problem in Australian cities arises largely because urban management systems have failed to account for the effects of the built environment on water and energy consumption patterns. Cities such as Sydney, and its western regions, require urgent attention due to huge foreseen urban growth and development. By examining the nexus between built environment composition, socio-economic factors and ecological 'load' new insights to this important matter are gained. Results will provide new strategies and models for urban management systems that will enhance environmental efficiency and effectiveness. Read moreRead less