A study of the Australian thoroughbred and racing industry and the construction of 'nature'. The thoroughbred breeding and racing industry contributes significantly to national export income, regional development and national identity in Australia. Studying the physical and discursive construction and use of 'nature' (including, soil, grass, water, reproduction and the necessity of the unpredictability of nature) in different phases of breeding and racing improves understandings of technology ad ....A study of the Australian thoroughbred and racing industry and the construction of 'nature'. The thoroughbred breeding and racing industry contributes significantly to national export income, regional development and national identity in Australia. Studying the physical and discursive construction and use of 'nature' (including, soil, grass, water, reproduction and the necessity of the unpredictability of nature) in different phases of breeding and racing improves understandings of technology adoption, human-animal relations, sport and nature. Research outcomes will improve our understanding of this traditionally resilient but now vulnerable industry, thereby enhancing its capacity to adapt to change and remain internationally competitive.Read moreRead less
Emergent geographies of smart urbanism. This project aims to analyse how to make Australian cities smart. Across the world, urban innovation coheres around the idea of the ‘smart city’. Through case studies across government-led and community-led initiatives, this project will reveal the structure, dynamics and consequences of smart city strategies. The project’s evidence base, critical insights on the limits and potentials of ‘smart’ for urban management, and stakeholder engagement are expected ....Emergent geographies of smart urbanism. This project aims to analyse how to make Australian cities smart. Across the world, urban innovation coheres around the idea of the ‘smart city’. Through case studies across government-led and community-led initiatives, this project will reveal the structure, dynamics and consequences of smart city strategies. The project’s evidence base, critical insights on the limits and potentials of ‘smart’ for urban management, and stakeholder engagement are expected to inform policy and governance interventions. Its theoretical contribution should build understandings of how ‘smart’ will change Australian cities, their geographies and their governance.Read moreRead less
Beyond the Private Car: Personal Mobility Futures in Australia. Australian urban dwellers' reliance on the private car is a worsening dilemma for policy makers seeking more sustainable alternatives. The identification and nourishing of these alternatives is hindered by conceptual frameworks in which the private car is seen to be the only transport mode that offers independence and flexibility. This project breaks new ground in this transport conundrum in two ways. It develops a framework in whi ....Beyond the Private Car: Personal Mobility Futures in Australia. Australian urban dwellers' reliance on the private car is a worsening dilemma for policy makers seeking more sustainable alternatives. The identification and nourishing of these alternatives is hindered by conceptual frameworks in which the private car is seen to be the only transport mode that offers independence and flexibility. This project breaks new ground in this transport conundrum in two ways. It develops a framework in which to understand how non-private-car transport forms sustain both individual independence and the environment. It provides evidence on the everyday and governance contexts in which individualised, non-private-car mobility can flourish. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100912
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$384,136.00
Summary
The Photovoltaic Turn in Africa. This project aims to develop a detailed understanding of the drivers behind the recent rapid rise of photovoltaic (solar) energy products in East Africa through extensive fieldwork research in Kenya and Uganda. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the complex dynamics of renewable energy transitions in Africa. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of theoretical, empirical and policy insights that will inform how sustainable and j ....The Photovoltaic Turn in Africa. This project aims to develop a detailed understanding of the drivers behind the recent rapid rise of photovoltaic (solar) energy products in East Africa through extensive fieldwork research in Kenya and Uganda. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the complex dynamics of renewable energy transitions in Africa. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of theoretical, empirical and policy insights that will inform how sustainable and just energy transitions are able to be realised in energy poverty contexts in the Global South. This should provide benefits, such as helping to inform the actions of governments, aid donors, businesses and organisation working to eliminate energy poverty in Africa.Read moreRead less
Governing urban energy transitions: reconfiguring spaces, sites, subjects. Transitioning energy consumption and provision away from fossil fuels toward renewable resources is an urgent priority for Australia. However, the forms of governance required to facilitate these transitions, especially for critically important cities, are not well developed nor well understood. In a novel analysis of the materiality of governance, this project investigates the pathways, practices, and political dynamics ....Governing urban energy transitions: reconfiguring spaces, sites, subjects. Transitioning energy consumption and provision away from fossil fuels toward renewable resources is an urgent priority for Australia. However, the forms of governance required to facilitate these transitions, especially for critically important cities, are not well developed nor well understood. In a novel analysis of the materiality of governance, this project investigates the pathways, practices, and political dynamics of energy transitions in Australia's two largest cities. Through a focus on Central Business Districts and suburban office parks it aims to identify opportunities for, and barriers to, transition. It also aims to shed new light on the limits and potentials of urban energy transitions and to provide an evidence base to inform policy and governance interventions.Read moreRead less
Articulating value in housing cooperatives. Australia has a persistent shortage of affordable, quality housing. Housing cooperatives are member-based organisations providing rental and owner-occupied homes to members. They are associated with benefits for member-residents, including improved housing, improved senses of belonging and community, and employment and education outcomes. However, evidence for those benefits has gaps, so this study aims to develop a framework for assessing housing coop ....Articulating value in housing cooperatives. Australia has a persistent shortage of affordable, quality housing. Housing cooperatives are member-based organisations providing rental and owner-occupied homes to members. They are associated with benefits for member-residents, including improved housing, improved senses of belonging and community, and employment and education outcomes. However, evidence for those benefits has gaps, so this study aims to develop a framework for assessing housing cooperative benefits and to develop a typology to identify the factors shaping those benefits. The project outcome will be an evidence base of what works in cooperative housing, which can benefit the country by providing a rationale for growth of and policy support for socially beneficial housing.Read moreRead less
The changing geographies of power, knowledge and access in Australia's financial services sector: a regional development perspective. This project investigates one of the most pressing issues in the development of regional Australia: whether the modern financial services sector acts to reinforce or remediate existing patterns of uneven development. The research focuses on two key issues: 1) how the restructuring of the banking sector has affected the availability of financial services and ventur ....The changing geographies of power, knowledge and access in Australia's financial services sector: a regional development perspective. This project investigates one of the most pressing issues in the development of regional Australia: whether the modern financial services sector acts to reinforce or remediate existing patterns of uneven development. The research focuses on two key issues: 1) how the restructuring of the banking sector has affected the availability of financial services and venture capital in rural and urban Australia; and 2) the relationship between the changing geography of financial services and financial institutions' increasing reliance upon instrumental knowledge about their customers. The research will produce a model of the role of modern financial services provision and market knowledge in regional development.Read moreRead less
Developing the compact city. This project aims to investigate the operation of the higher density multi-unit residential development sector in Australia’s largest city. The project intends to draw on theoretical approaches to understanding the political economy of urban processes and innovative fine-grain analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel analysis of the developers behind the higher density transformation of urban Australia and their relationship to the land use planning s ....Developing the compact city. This project aims to investigate the operation of the higher density multi-unit residential development sector in Australia’s largest city. The project intends to draw on theoretical approaches to understanding the political economy of urban processes and innovative fine-grain analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel analysis of the developers behind the higher density transformation of urban Australia and their relationship to the land use planning system that facilitates this process via value uplift. The knowledge generated is intended to benefit planning policy makers and inform wider public debates on contemporary urban change by elucidating the rationale behind the key actors’ currently driving housing supply.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
Enabling inter-agency data sharing to support the spatial analysis of social vulnerability in a transforming region. This project's resolution of constraints to government agency data sharing will enable modernisation of public sector information management, creating a secure environment for joined-up use of agency data and enabling major resource savings. It will produce more geographically sensitive indicators of social vulnerability, marking a major advance in its understanding and assessment ....Enabling inter-agency data sharing to support the spatial analysis of social vulnerability in a transforming region. This project's resolution of constraints to government agency data sharing will enable modernisation of public sector information management, creating a secure environment for joined-up use of agency data and enabling major resource savings. It will produce more geographically sensitive indicators of social vulnerability, marking a major advance in its understanding and assessment. The project will significantly broaden agency's capability for research and analysis. It will generate major social benefits nationally, enabling the development of research-based policy enhancements that better align human service delivery with community needs. Lastly, it will contribute significantly to the strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less