Tracing the impact of urban experimentation in water and energy domains. This proposal aims to investigate how the processes of experimenting with alternative urban infrastructure systems can lead to sustainable urban transformations. Focusing on the urban water and energy sectors, this project expects to generate new cross-sector knowledge regarding the transition dynamics associated with delivering sustainable urban futures. The anticipated outcomes of examining how innovations become mainstre ....Tracing the impact of urban experimentation in water and energy domains. This proposal aims to investigate how the processes of experimenting with alternative urban infrastructure systems can lead to sustainable urban transformations. Focusing on the urban water and energy sectors, this project expects to generate new cross-sector knowledge regarding the transition dynamics associated with delivering sustainable urban futures. The anticipated outcomes of examining how innovations become mainstream include, improved institutional strategies and enhanced policy and program interventions. This work expects to positively impact the value and associated outcomes of government and private investment in innovative urban infrastructures dedicated to advancing sustainable and resilient urban environments.Read moreRead less
Foregrounding the suburban backyard: using hybrid spaces to develop new environmental theory for more effective management of human landscapes. Although human influences now pervade all Earth processes, environmental ideals of pristine past landscapes without people continue to dominate. The project addresses the challenge of managing environments for hybridity, change and human presence, rather than timeless purity. I will undertake the first in-depth ethnographic study of the suburban backya ....Foregrounding the suburban backyard: using hybrid spaces to develop new environmental theory for more effective management of human landscapes. Although human influences now pervade all Earth processes, environmental ideals of pristine past landscapes without people continue to dominate. The project addresses the challenge of managing environments for hybridity, change and human presence, rather than timeless purity. I will undertake the first in-depth ethnographic study of the suburban backyard, Australia's most hybrid ecosystem. I analyse how categories of environmental belonging - indigenous/introduced, wild/tame, hybrid/pure - are differentially applied to people, other species and landscapes, in policy and popular culture. This contributes to new theories of long term human-environment interactions and effective management of human landscapes. Outcomes will include books and museum exhibitions.Read moreRead less
Improving Government Policy Making and Needs-Based Delivery of Services: Innovative Techniques to Enhance Administrative Data by Adding Socioeconomic Status. This project will create major national benefits by illuminating whether there are significant differences in access to or usage of such key government services as health and education by socio-economic status. Currently, most departments do not fully exploit their administrative data to answer such questions, because of the difficulty of ....Improving Government Policy Making and Needs-Based Delivery of Services: Innovative Techniques to Enhance Administrative Data by Adding Socioeconomic Status. This project will create major national benefits by illuminating whether there are significant differences in access to or usage of such key government services as health and education by socio-economic status. Currently, most departments do not fully exploit their administrative data to answer such questions, because of the difficulty of identifying the socio-economic status of users. This project will help Australia in its on-going but recently intensified efforts to make better use of its administrative data, resulting in a more efficient use of our data resources; better targeting of scare government resources; and improved identification of those in greatest need. Read moreRead less
Transforming the outer suburbs through master planned estates: a governmental challenge. Master planned estates are becoming more common on the outer suburbs of capital cities and the developers of these estates are required to plan and manage a whole range of services. This project examines the role that private actors play in 'governing' suburban estates alongside traditional forms of government and the challenges that ensue.
Encounters with Urban Nature in Australia: An investigation into environmental values, anti-urbanism, multiculturalism, and the transition to urban sustainability. This project offers strategic basic and applied research approaches to overcoming the neglect of moral experience of ?nature? in urban environments so as to further the transition to sustainability in Australia. Working at the intersection of aesthetic, geographical, philosophical, and sociological studies of ecology, this project dev ....Encounters with Urban Nature in Australia: An investigation into environmental values, anti-urbanism, multiculturalism, and the transition to urban sustainability. This project offers strategic basic and applied research approaches to overcoming the neglect of moral experience of ?nature? in urban environments so as to further the transition to sustainability in Australia. Working at the intersection of aesthetic, geographical, philosophical, and sociological studies of ecology, this project develops a comparative qualitative study of three Australian cities. It explores: (1) the paradoxical appeal of anti-urban environmental values to urbanites; (2) the multicultural axis of diversity in urban environmental values; (3) political sites for contesting experiences of ?nature?; and (4) policy opportunities for expression of local synergies between social and biotic well-being in urban ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Spatial structure of emerging labour markets in China: a study of social and political institutions in localities. This project will identify factors influencing the structure of emerging local labour markets in China during economic transition. It will (i) measure spatial variations in the degree to which markets for labour have emerged in China; (ii) characterise national, provincial and local influences over the operation of labour markets; (iii) evaluate competing explanations of labour mar ....Spatial structure of emerging labour markets in China: a study of social and political institutions in localities. This project will identify factors influencing the structure of emerging local labour markets in China during economic transition. It will (i) measure spatial variations in the degree to which markets for labour have emerged in China; (ii) characterise national, provincial and local influences over the operation of labour markets; (iii) evaluate competing explanations of labour market transitions; and (iv) evaluate the capacity of Chinese governments to direct economic change in new markets. The project will integrate geographical theory of local labour markets and theories of transition in China, extending and enriching both.Read moreRead less
The Geography of Australia's People in Places: Processes of Change and Policy Responses. A major book will be written on the changing geography of people and places across Australia's settlement system between 1976 to 2006. Globalisation, economic restructuring, the changing nature of work, population growth and decline, migration, changes in households and families, and policy reorientations combine to impact in many different ways on people-in-places, affecting their fortunes and well-being. H ....The Geography of Australia's People in Places: Processes of Change and Policy Responses. A major book will be written on the changing geography of people and places across Australia's settlement system between 1976 to 2006. Globalisation, economic restructuring, the changing nature of work, population growth and decline, migration, changes in households and families, and policy reorientations combine to impact in many different ways on people-in-places, affecting their fortunes and well-being. How to cope with change represents exciting opportunities for some people in some places, while other people and places are vulnerable. The challenges for public policy are enormous, requiring rethinking of approaches by governments at all levels.Read moreRead less
The Influence of Context on Player Attitudes to Drugs: Implications for Sport Policy in Australia. This research project will generate evidence about drug use in sport that can be used to both evaluate current policy and better inform the drugs-in-sport debate. In addition it will provide significant benefits to both the collaborating partners and the sport industry in general. Collaborating partners will benefit by being able to contribute to the research project, and having full access to the ....The Influence of Context on Player Attitudes to Drugs: Implications for Sport Policy in Australia. This research project will generate evidence about drug use in sport that can be used to both evaluate current policy and better inform the drugs-in-sport debate. In addition it will provide significant benefits to both the collaborating partners and the sport industry in general. Collaborating partners will benefit by being able to contribute to the research project, and having full access to the results of the research. It is anticipated that the results will directly assist their strategic goals of education, advocacy and harm minimisation. The sport industry will benefit by obtaining a more detailed understanding of how players view drugs-in-sport and in particular how they discriminate between various drug types. 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
The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand ho ....The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand how local firm clusters are internationally networked through branch office and affiliate corporate linkages. This project seeks to better direct urban and economic policy by positioning these sectors to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.Read moreRead less