DETERMINANTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN CITIES: The South East Queensland Urban Region in Comparative Perspective. This is the Australian component of an international project on quality of life (QOL) in cities. It examines people's perceived QOL and relates this to objective indicators such as employment levels and neighbourhood safety. We examine the South East Queensland urban region; our collaborators focus on Detroit (USA) and Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Our research tests the recent propositio ....DETERMINANTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN CITIES: The South East Queensland Urban Region in Comparative Perspective. This is the Australian component of an international project on quality of life (QOL) in cities. It examines people's perceived QOL and relates this to objective indicators such as employment levels and neighbourhood safety. We examine the South East Queensland urban region; our collaborators focus on Detroit (USA) and Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Our research tests the recent proposition that QOL is the key element in the rise of the new economy characterised by increasing emphasis on consumption and expansion of the services sector. Understanding the relationship between QOL and the new economy is vital for future urban planning.Read moreRead less
The social determinants of childhood injury. Child hood injury is a preventable problem of major importance. This project will provide a comprehensive, research-based policy solution that will minimise death and disability among children zero to three years of age.
Youth civic participation and social connection in post-industrial society: a comparative analysis. The project generates important new knowledge about youth civic participation and will develop more effective indicators for contemporary meanings of citizenship and connection that are relevant to young people today. It will make a direct contribution to youth, education and welfare policies on issues of youth participation and connection, helping to shape a timely and responsive approach on the ....Youth civic participation and social connection in post-industrial society: a comparative analysis. The project generates important new knowledge about youth civic participation and will develop more effective indicators for contemporary meanings of citizenship and connection that are relevant to young people today. It will make a direct contribution to youth, education and welfare policies on issues of youth participation and connection, helping to shape a timely and responsive approach on the part of policy makers, service providers and programme designers. The project will also contribute significantly to the development of ongoing international collaborations between researchers in Australia and Europe, and to the research training of the next generation.Read moreRead less
Managing the social, environmental & economic impacts of high density-living within inner-urban sub-tropical environments. Higher-density (HD) living is a popular strategy for managing urban growth (i.e., reducing greenhouse gas emissions). In sub-tropical environments, it represents a significant change from the traditional suburb, but provides a potential solution to the impacts of population growth on resources/infrastructure. By identifying the impacts associated with HD living & developing ....Managing the social, environmental & economic impacts of high density-living within inner-urban sub-tropical environments. Higher-density (HD) living is a popular strategy for managing urban growth (i.e., reducing greenhouse gas emissions). In sub-tropical environments, it represents a significant change from the traditional suburb, but provides a potential solution to the impacts of population growth on resources/infrastructure. By identifying the impacts associated with HD living & developing strategies (including design solutions & impact management strategies) to enhance the sustainability of HD, this research will have immediate and long-term triple bottom line benefits for Australia - encouraging the uptake of HD living achieving an environmentally sustainable Australia (Research Priority 1). 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
Natural Hazard Vulnerability: A study of risk, vulnerability, behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of warnings. This project builds on original research into community vulnerability, awareness and preparedness for natural hazards. During the second half of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the trend in emergency management and disaster mitigation research has been towards the social and community impacts of natural disasters. The aim of the project is to exa ....Natural Hazard Vulnerability: A study of risk, vulnerability, behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of warnings. This project builds on original research into community vulnerability, awareness and preparedness for natural hazards. During the second half of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the trend in emergency management and disaster mitigation research has been towards the social and community impacts of natural disasters. The aim of the project is to examine risk perception amongst hazard vulnerable communities. The expected outcomes include an improved awareness campaign and a better understanding of the ways in which warnings and forecasts are filtered and distorted by the public.Read moreRead less
What makes a community resilient? Examining changes in the adaptive capacities of Brisbane suburbs before and after the 2011 flood. This project will be the first study to examine the key community processes and structures associated with community resilience both before and after the 2011 Brisbane floods. Drawing on a longitudinal study of Brisbane suburbs, it will critically assess the conditions under which suburban communities respond to and recover from a major disaster.
Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is ....Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is a potential solution to both these challenges but requires new approaches to cross sector collaborations. This project aims to develop new insights, practical knowledge and practical tools for effective social procurement.Read moreRead less
Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australi ....Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australians. The project is significant because it adopts a sector-wide view to systematically define social risk, co-create a social risk management framework and implement it via a new social risk management toolkit. This should lessen harm to communities, reduce delays and costs and benefit national infrastructure delivery.Read moreRead less
Being a Transnational Muslim in Australia in an Era of Hyper-Security. Muslims have been the focus of significant policy articulations around security and integration in a hypersecuritised environment. This project aims to investigate how Australian Muslims are negotiating increased surveillance and public hostility and how this impacts on their sense of belonging. Working with members of four disparate Muslim communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the project will examine the va ....Being a Transnational Muslim in Australia in an Era of Hyper-Security. Muslims have been the focus of significant policy articulations around security and integration in a hypersecuritised environment. This project aims to investigate how Australian Muslims are negotiating increased surveillance and public hostility and how this impacts on their sense of belonging. Working with members of four disparate Muslim communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the project will examine the varied manifestations of national and transnational belonging for conceptions of identity and social inclusion. In addition to generating new knowledge in the sociology of religion and migration studies, this project will also yield novel data for better policy and practice both locally and internationally.Read moreRead less