Evonne Miller

The Impact of Social Capital on Residential Water-Affecting Behaviors in a Drought-Prone Australian Community

Australians report the second highest rate of water consumption in the industrialized world, despite the continents generally dry conditions. With researchers suggesting that fostering social capital may encourage people to work together on environmental and sustainable initiatives, this article explores whether social capital, environmental responsibility, and socio-demographic lifestyle factors might predict environmentally friendly or unfriendly home water use behaviors, specifically gardening and car washing, in a drought-prone Australian community. Residents who scored higher on the Neighborhood Connections element of social capital were more likely to wash their car in an environmentally friendly manner. Conversely, residents who scored higher on the Proactivity element of social capital were more likely to engage in the potentially harmful gardening practice of using weedkillers, pesticides and herbicides. The role social capital might play in fostering—or restricting—water sustainability, as well as the implications for policy, community engagement, and environmental education programs, is discussed.

Residential satisfaction in inner urban higher-density Brisbane, Australia: role of dwelling design, neighbourhood and neighbours

Increasing the population density of urban areas is a key policy strategy to sustainably manage growth, but many residents often view higher-density living as an undesirable long-term housing option. Thus, this research explores the predictors of residential satisfaction in inner urban higher-density (IUHD) environments, surveying 636 IUHD residents in Brisbane, Australia about the importance of dwelling design (34 specific attributes, assessing satisfaction with facilities, upkeep, size, cost, design, surroundings, location, climate and environmental management) and neighbourhood (73 specific attributes, assessing satisfaction with noise, odours, pollution, safety, growth, neighbourhood characteristics, facilities). Ordinal regression modelling identified the specific features of the neighbourhood and dwelling that were critical in predicting residential satisfaction: satisfaction with dwelling position, design and facilities, noise, walkability, safety and condition of local area and social contacts (family, friends, familiar faces) in the neighbourhood. Identifying the factors that influence residential satisfaction in IUHD will assist with both planning and design of such developments, enhancing quality and appeal to help ensure a lower resident turnover rate and facilitate acceptance and uptake of high-density living.

Conceptualising climate change in rural Australia: community perceptions, attitudes and (in)actions

Public engagement and support is essential for ensuring adaptation to climate change. The first step in achieving engagement is documenting how the general public currently perceive and understand climate change issues, specifically the importance they place on this global problem and identifying any unique challenges for individual communities. For rural communities, which rely heavily on local agriculture industries, climate change brings both potential impacts and opportunities. Yet, to date, our knowledge about how rural residents conceptualise climate change is limited. Thus, this research explores how the broader rural community—not only farmers—conceptualises climate change and responsive activities, focussing on documenting the understandings and risk perceptions of local residents from two small Australian rural communities. Twenty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted in communities in the Eden/Gippsland region on the border of New South Wales and Victoria and the north-east of Tasmania. There are conflicting views on how climate change is conceptualised, the degree of concern and need for action, the role of local industry, who will ‘win’ and ‘lose’, and the willingness of rural communities to adapt. In particular, residents who believed in anthropogenic or human-induced factors described the changing climate as evidence of ‘climate change’, whereas those who were more sceptical termed it ‘weather variability’, suggesting that there is a divide in rural Australia that, unless urgently addressed, will hinder local and national policy responses to this global issue. Engaging these communities in the twenty-first-century climate change debate will require a significant change in terminology and communication strategies.

Transportation behaviours of older adults: An investigation into car dependency in urban Australia

Aim:  Increased car dependency among Australias ageing population may result in increased social isolation and other health impacts associated with the cessation of driving. While public transport represents an alternative to car usage, patronage remains low among older cohorts. This study investigates the facilitators and barriers to public transport patronage and the nature of car dependence among older Australians.

Diversification for sustainable development in rural and regional Australia: How local community leaders conceptualise the impacts and opportunities from agriculture, tourism and mining

Abstract Although the multiple economic, environmental and social challenges threatening the viability of rural and regional communities in Australia are well-known, little research has explored how community leaders conceptualise the impact and opportunities associated with economic diversification from agriculture into alternative industries, such as tourism and mining. This qualitative research, utilising the Darling Downs in Queensland as a case study, documents how 28 local community leaders have experienced this economic diversification process. The findings reveal that local community leaders have a deep understanding about the opportunities and challenges presented by diversification, articulating a clear vision about how to achieve the best possible future for their region. Despite excitement about growth, there were concerns about preserving heritage, the increased pressure on local infrastructure and an ageing population. By documenting local leader’s insights, these findings may help inform planning for rural and regional communities and facilitate management of the exciting yet challenging process of growth and diversification.

Water-Recycling In South-East Queensland, Australia: What Do Men And Women Think?

Abstract In January 2007, South-East Queensland became the first region in Australia to formally decide to introduce recycled water into the drinking supplies. Internationally, although water recycling occurs in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Belgium, surprisingly little is known about public perceptions. This article explores gender differences in knowledge and acceptance of water recycling as a solution to the water crisis in Australia. A postal survey of Pine Rivers Shire residents showed that both men and women attempted to use water responsibly and had deliberately made changes to reduce their household–s water consumption in the past year. All believed that the general community did not have adequate knowledge to vote on water recycling and were supportive of the government’s decision to implement it without a referendum. Women were more dubious about the trustworthiness and science of the technology, while men were more knowledgeable and followed the debate more closely. Men were more supportive of building dams and increasing the price of water, whereas women prioritised desalination and greywater. By highlighting the similarities and differences between men and women on the water crisis and water recycling in South-East Queensland, this research will inform the development of risk communication, education and engagement strategies.

Perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers in rural Australia

Disagreement within the global science community about the certainty and causes of climate change has led the general public to question what to believe and whom to trust on matters related to this issue. This paper reports on qualitative research undertaken with Australian residents from two rural areas to explore their perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers. While overall, residents tended to agree that climate change is a reality, perceptions varied in terms of its causes and how best to address it. Politicians, government, and the media were described as untrustworthy sources of information about climate change, with independent scientists being the most trusted. The vested interests of information providers appeared to be a key reason for their distrust. The findings highlight the importance of improved transparency and consultation with the public when communicating information about climate change and related policies.

Leading a Sustainable Lifestyle in a ‘Non-Sustainable World’

Despite increasing awareness and acceptance of sustainability, relatively little is known about the motivations, viewpoints and experiences of people who choose to lead extremely sustainable lives. Through in-depth interviews with seven sustainability leaders, residing in an ecovillage or traditional suburban community in south-east Queensland in Australia, this qualitative research explores their sustainability motivations, experiences and whether residing in a sustainable ecovillage makes leading a sustainable life easier. All shared a strong commitment to sustainability from early childhood and enjoyed being early adopters and leaders in sustainability, explaining that they felt this leadership role was ‘their calling’. Ecovillage residents felt living there made it easier to stay motivated and maintain a sustainable lifestyle due to the support and shared knowledge from ‘like-minded’ neighbours, whilst participants residing in a traditional suburban community valued not being bound by a community code and the challenge of leading a sustainable lifestyle in a ‘non-sustainable world’.

Integrating ICT into the planning process: impacts, opportunities and challenges

One of the most significant lifestyle and technological trends of the twenty-first century is the emergence and increased ubiquity of mobile information and communication technologies (mICT). The potential of mICT raises critical questions for planners, potentially enabling citizen engagement and enhancing the urban planning process through facilitating communication, interaction and collaboration between planning professionals and the public. To date, although technology has become integral to all functions within our urban environment, little is known about how urban planners perceive mICT and its current and potential future role in the planning process. This research explores this knowledge gap, via empirical data gathered from town planners of various sectors based in Queensland. The findings illustrate that these planners believed ICT offered strong potential to share information, creatively build community, connect with users of public spaces and adapt places in swift and temporary ways. This paper explores the issues of integrating mICT into planning practice and the affordances that these technologies offer for community consultation and placemaking. The paper aims to spark a discussion to find the best ways to overcome key barriers to making ICT part of the daily practice of planning professionals, including knowledge, skill, agency and time constraints.

Predicting Older Australians' LeisureTime Physical Activity

Abstract Despite well-publicised health and social benefits of physical activity, liketheir younger counterparts, the majority of older people tend to lead relatively sedentary lives. This crosssectional study investigates the impact of residential locality, specifically whether older adults live in their own home in the community (n = 374) or in independent living units in retirement villages (n = 323), on participation in the leisuretime physical activities (LTPA) of walking, swimming, dancing and lawn bowls. The research illustrates that, despite being older andin poorer health, retirement village residents report greater frequency of participation in the LTPA of walking, dancing and lawn bowls than older Australians living in the community. As encouraging physical activity is a global public healthpriority, these findings suggest that a priority for future research is to investigate how and why the social and physical environment of retirement communitiesmight foster LTPA among older adults.