After a decade of rapid change, the sea change phenomenon is now well established on the eastern Australian coast where its impacts have been an ongoing focus for all tiers of government. However, in January 2006, a report to the National Sea Change Taskforce called for ‘more detailed research within specific communities’ in recognition of...

Over the last 25 years neighbourhood economic outcomes have become increasingly polarised in Australia. The growing spatial dimensions of this inequality have generated discussion about the existence of ‘neighbourhood effects’, localised externalities and other endogenous processes, leading to underinvestment in education, lower levels of job-creation and economic activity, than might be expected in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Nineteen papers were part of the Social City stream, with a fairly even spread between macro, meso and micro analyses of issues confronting cities. Two papers from overseas (Auckland/Johannesburg) were included. Australian cities included: Sydney; Melbourne; Adelaide; Brisbane; Newcastle and Geelong. It was disappointing that there was nothing received from NT, ACT, Tasmania or Western...