Building lives, building community in South Morang, Mernda/Doreen and Whittlesea township growth areas

摘要

This project is about the effect of population growth on communities and the social factors which influence how suburbs grow from small townships to larger suburbs. The project has its origins in the issues identified by Crossroads Youth and Family Services, a program of The Salvation Army. It sought innovative ethnographic research to develop a deeper understanding of the demographic shifts which are taking place in the outer northern growth corridors. This research is therefore less about service delivery needs, but more about the ways the local communities are forming attachments to place and to each other in the growth areas. It suggests that community building needs to be considered as an essential part of the development of new urban fringe communities, and key players such as local, state and federal governments, developers and local community agencies are all shapers of the current experiences of residents in new growth areas such as Whittlesea.