Wendy Steele | RMIT University (original) (raw)
Journal Papers by Wendy Steele
International Planning Studies, Jan 1, 2012
Issues of urban equity have long been linked to urban planning. Yet in practice the quest for the... more Issues of urban equity have long been linked to urban planning. Yet in practice the quest for the ‘just city’, defined in terms of democracy, diversity, difference and sustainability, has proven to be highly problematic. Drawing on examples from the Australian urban context, we argue that the imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda of planning in cities. In our normative quest for the climate-just city we offer a conceptual and analytical framework for integrating the principles of climate justice and equity into urban planning thinking and practice.
Papers by Wendy Steele
Australian Planner
ABSTRACT This special issue of Australian Planner lands in the middle of the global Coronavirus p... more ABSTRACT This special issue of Australian Planner lands in the middle of the global Coronavirus pandemic. For a predominantly urban nation, much of the Australian response to the crisis has focused on the metropolitan scale. Larger cities in particular are more susceptible to larger outbreaks (Brail 2020). Over 80% of Australians live in cities, towns or regions, with over 50% of the population in the five largest capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. These growing metropolitan regions act as significant international and localised nodes for economic, political, communication, cultural and social exchange. They are the frontline for coordinated leadership and action on COVID19.
State of Australian Cities Research Network, Dec 11, 2015
Australian capital cities are being redeveloped through urban renewal and gentrification, especia... more Australian capital cities are being redeveloped through urban renewal and gentrification, especially in their inner cities. However, too often the market-led urban consolidation used in main Australian capital cities contributes to the displacement of low-income households from the inner cities into the outer suburbs which has implications for socio-spatial equity (Atkinson and Wulff, 2009; Atkinson et al., 2011). Housing displacement of low-income households is a growing problem both internationally and nationally however within the Australian context the focus has been on Sydney and Melbourne with little research focused on the other capital cities such as Brisbane. Over the last 20 years, the City of Brisbane has undertaken many urban renewal projects that have led to gentrification in its inner city, but few precautions have been taken to avoid or rigorously understand through research, policy or planning the displacement of low income households (Darchen and Ladouceur, 2013; Walters and McCrea, 2014). This paper explores housing insecurity and displacement within the case-study of Brisbane the impact of these factors on low to middle income households; and the implications for planning policy and practice at the metropolitan scale.
Introduction Climate change in Australia has elicited a polarized response. As elsewhere, most Au... more Introduction Climate change in Australia has elicited a polarized response. As elsewhere, most Australians are transfixed by the looming threats and mind-numbing scale of likely changes. Some simply deny the risk, while a few have begun to make small changes at the household scale (e.g. energy efficient light-bulbs or appliances, green power, public transportation, recycling, solar hot water) (see Slocum, 2004, for a Canadian comparison). But very few signs suggest that Australian society has begun to take the urgent action required if we are to stave off catastrophic climate change (Low, 2008). The likely consequences for the world's driest continent are dire indeed: prolonged drought and episodic rainfall, heightened storm intensity, increased flooding, extreme heatwaves and frequent bushfires, severe coastal erosion, widespread insect-borne diseases (e.g. dengue fever, malaria and Ross River virus), failing food-bowls, climate refugees, unprecedented species extirpation and, ultimately, the need to abandon some
This special issue on housing and socio-spatial inclusion had its genesis in the 5th Housing Theo... more This special issue on housing and socio-spatial inclusion had its genesis in the 5th Housing Theory Symposium (HTS) on the theme of housing and space, held in Brisbane, Australia in 2013. In late 2013 we put out a call for papers in an at-tempt to collect an initial suite of theoretical and empirical scholarship on this theme. This collection of articles pro-gresses our initial discussions about the theoretical implications of adding the “social ” to the conceptual project of thinking through housing and space. We hope that this special issue will act as a springboard for a critical review of housing theory, which could locate housing at the centre of a much broader network of social and cultural practices across different temporal trajectories and spatial scales. This editorial presents an overview of the theoretical discus-sions at the HTS and summarises the six articles in this themed issue, which are: (1) The meaning of home in home birth experiences; (2) Reconceptualizing the “...
Researchers and research institutions are increasingly required to demonstrate research impact, a... more Researchers and research institutions are increasingly required to demonstrate research impact, and significant effort is going into enhancing and promoting the impact of research projects around the world. But what exactly is research impact and how should we approach it, given the complex challenges the world faces? To inform this report, we reviewed research impact literature from across the globe and talked with research leaders around RMIT to think through different approaches to research impact. The result is this report and our framework of three ‘generations’ of research impact. The last of these is an approach we call ‘research impact as ethos’ – one that takes seriously the challenge of generating a positive, learning-oriented research impact culture appropriate to the challenges at hand. This is about research impact as more than the ‘backwash’ of research, but as a purposeful, connected and adaptive orientation to research work across and beyond institutions.In addition ...
Quiet Activism, 2021
This chapter introduces “quiet activism” and its relationship to social innovation, adaptation an... more This chapter introduces “quiet activism” and its relationship to social innovation, adaptation and other forms of activism with an embodied ethic of care. This includes an emphasis on the importance of the local scale in addressing the climate emergency and other crisis; cases of socially innovative practices and partnerships from Australia alongside international examples; and critical engagement with the role of quiet activism as a transformative conceptual frame and contemporary practice in climate change. We are interested in the diverse ways this transformative potential of quiet activism can create more equitable and sustainable futures.
Planning Wild Cities, 2020
Routledge Handbook of Climate Justice, 2018
The imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda in cities and urb... more The imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda in cities and urban areas. Justice and equity issues arise in the climate change context because of the high prospects for impacts on already vulnerable people and communities. In this chapter we outline the framework of the climate-just city as a conceptual and analytical lens for taking the urban equity agenda forward within the context of climate change. Building on the concept of the "just city" (see Fainstein 2010), we argue the key tenets of democracy, diversity, recognition and equity must more explicitly take into account the complex links between human society, urban settlements and the natural environment. We apply this lens to our empirical research focused on enabling social innovation to climate change at the local scale within the Australian context. The chapter concludes by offering insights into how the (climate-) just city principles can be mobilised in practice.
New housing estates are being rolled out on the edge of cities across Australia to help keep up w... more New housing estates are being rolled out on the edge of cities across Australia to help keep up with the nations population boom. Urban sociologist Dr Peter Walters says there's little sense of authorship of community being fostered in these sprawling suburbs. We ask him and associate professor of urban planning, Wendy Steele how we can get back our friendly neighbourhoods.
The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 t... more The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. This paper was presented at SOAC 6, held in Sydney from 26-29 November 2013. SOAC 6was the largest conference to date, with over 180 papers published in collected proceedings. All papers presented at the SOAC 2013 have been subject to a double blind refereeing process and have been reviewed by at least two referees. In particular, the review process assessed each paper in terms of its policy relevance and the contribution to the conceptual or empirical understanding of Australian cities
The Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education, 2021
AHURI Final Report, 2021
AHURI AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research man... more AHURI AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research management company, AHURI Limited, at its centre. AHURI's mission is to deliver high quality research that influences policy development and practice change to improve the housing and urban environments of all Australians. Using high quality, independent evidence and through active, managed engagement, AHURI works to inform the policies and practices of governments and the housing and urban development industries, and stimulate debate in the broader Australian community. AHURI undertakes evidence-based policy development on a range of priority policy topics that are of interest to our audience groups, including housing and labour markets, urban growth and renewal, planning and infrastructure development, housing supply and affordability, homelessness, economic productivity, and social cohesion and wellbeing. AHURI Limited also gratefully acknowledges the contributions, both financial and in-kind, of its university research partners who have helped make the completion of this material possible. Disclaimer The opinions in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of AHURI Limited, its Board, its funding organisations or Inquiry panel members. No responsibility is accepted by AHURI Limited, its Board or funders for the accuracy or omission of any statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication. AHURI journal AHURI Final Report journal series is a refereed series presenting the results of original research to a diverse readership of policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Peer review statement An objective assessment of reports published in the AHURI journal series by carefully selected experts in the field ensures that material published is of the highest quality. The AHURI journal series employs a double-blind peer review of the full report, where anonymity is strictly observed between authors and referees.
International Planning Studies, Jan 1, 2012
Issues of urban equity have long been linked to urban planning. Yet in practice the quest for the... more Issues of urban equity have long been linked to urban planning. Yet in practice the quest for the ‘just city’, defined in terms of democracy, diversity, difference and sustainability, has proven to be highly problematic. Drawing on examples from the Australian urban context, we argue that the imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda of planning in cities. In our normative quest for the climate-just city we offer a conceptual and analytical framework for integrating the principles of climate justice and equity into urban planning thinking and practice.
Australian Planner
ABSTRACT This special issue of Australian Planner lands in the middle of the global Coronavirus p... more ABSTRACT This special issue of Australian Planner lands in the middle of the global Coronavirus pandemic. For a predominantly urban nation, much of the Australian response to the crisis has focused on the metropolitan scale. Larger cities in particular are more susceptible to larger outbreaks (Brail 2020). Over 80% of Australians live in cities, towns or regions, with over 50% of the population in the five largest capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. These growing metropolitan regions act as significant international and localised nodes for economic, political, communication, cultural and social exchange. They are the frontline for coordinated leadership and action on COVID19.
State of Australian Cities Research Network, Dec 11, 2015
Australian capital cities are being redeveloped through urban renewal and gentrification, especia... more Australian capital cities are being redeveloped through urban renewal and gentrification, especially in their inner cities. However, too often the market-led urban consolidation used in main Australian capital cities contributes to the displacement of low-income households from the inner cities into the outer suburbs which has implications for socio-spatial equity (Atkinson and Wulff, 2009; Atkinson et al., 2011). Housing displacement of low-income households is a growing problem both internationally and nationally however within the Australian context the focus has been on Sydney and Melbourne with little research focused on the other capital cities such as Brisbane. Over the last 20 years, the City of Brisbane has undertaken many urban renewal projects that have led to gentrification in its inner city, but few precautions have been taken to avoid or rigorously understand through research, policy or planning the displacement of low income households (Darchen and Ladouceur, 2013; Walters and McCrea, 2014). This paper explores housing insecurity and displacement within the case-study of Brisbane the impact of these factors on low to middle income households; and the implications for planning policy and practice at the metropolitan scale.
Introduction Climate change in Australia has elicited a polarized response. As elsewhere, most Au... more Introduction Climate change in Australia has elicited a polarized response. As elsewhere, most Australians are transfixed by the looming threats and mind-numbing scale of likely changes. Some simply deny the risk, while a few have begun to make small changes at the household scale (e.g. energy efficient light-bulbs or appliances, green power, public transportation, recycling, solar hot water) (see Slocum, 2004, for a Canadian comparison). But very few signs suggest that Australian society has begun to take the urgent action required if we are to stave off catastrophic climate change (Low, 2008). The likely consequences for the world's driest continent are dire indeed: prolonged drought and episodic rainfall, heightened storm intensity, increased flooding, extreme heatwaves and frequent bushfires, severe coastal erosion, widespread insect-borne diseases (e.g. dengue fever, malaria and Ross River virus), failing food-bowls, climate refugees, unprecedented species extirpation and, ultimately, the need to abandon some
This special issue on housing and socio-spatial inclusion had its genesis in the 5th Housing Theo... more This special issue on housing and socio-spatial inclusion had its genesis in the 5th Housing Theory Symposium (HTS) on the theme of housing and space, held in Brisbane, Australia in 2013. In late 2013 we put out a call for papers in an at-tempt to collect an initial suite of theoretical and empirical scholarship on this theme. This collection of articles pro-gresses our initial discussions about the theoretical implications of adding the “social ” to the conceptual project of thinking through housing and space. We hope that this special issue will act as a springboard for a critical review of housing theory, which could locate housing at the centre of a much broader network of social and cultural practices across different temporal trajectories and spatial scales. This editorial presents an overview of the theoretical discus-sions at the HTS and summarises the six articles in this themed issue, which are: (1) The meaning of home in home birth experiences; (2) Reconceptualizing the “...
Researchers and research institutions are increasingly required to demonstrate research impact, a... more Researchers and research institutions are increasingly required to demonstrate research impact, and significant effort is going into enhancing and promoting the impact of research projects around the world. But what exactly is research impact and how should we approach it, given the complex challenges the world faces? To inform this report, we reviewed research impact literature from across the globe and talked with research leaders around RMIT to think through different approaches to research impact. The result is this report and our framework of three ‘generations’ of research impact. The last of these is an approach we call ‘research impact as ethos’ – one that takes seriously the challenge of generating a positive, learning-oriented research impact culture appropriate to the challenges at hand. This is about research impact as more than the ‘backwash’ of research, but as a purposeful, connected and adaptive orientation to research work across and beyond institutions.In addition ...
Quiet Activism, 2021
This chapter introduces “quiet activism” and its relationship to social innovation, adaptation an... more This chapter introduces “quiet activism” and its relationship to social innovation, adaptation and other forms of activism with an embodied ethic of care. This includes an emphasis on the importance of the local scale in addressing the climate emergency and other crisis; cases of socially innovative practices and partnerships from Australia alongside international examples; and critical engagement with the role of quiet activism as a transformative conceptual frame and contemporary practice in climate change. We are interested in the diverse ways this transformative potential of quiet activism can create more equitable and sustainable futures.
Planning Wild Cities, 2020
Routledge Handbook of Climate Justice, 2018
The imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda in cities and urb... more The imperative of climate change adds urgency to the longstanding equity agenda in cities and urban areas. Justice and equity issues arise in the climate change context because of the high prospects for impacts on already vulnerable people and communities. In this chapter we outline the framework of the climate-just city as a conceptual and analytical lens for taking the urban equity agenda forward within the context of climate change. Building on the concept of the "just city" (see Fainstein 2010), we argue the key tenets of democracy, diversity, recognition and equity must more explicitly take into account the complex links between human society, urban settlements and the natural environment. We apply this lens to our empirical research focused on enabling social innovation to climate change at the local scale within the Australian context. The chapter concludes by offering insights into how the (climate-) just city principles can be mobilised in practice.
New housing estates are being rolled out on the edge of cities across Australia to help keep up w... more New housing estates are being rolled out on the edge of cities across Australia to help keep up with the nations population boom. Urban sociologist Dr Peter Walters says there's little sense of authorship of community being fostered in these sprawling suburbs. We ask him and associate professor of urban planning, Wendy Steele how we can get back our friendly neighbourhoods.
The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 t... more The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. This paper was presented at SOAC 6, held in Sydney from 26-29 November 2013. SOAC 6was the largest conference to date, with over 180 papers published in collected proceedings. All papers presented at the SOAC 2013 have been subject to a double blind refereeing process and have been reviewed by at least two referees. In particular, the review process assessed each paper in terms of its policy relevance and the contribution to the conceptual or empirical understanding of Australian cities
The Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education, 2021
AHURI Final Report, 2021
AHURI AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research man... more AHURI AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research management company, AHURI Limited, at its centre. AHURI's mission is to deliver high quality research that influences policy development and practice change to improve the housing and urban environments of all Australians. Using high quality, independent evidence and through active, managed engagement, AHURI works to inform the policies and practices of governments and the housing and urban development industries, and stimulate debate in the broader Australian community. AHURI undertakes evidence-based policy development on a range of priority policy topics that are of interest to our audience groups, including housing and labour markets, urban growth and renewal, planning and infrastructure development, housing supply and affordability, homelessness, economic productivity, and social cohesion and wellbeing. AHURI Limited also gratefully acknowledges the contributions, both financial and in-kind, of its university research partners who have helped make the completion of this material possible. Disclaimer The opinions in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of AHURI Limited, its Board, its funding organisations or Inquiry panel members. No responsibility is accepted by AHURI Limited, its Board or funders for the accuracy or omission of any statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication. AHURI journal AHURI Final Report journal series is a refereed series presenting the results of original research to a diverse readership of policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Peer review statement An objective assessment of reports published in the AHURI journal series by carefully selected experts in the field ensures that material published is of the highest quality. The AHURI journal series employs a double-blind peer review of the full report, where anonymity is strictly observed between authors and referees.
Urban Policy and Research, 2020
Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners, Jan 1, 2009