Past Projects (Selection)

Does multicultural policy create cohesive suburbs?

The city of Maribyrnong was keen to know how it could create a more culturally inclusive community. This study explored the ways in which government, service providers and civic organisations in Maribyrnong work to build a stronger sense of community. It focussed on the ways in which government, service providers, local social media such as local community Facebook groups and civic organisations in Melbourne’s West build a stronger sense of community. The study adds to the community “saved” argument which states that community is still aligned with local and spatial restrictions, despite improvements in transportation and communication. We investigate if - in the eyes of our respondents - place-based social media, if combined with local activities, can reinforce and enhance face-to-face community participation of culturally diverse groups. The report was presented at the Maribyrnong City Council and lead to changes in their multicultural policy approach.

Does suburb diversity create Islamophobia?

This research project focused on evaluating the effectiveness of measures to create more social cohesion in two suburbs with high shares of Muslims. A summary of the policy recommendations, which were endorsed by most of the industry partners that participated in the project:

Continuous and increased funding for community development and diversity programs and services in the two localities. As overseas immigration into these areas continues, supporting mutual understanding of Muslim and non-Muslim residents should be the focus of the social cohesion policy.
Continuous and increased communication of community events and programs for all groups, including those with no or poor English.
Employing more people from minority backgrounds, women and people from local ethnic minorities (e.g. people of Muslim backgrounds and Aboriginal people in the local police force and as teacher’s aides) in order to facilitate cross-cultural understanding.
Continue and if possible strengthen youth programs. Alongside existing programs featuring sport, music-related and other programs could be expanded.
A consistent support by local councils of multi-faith community celebration, especially around main religious holidays, has a potential to increase inter-faith knowledge, familiarity and a feeling of belonging among minority populations.
Inter-faith programs with an explicit educational content should be continuously funded and supported. These programs could be delivered in local schools, community organisations, neighbourhood houses and places of worship. Such programs have potential to increase tolerance and promote local harmony.
Employment programs focused on reaching out to local youth could tackle entrenched socio-economic disadvantage that may run in families, leading to social ills such as drugs, delinquency, inter-ethnic tensions and a potential attraction to violent extremism.

To view the report click here.

Restructuring large housing estates in Europe

All over Europe large numbers of inhabitants live in large housing estates built after the Second World War. The estates were carefully planned. But now, while some have well integrated into the housing markets, many of them experience both physical and social decline. They house large numbers of low-income households, unemployed people and households from ethnic minorities. Often despite more than two decades of attempts at rehabilitation, they are increasingly associated with crime and social exclusion. The circumstances in the estates and policy initiatives associated with these estates were the focus of the RESTATE project. An important part of the RESTATE project was the exchange of experiences and solutions between policymakers, housing companies and researchers.

The focus of this project was on the circumstances in these large post-war estates, on policies to counteract negative trends and on activities that stimulate positive developments. All over Europe urban and other policies are increasingly concerned with these large post-war estates. The estates are both physically and in a social sense, increasingly identified among the worst parts of cities in Europe. As millions of people will be affected by the success or failure to improve the estates, which will, due to their sheer quantity, remain an important part of the European housing stock for the coming decades. The range of different problems and their complexity means that they present a challenge to policymakers, practitioners and researchers alike.

The findings can be found by clicking here.