Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/12544
Title: | Cool places, creative places? Community perceptions of cultural vitality in the suburbs | Contributor(s): | Gibson, Chris (author); Brennan-Horely, Chris (author); Laurenson, Beth (author); Riggs, Naomi (author); Warren, Andrew (author); Gallan, Ben (author); Brown, Heidi (author) | Publication Date: | 2012 | DOI: | 10.1177/1367877911433750 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/12544 | Abstract: | This article stems from a project examining cultural assets in Wollongong - a medium-sized Australian city with a decentralized and linear suburban pattern that challenges orthodox binaries of inner-city bohemia/outer-suburban domesticity. In Wollongong we documented community perceptions of cultural assets across this unusual setting, through a simple public research method. At the city's largest annual festival we recruited the general public to nominate the city's most 'cool' and 'creative' places, by drawing on a map of Wollongong and telling their stories. Hand-drawn maps from 205 participants were combined in a Geographical Information System and 50 hours of stories transcribed for qualitative analysis. Over 2300 places were identified. Among them were some surprising results: although places known for the arts and bohemian creative industries figured prominently, these were not only in the inner-city but in beachside suburbs with unique cultural histories. Also, a range of affective engagements with place, including unconventional forms of creativity, were described in industrial and blue-collar suburbs. Network topology analysis by place of residence also revealed the extent of localism, as well as specializations and aggrandizements among suburbs. Our conclusions are threefold: first, that 'creativity' is relationally situated and linked across all parts of the city; second, that decentralized forms of small-scale cultural infrastructure provision are vital for vernacular cultural pursuits; and, third, that 'creativity' is a polysemic and contested category - only ever partially revealing the contours of cultural vitality in the suburbs. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | International Journal of Cultural Studies, 15(3), p. 287-302 | Publisher: | Sage Publications Ltd | Place of Publication: | United Kingdom | ISSN: | 1460-356X 1367-8779 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 200203 Consumption and Everyday Life 160403 Social and Cultural Geography |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 470203 Consumption and everyday life 440404 Political economy and social change |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 959999 Cultural Understanding not elsewhere classified 950199 Arts and Leisure not elsewhere classified |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 139999 Other culture and society not elsewhere classified 130101 Design |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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