Contradictory Characters: Place-Identity and the Post-Suburban City

Abstract

This paper is about the quest for place-identity and neighbourhood 'character' in the suburbs, mapped against changing notions of identity, local politics and urban restructuring. It is drawn from a study of a range of Melbourne suburbs with some parallels to Sydney. This quest for 'character' plays out differently in old and new suburbs and in a context of an increasingly mixed demography of both household types and ethnicities. Some older suburbs are perceived to have a character based in a homogeneity of both people and buildings, while others are defended on the basis that the 'character' is found in the 'mix' with a certain spicy taste. New housing developments are often geared to a market for 'character' based on ideals such as the neo-traditional 'village' gathered around the 'green'. The paper will explore some of the contradictions that emerge in this suburban field as identity formation becomes torn between desires for uniformity and the realities of difference. To what extent is this quest for 'character' a defence of an insularity of place-identity and how does it reflect the increased diversity of Australian cities and a 'post-suburban' condition?