Policing in the 'communal spaces' of major event venues

The recent re-conceptualization of 'mass private property' as one form of 'communal spaces' raises a series of questions concerning policing and security in these domains. This paper applies the concept of 'communal spaces' to an analysis of policing in 'major event venues.' We assess the character of policing in these communal spaces by drawing upon interviews conducted with policing—private and public—personnel operating in major event venues. The paper identifies different perspectives on the nature of policing in these communal spaces and tension between public and private police personnel concerning their respective roles and responsibilities. We conclude by raising issues concerning the implications for the 'public good' in policing at major event venues.

'Particularly happy' arrangement?: Idealism, pragmatism and the enclosed open spaces of Perth garden suburbs

One of the hallmarks of many planned garden suburbs of the early twentieth century is the internal reserve: open space at the rear of residences, without street frontage. An idealistic conception with direct links to overseas planning theory, these spaces were not always well received by either local councils or residents; despite this, many survive today as legacies of early suburban reformism. Perth’s highest-profile planning advocates of the interwar years, most notably town clerk William Bold and the progressive surveying  partnership of Hope and Klem, embraced and encouraged the idea and a number of middle-ring suburbs in Perth feature internal reserves which have survived both encroachment and resubdivision. Some have been given heritage status in recognition of their importance to the history and fabric of particular suburban communities; others remain neglected and essentially unacknowledged. All raise ongoing usage, maintenance and management issues for the councils that have inherited them.

Mind the gap 2014 : research to inform the next five years of library development

Libraries have a long history of gathering evidence of performance. The results of regular client satisfaction surveys directly inform the continuous improvement of library and information services. Staff and student input is critical for improving library physical and virtual spaces, facilities and resources, and also to learn how the university community may approach information discovery into the future.

At Deakin University Library we are investigating, developing and integrating Web 2.0 applications into our service delivery. At the same time, designs for next generation physical learning spaces are being developed and implemented. These will extend the opportunities for students to contribute to a connected network of learners and teachers, to develop social networks, and to enrich experience of university life. Both the online and spaces strategies support the University’s distinctive advantage in flexible education.

But what of the future? How can the Library ensure that its support of research, teaching and learning aligns with changes in the behaviour and preferences of the university community in the next five years? This paper reviews Deakin University Library’s recent achievements, exposes an important gap and previews its plans to ensure its reliable support to the university community continues.

Staying connected : the lived experiences of volunteers and older adults

Many housebound older adults lack meaningful social relationships. In this study we explore the phenomenon of social connectedness in the volunteer-older adult relationship through the experiences of frail and isolated older adults and volunteers. We conceptualise this relationship as a journey whereby each traveller plays an active role in its direction and outcome. The emergent phenomenological essence of social connectedness from these dyad’s narratives provides meaning for both differences and similarities into the way the construct is conceptualised. When volunteers maintain the boundaries of the relationship through structured conversation and visits, it is described as friendly. Transgressing the boundaries involves doing extra for the elder and is both a function of the dyad’s compatibility, and the volunteer’s sense of ongoing agency and lack of elder expectations. The sense of social connectedness inherent in these relationships often feels like that of friendship or family, and these relationships are perceived as meaningful and close for both parties. Social connectedness in family-like relationships is a function of the playing out of an otherwise missing family role. However, if volunteer volition is compromised, this results in feelings of obligation and responsibility, similar to the dynamic between blood relatives. Participants’ narratives suggest that when the boundaries of the relationship are mutually negotiated, this serves to strengthen the relationship’s socioemotional quality, and potential for the continuity of the unique sense of social connectedness that has already been established.

Features of public open spaces and physical activity among children : findings from the CLAN study

Objective : To examine associations between features of public open spaces, and children's physical activity.
Participants : 163 children aged 8–9 years and 334 adolescents aged 13–15 years from Melbourne, Australia participated in 2004.
Methods : A Geographic Information System was used to identify all public open spaces (POS) within 800 m of participants' homes and their closest POS. The features of all POS identified were audited in 2004/5. Accelerometers measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after school and on weekends. Linear regression analyses examined associations between features of the closest POS and participants' MVPA.
Results : Most participants had a POS within 800 m of their home. The presence of playgrounds was positively associated with younger boys' weekend MVPA (B = 24.9 min/day; p ≤ 0.05), and lighting along paths was inversely associated with weekend MVPA (B = − 54.9 min/day; p ≤ 0.05). The number of recreational facilities was inversely associated with younger girls' MVPA after school (B = − 2.6 min/day; p ≤ 0.05) and on the weekend (B = − 8.7 min/day; p ≤ 0.05). The presence of trees providing shade (5.8 min/day, p ≤ 0.01) and signage regarding dogs (B = 6.8 min/day, p ≤ 0.05) were positively associated with adolescent girls' MVPA after school.
Conclusion : Certain features of POS were associated with participants' MVPA, although mixed associations were evident. Further research is required to clarify these complex relationships.

Do features of public open spaces vary according to neighbourhood socio-economic status?

This study examined the relations between neighbourhood socio-economic status and features of public open spaces (POS) hypothesised to influence children's physical activity. Data were from the first follow-up of the Children Living in Active Neighbourhoods (CLAN) Study, which involved 540 families of 5–6 and 10–12-year-old children in Melbourne, Australia. The Socio-Economic Index for Areas Index (SEIFA) of Relative Socio-economic Advantage/Disadvantage was used to assign a socioeconomic index score to each child's neighbourhood, based on postcode. Participant addresses were geocoded using a Geographic Information System. The Open Space 2002 spatial data set was used to identify all POS within an 800 m radius of each participant's home. The features of each of these POS (1497) were audited. Variability of POS features was examined across quintiles of neighbourhood SEIFA. Compared with POS in lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods, POS in the highest socioeconomic neighbourhoods had more amenities (e.g. picnic tables and drink fountains) and were more likely to have trees that provided shade, a water feature (e.g. pond, creek), walking and cycling paths, lighting, signage regarding dog access and signage restricting other activities. There were no differences across neighbourhoods in the number of playgrounds or the number of recreation facilities (e.g. number of sports catered for on courts and ovals, the presence of other facilities such as athletics tracks, skateboarding facility and swimming pool). This study suggests that POS in high socioeconomic neighbourhoods possess more features that are likely to promote physical activity amongst children.

Energy efficient, fully-connected mesh networks for high speed applications

Fully-connected mesh networks that can potentially be employed in a range of applications, are inherently associated with major deficiencies in interference management and network capacity improvement. The tree-connected (routing based) mesh networks used in today’s applications have major deficiencies in routing delays and reconfiguration delays in the implementation stage. This paper introduces a CDMA based fully-connected mesh network, which controls the transmission powers of the nodes in order to ensure that the communication channels remain interference-free and minimizes the energy consumption. Moreover, the bounds for the number of nodes and the spatial configuration are provided to ensures that the communication link satisfies the QoS (Quality of Service) requirements at all times.

Building a connected community of learners : the postgraduate peer mentor program

Student peer mentor programs are recognised as a valid component of a multi-faceted strategy to improve student engagement within higher education. This paper reports some preliminary results from research investigating how such programs help support diverse student needs in a multicultural environment. Our results are from a study of a pilot postgraduate student peer mentoring program set up to support new students in the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University, Australia. The postgraduate student body at Deakin is quite diverse and includes a large proportion of international students. We present examples to show how a peer mentoring program can improve the social engagement of students, help overcome cross-cultural communication barriers and contribute to the development of academic skills.