Leading lights : the promotion of garden suburb plans and planners in interwar Australia

This thesis explores interwar town planning in Australia, focusing on the period of large-scale urban expansion in the 1920’s. It problematises aspects of Australia’s urban planning history, particularly the 1920s ‘garden suburb. It also investigates the question of the use of international planning ideas in Australia, and the assertion or creation of authority by the Australian planning movement. The thesis additionally investigates the use of authoritative planning rhetoric for commercial or creative advantage. The thesis argues that the majority of innovative planning projects in the interwar years took place in the formation and foundation of the garden suburb. It shows that the garden suburb – assumed in much planning history to be an inferior form of Ebenezer Howard’s ‘garden city’ ideal – has, in fact, a number of precedents in 19th century Australian suburbia, some of which were retained in 20th century commercial estate design. Much of the Australian town planner’s authority at this time required recognition and awareness of the interests and needs of the general public, as negotiated through land vendors. As Australians looked to the future, and to the US for guidance, they were invited to invest in speculative real estate development modelled on this vision. The thesis concentrates primarily on the lives, careers and work of the British-Australian architect-planner Sir John Sulman; the Chicagoan architect-planners Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin; and the Australian surveyor-planner Saxil Tuxen. These individuals were among the most prominent planners in Australia in the interwar years. All designed Australian garden suburbs, and combined advocacy with practice in private and public spheres. The thesis examines images and personas, both generic and individual, of the planner and the vendor. It shows that the formulation of the garden suburb and design practices, and the incorporation of international elements into Australian planning, are important in the creation of planning practice and forms. It also outlines the way these continue to have significant impact, in diverse and important ways, on both the contemporary built environment and planning history itself.

Benchmarking journalism courses with a focus on graduate employability : case Studies from three Australian universities

Benchmarking is commonly perceived as a key part of quality assurance and enhancement, and universities have had limited success to date in benchmarking, nationally or internationally, in matters concerning teaching and learning. This is partly due to the paucity of comparable quantitative indicators. The challenges are even greater when benchmarking is at course (program) level. As part of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council fellowship (Benchmarking partnerships for graduate employability), a process was designed to enable course leaders to engage in collaborative and confidential benchmarking at course level, with a particular focus on graduate employability (or, more specifically, the assurance of graduate capability development and achievement). Among the 24 benchmarking partners were three course leaders in undergraduate journalism. This paper describes their collective experiences and some of the outcomes of the benchmarking exercise. It also highlights some of the challenges of benchmarking in a discipline where graduates may follow a range of career paths, and where technology means professional practice is evolving at a very rapid pace. Given these underpinning uncertainties, discussions around employability and appropriate graduate capabilities are best had face to face with adequate time for establishing common understandings. This has also been a focused way of building capacity and scholarly networking.

Communication and new media : broadcast to narrowcast

Presents a new way of looking at media and mass communication. Traces the history, development and theories of mass communication and the emergence of new media. Looks at questions of ethics, regulation and governance.

Communication and new media: From broadcast to narrowcast

Firmly grounded in a political economy approach, this new Canadian edition is an innovative introduction to media and communication that examines issues of ownership, access, and control as technologies combine to create new hybrid technologies that are changing the way we relate to each other and the world around us. Expertly adapted to meet the needs and interests of Canadian students, this text maintains a global perspective while integrating Canadian research, data, government policy and legislation, and examples throughout.

Understanding the effects of the invasive plants on rural forest-dependent communities

Most of the studies on invasive species are disproportionately focused on their ecological effects and more investigations are needed to understand the effects of invasive plants on rural livelihoods. This study assesses the effects of the invasion of Mikania micrantha-an invasive vine-on the livelihoods of the buffer zone community forest users of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. In this study, the invasive plants are categorized based on their life-form (woody and non-woody) and mode of introduction (accidental or deliberate). The focus is on accidentally transported non-woody species. A household survey revealed that the invasion disproportionately affects the livelihoods of forest-dependent households. In addition, the livelihood effects of invasive plants are particularly determined by the suitability of the invasive plants to produce locally important forest products. © 2014 Steve Harrison, John Herbohn.