Landscape, Tourism, and Meaning – Edited by Daniel C. Knudsen, Michelle M. Metro‐Roland, Anne K. Soper and Charles E. Greer

The disciplines of Geography and Tourism, while often covering similar territories, seldom coalesce in academic literature; this book is one instance when they do, and mostly, successfully too. Although for me, the opening line of chapter 1 (p. 1) suggested some major misgivings and triggered an array of alarms. The claim reads ‘The purpose of this book is to re‐theorize tourism’. This grandiose and sweeping opening statement is not indicative of the various narratives that the authors relate and the book does mine the interdisciplinarity between tourism and geography. This mining produces some interesting ideas and theories, which while not necessarily new, are nonetheless thought‐provoking and refreshing. As the preface states, Landscape, Tourism, and Meaning is the product of papers presented at the 2004 AAG and the authors all have some affiliation with Indiana University. Landscape, Tourism, and Meaning is underpinned by discourses of social constructivism and identity and is concerned with readings of and meanings given to landscapes, and in particular, tourism landscapes. Surprisingly, social constructivism as a theoretical approach that informs the research for this book is not discussed. Nonetheless, the twelve contributors have largely addressed the major themes of the book: landscape, tourism and identity. Not unexpectedly, given the number of authors, the chapters vary in degree of relevance and quality.Griffith Sciences, Griffith School of EnvironmentFull Tex

The first year experience in higher education and planning studio pedagogies: an Australian case study

Studio pedagogy is intrinsic to most education programmes within the built environment higher education sector. As student numbers increase and academic institutions place pressure on staff to achieve more with less, improve student retention and heighten the first year experience, appropriate and effective pedagogies become critical. Consequently, studio teaching and learning environments, and in particular planning studios in most countries have been re-thought and re-structured in recent years. Our paper will draw upon some of the literature on the first year experience and planning studio teaching and learning in general. We will discuss the changes made to the first year planning studio and comment on possibilities for and relevance of planning studios, specifically in relation to the first year experience and as a means to address the institutional call for economic and efficient teaching models that deliver excellence teaching and learning outcomes. Results show that by restructuring a planning studio to include an intensive mode of delivery, time and cost saving can be achieved and student outcomes improved

Boomer planning: the production of age-friendly cities

'Baby Boomers' (born between 1945 and 1965) constitute a significant percentage of Australia's ageing population. There are several important trends and issues related to an ageing population, including a reduction in the size of the workforce, an increase in dependence on welfare and pensions, and changes in consumer and lifestyle patt erns. Baby Boomers are in the process of remodelling what retirement means at a stage of life characterized for many by part-time work and a focus on lifestyle amenity. Many live in single households and have higher living standards than preceding generations. All these characteristics have significance for urban and regional planning policy and for the fabric of the built environment. This paper focuses on some of the planning issues in creating built environments that foster health and wellbeing for an ageing population. Qualitative case study methods are used to collect and analyze data to support arguments for both planning education and planning practices that can lead to the production of more age-friendly cities

Teaching about Tourism in a Post-Disciplinary Planning Context

Urban and environmental planning has a substantial impact on social, economic and environmental welfare, and getting it right is a complex challenge facing governments, the private sector and communities (Australian Government, 2011). Over time, the complexity of planning has grown and planners today are asked to address a wide range of pressing problems in a context of constantly changing interests and demands. Tourism destinations are locations that are characterized by a complex layering of social, economic, political, environmental and cultural forces operating over time and across different spatial scales. Tourism adds an additional layer of complexity, where tourism destinations are vulnerable to global-local shifts in market demand and product development cycles. This dynamic context presents particular challenges for urban planners and is something that planning education must address if future professionals are to address issues of rapid change and uncertainty. In Australia, for example, tourism is a major driver of social, economic and environmental change in coastal environments, where over 85 per cent of the population live (Hugo, 2011). Some of the issues confronting planners in coastal tourism regions include managing and responding to significant shifts in population growth, migration, an ageing population seeking retirement lifestyles, urban design for both tourists and residents, urban congestion, access and efficient functioning of transportation, ensuring adequate energy and water supplies, adapting to climate change, responding to disasters, preserving natural and cultural heritage and community consultation (Bosman & Dredge, 2011; Australian Government, 2011: XXI). In these locations, tourism management and environmental and urban planning are inextricably related, and yet our educational programmes often provide little opportunity for students to explore the real-life complexities of post-disciplinary place management.Griffith Sciences, Griffith School of EnvironmentNo Full Tex

Master planned communities for the ageing population: how sociable are they?

changing needs of the older age cohort. Master planned community development is one response to the housing needs of the ageing population. This housing type focuses on community development as a promotional feature, which in turn drives health outcomes for its residents. This qualitative research provides a clearer insight into the role of master planned residential developments in the enhancement of social health – as a main component of the overall health and wellbeing of older people. Research methods included observation and semi-structured interviews with 40 people aged over 64 years of age who were living in developments of any type. The findings revealed that the increased safety, walkability, accessibility, and the provision of soft edges within the developments play a significant role in the social health of the older age residents. The findings provide for an evidence-based approach to policy-making and city planning aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of older people, and thereby help them to achieve healthy ageing

Planning for an ageing population: links between social health, neighbourhood environment and the elderly

Australia's population is ageing, and a key question is how can people remain socially active as they grow older? To answer this question, this paper offers a critical review of the literature looking at the mechanisms through which an urban neighbourhood environment can influence social life, an important component of social health. The aim of this review is to develop a general framework that can be applied to the studies on the social health of the elderly. The framework illustrates the main elements that potentially promote social life, namely: a safe, accessible, walkable and relatively dense neighbourhood in addition to green spaces, third places, soft edges and streets. This framework is then applied to a small case study, looking particularly at the social life of the elderly and how it can be supported by the physical urban neighbourhood environment. Data are collected by conducting in-depth interviews with 19 elderly residents (aged 65 years and over) in a neighbourhood located in the city of Gold Coast, Queensland. The results from this study demonstrate the importance of neighbourhood design in the social life of the elderly, interviewed. The study also identifies some of the key barriers to the elderly's social interaction

Development Versus Coastal Protection: The Gold Coast Case Study (Australia)

The Gold Coast in Australia is one of these coastal places, which developed through taking advantage of its environmental assets, such as direct access to the sea, a white sandy shoreline, an extensive and naturally protected broadwater and several large accessible rivers. While many other coastal cities relied on port facilities to develop commercial and naval activities, the City of Gold Coast emerged and grew as a tourism destination. Largely because of this phenomenon, the pattern of settlement and subsequent development of the city differs from most traditional Australian settlement and development patterns. Today, the Gold Coast is one of the most famous tourist cities in Australia and it accommodates more than ten million visitors annually.In the wider Australian context, 85% of the population lives within 50 km of the beach, evidencing popular lifestyle cultural preferences of many Australians. Given this preoccupation with the coast, one may expect that Australia would be at the forefront of coastal tourism developments and coastal protection. There is, however, no overriding jurisdiction covering planning law enforcement in maritime areas and, this situation has led to many social and environmental conflicts. The City of Gold Coast is a case in point and no more so than currently (2017) with proposals to build a cruise terminal or/and a casino, and high rise residential towers on its protected coastal strip (the Spit).This paper demonstrates how the evolution and resolution of development conflicts on the Spit (Gold Coast) are symptomatic of the evolution of place values and the national coastal management and how, this informs a shift towards coastal protection

Evaluating sustainable urban form: Comparing two neighbourhood development patterns in Adelaide

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. This paper was presented at SOAC 2 held in Brisbane from 30 November to 2 December 2005. SOAC 2 was hosted by the Urban Research Program at the South Bank campus, Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. The principal intention of the conference was to lead a dialogue between leading researchers on the state of Australian cities and where they might be headed. SOAC 2 was designed to lead to a better understanding of the research needs of Australian cities and to provide those in the public and private sectors with a better appreciation of the current state and capacities of researchers. SOAC 2 brought together participants from a wide range of fields, including: academics, researchers, policy makers, private and public sector practitioners, leaders in government, social commentators and the media. Conference papers published fromSOAC 2 were subject to a peer review process prior to presentation at the conference, with further editing prior to publication

The use of studio pedagogy in environmental planning education

Book of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Definite Space – Fuzzy Responsibility, Prague, 13-16th July, 2015Teaching environmental planning is challenging at the best of times with wicked learning and teaching issues such as diversity of skills and knowledge required, the role of science and values in environmental decision making and political viability but periods of rapid political and economic change can present additional difficulties. This paper overviews the current state of environmental planning education and the challenges it is facing as well as suggestions on how and what to teach environmental planners. While the benefits of studio pedagogy which involves a student-centred, collaborative, inquiry/problem-based approach based on a ‘real world’ project is well documented, particularly in the United States and Australia these courses are becoming less prominent in the planning curriculum. We argue that studio pedagogy is an ideal learning and teaching environment and approach to overcome the challenges of environmental planning education in particular because studio pedagogy teaches students how to work successfully, in a collaborative way, with ‘wicked’, complex issues. Evidence from planning studios are used to illustrate how studio pedagogy can be useful in overcoming the wicked learning and teaching issues that arise in environmental planning education and producing successful environmental planning graduates that are leaders in their field.Published Versio