I Dig Therefore We Are: Community Archaeology, Place-based Social Identity, and Intergroup Relations Within Local Communities

Community involvement in archaeological digs aims to reconnect people with the history and heritage of where they live. This paper applies social psychological theories to understand how community archaeological projects create opportunities for place‐based social identity and positive intergroup relations. Focus groups were conducted across five areas of Greater Manchester (UK) with 24 participants who volunteered for Dig Greater Manchester, a community archaeology initiative. The focus groups aimed to understand how experiences of participating in digs and exploring local heritage modified, strengthened or initiated identification with place and community, thus moving from individual levels to social levels of identity. The findings offer insight as to the ways in which people make sense of their own—and others'—place‐based social identities as a result of participating in community archaeological digs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The project was funded by the Richard Benjamin Trust—grant no. RBT1309Published versio

Analysing olfactory and auditory sensescapes in English cities: Sensory expectation and urban environmental perception

Cet article analyse la manière dont les individus perçoivent une gamme variée de stimuli, notamment les sons et les odeurs émis par l’activité humaine, lors de leur déambulation dans les espaces publics des villes anglaises. La démonstration s’appuie sur deux études portant sur la déambulation sensorielle (sensewalking) menées entre 2004 et 2009 indépendamment l’une de l’autre mais avec un objectif identique. La première explore la perception de l’environnement olfactif, tandis que l’autre, s’attarde sur les expériences sonores urbaines. La comparaison des résultats montre que les expectations sensorielles modifient l’attitude des individus dans le milieu urbain en induisant des niveaux de signification et de compréhension variés. Par conséquent, il y a là un défi pour les architectes et les aménageurs de créer des milieux où la prise en compte de ces différents modes de perception pourrait conduire à des réponses plus adéquates. Si l’on convient que la perception (ou la non perception) des odeurs et des sons est fortement influencée par l’environnement, il est donc fondamental que le contexte initial soit prise en compte au moment de redéfinir et de gérer les aménagements sensoriels urbains.This paper examines the role of sensory expectation in people’s experiences and perceptions of a range of different urban environments in English towns and cities by focussing upon those related to smell and sound specifically. It draws from two separate but related sensewalking studies undertaken between 2004 and 2009: one exploring urban smell experiences, the other examining urban sound experiences. In drawing from, and comparing the findings of these two studies, sensory expectations are argued as highly influential in urban place experience and perception, providing different layers of meaning and understanding of place, and presenting challenges and opportunities for architects and urban designers when creating more human-centred places in the city. In addition, perceptions of the smells and sounds themselves are revealed as highly influenced by the environmental context within which they are, or are not, detected. As a result, the authors advocate a more proactive approach to the consideration of smells and sound information when designing and managing urban sensory environments

Equitable Technologies for Smarter Urbanism: Enhancing Priority Car Parking at Western Sydney University

Relocating university campuses to Central Business Districts (CBDs) changes the way people travel to and from campus. While CBDs are often considered accessible due to the increased availability of public transport and non-motorised transit options (e.g. walking, cycling), urban locations can also lead to social exclusion and transport disadvantage for some. For example, people with disabilities and caring commitments who are dependent on private car transport to facilitate their mobility, can find it more difficult to access urban campuses when accessible parking and transport options are not readily available. In 2018, Western Sydney University opened its second city-based campus in the City of Liverpool, located in Southwest Sydney, New South Wales. With limited on-site car parking in the campuses’ basement, plans were implemented to provide staff and students with disabilities and caring commitments with priority parking. DIVVY Parking Pty Ltd was commissioned to deliver a car parking service using their app

The Future of Work and Childcare: Towards Equity and Justice for Western Sydney Communities

This white paper by Western Sydney University researchers advocates for more equitable models of work and childcare that prioritise gender equity, gentle parenting, community building, social support, and climate justice. The care economy in western Sydney is under-resourced and inflexible, and current policies prioritise economic growth over family and community relationships. Women, especially those from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds, face greater challenges in accessing education and earning less than men. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted existing inequalities in work and childcare responsibilities. The researchers propose a vision statement and a place-based research agenda to influence socially just policy making and practices. The six proposed research streams include defining gendered workforce participation, understanding the childcare sector, mapping formal childcare services, generating a childcare stress metric, collecting evidence on innovative models and informal childcare supports, and co-creating equitable and just systems through design justice workshops with local people, groups, and the sector

Living alongside railways : a discursive psychological analysis of adapting to disruption and identities of place

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, April 2013, to the School of Environment and Life Sciences, College of Science and Technology, University of Salford, Salford, UK. Summary: The concepts of ‘place’ and ‘identity’ are increasingly being used to understand the relations between people and physical environments. This research utilised ‘place’ and ‘identity’ to examine how people negotiate environmental conditions such as vibration and noise within their talk around ‘place’ and ‘identity’. For the study context, living alongside railways was chosen as an ‘ordinary’ and ‘everyday’ physical feature within residential settings and also due to potential upcoming changes to the UK rail network such as new lines and increases in rail freight traffic. Ten qualitative interviews were generated with twelve residents living alongside the West Coast Main Line (WCML) railway in the North of England. Participants were recruited from the Defra-funded study ‘NANR209: Human Response to Vibration in Residential Environments’ (Defra, 2011). Using a discursive psychological approach, railways were portrayed as an insignificant aspect of ‘place’ in relation to the wider contexts of finding somewhere to live. Through the ‘lived ideologies’ of ‘the rural idyll’ and ‘a peaceful and quiet place’ that emerged within participants’ talk, railways could be considered as ‘disruptive’. Participants drew upon interpretative repertoires of adaptation to convey railways as initially ‘disruptive’ and as something ‘you get used to’ over time. Participants positioned themselves as being immune to the ‘disruption’ in that they no longer noticed the railways presence. Living alongside railways was presented as ‘commonplace’, which enabled participants to manage their identities of place and justify their continued residence within the context of ‘disruption’. ‘Place’ and ‘identity’ offer a way to examine how people make sense of living in places of ‘disruption’. Future research on how people make sense of continued residence alongside railways, particularly the role of adaptational repertoires, could assist in policy development

Social media for learning and employability

Using social media to enhance learning and engage students

Doing Research In and On the Digital: Research Methods across Fields of Inquiry

As a social space, the web provides researchers both with a tool and an environment to explore the intricacies of everyday life. As a site of mediated interactions and interrelationships, the ‘digital’ has evolved from being a space of information to a space of creation, thus providing new opportunities regarding how, where and, why to conduct social research.Doing Research In and On the Digital aims to deliver on two fronts: first, by detailing how researchers are devising and applying innovative research methods for and within the digital sphere, and, secondly, by discussing the ethical challenges and issues implied and encountered in such approaches.In two core Parts, this collection explores: - content collection: methods for harvesting digital data - engaging research informants: digital participatory methods and data stories .With contributions from a diverse range of fields such as anthropology, sociology, education, healthcare and psychology, this volume will particularly appeal to post-graduate students and early career researchers who are navigating through new terrain in their digital-mediated research endeavours

No longer a lone wolf : on being part of the Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section

The Section is very pro-active in their strive towards raising and securing the profile of qualitative methods in psychology research and teaching. Another central aim of the Section is to create a network of qualitative psychologists, to connect those with similar interests, and create opportunities for collaborations. With continued support from its members the Section is going from strength to strength, hosting a wide range of events and sponsoring a number of prizes which reward excellence in qualitative research. Furthermore the Section have recently made important contributions to the HEFCE consultations for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) through the British Psychological Society, representing the concern of qualitative psychologists who feel disadvantaged by the planned REF procedures which align psychology with neuroscience. Alongside these consultations, the Section have also funded a working party led by Dr David Giles (University of Winchester) on qualitative research and the internet, with the hope of contributing to the Society’s Ethics Committee’s recommendations for conducting research online

Social media for social housing in the UK and Australia

A number of reports have highlighted that social and community housing providers are uniquely placed to embrace social media platforms for the purposes of tenant participation, community involvement, and social change (e.g. Jacobs et al., 2011; Rose et al., 2014). Almost universally, across social and community housing providers’ mission statements and organisational goals is a commitment to strengthening communities and social justice. An effective social housing system “should help vulnerable people, while providing opportunity and pathways for client independence where that is appropriate” and as such, a networked approach that “connect[s] tenants with employment, education, training and other community engagements” is required (NSW Government, 2014, p. 7). Thus, the participatory web can offer significant opportunities to empower social housing tenants and create networked communities. Yet the sector has been described as ‘lagging’ behind other comparable non-profit sectors (e.g. policing, education, and health) in terms of digital social innovations designed to engage service users (McCrossan, 2014). The 2014 Connected Housing Study (carried out by Visceral Business), which tracked the digital innovation and development of 235 social housing organisations in the UK within a twelve-month period, found that online initiatives for resident management and engagement are increasing but most organisations remain in the early stages of digitalising their practices. In the Australian context, digital social innovations in the social housing sector are seemingly less visible in comparison to the UK scene. Rose et al., (2014) attributed the uptake of new digital platforms to the UK policy context of public service reform, welfare reform, austerity measures and digital inclusion targets in the transitions to digitalised public services. Even so, ‘digital by default’ public services continue to press forward in Australia too