HSY2850

The Australian city: contemporary problems in historical perspective

Graeme Davison and others

8 points
* Three hours per week comprising two hours of lectures/field work and a one-hour tutorial
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives Students successfully completing this subject should have gained an understanding of the historical and comparative contexts of the policy dilemmas confronting Australian cities, and should have expanded their repertoires of textual, pictorial and fieldwork skills.

Synopsis This subject examines contemporary concerns about the structure and functions of Australian cities in the light of past debates about the future of cities and the historical experience of urban change. It analyses a range of past and present representations of the city placing them in both comparative and historical perspective. Attention will be paid to images of urban life in popular culture, such as film and television. Students will be expected to engage in fieldwork and project related research. Among the specific questions to be considered are: How do cities compete with each other, and who wins? Is suburban sprawl a benefit or a liability? Is the suburb a female prison? Why have Australians become so attached to the idea of individual home ownership. Have Australians been successful in absorbing immigrants, and, if so, why? Are Australian cities becoming more unequal and more dangerous? In what ways do cities contribute to, or retard, cultural and social innovation?

Assessment Document exercise (1000 words): 20%
* Fieldwork report (1000 words): 20%
* Research essay (3000 words): 40%
* Examination (1 hour): 20%

Recommended texts

Johnson L (ed.) Suburban dreaming: An interdisciplinary approach to Australian cities Deakin U P, 1994
Frost L Australian cities in comparative perspective Penguin, 1991
McCalman J Struggletown: Public and private life in Richmond, 1900- 1965 MUP, 1984
Davison G The rise and fall of marvellous Melbourne MUP, 1978
Peel M Good times, hard times: The past and future in Elizabeth MUP, 1995
Davison G, Dingle T and O'Hanlon S (eds) The cream brick frontier: Histories of Australian suburbia Monash History Monographs, 1995
Gibson K and Watson S (eds) Metropolis now: Planning and the urban in contemporary Australia Pluto Press, 1994
Sandercock L Property, politics and urban planning: A history of Australian city planning Transactions Publishing, 1990