The book examines the extent to which the sustained population growth of Australia’s heartland regional centres has come at the expense of demographic decline in their own hinterlands, and, ultimately, of their entire regions. It presents a longitudinal study, over the period 1947-2011, of the extensive functional regions centred on six rapidly growing non-metropolitan cities in south-eastern Australia, emphasising rapid change since 1981. The selected cities are dominantly service centres in either inland or remote coastal agricultural settings. The book shows how intensified age-specific migration and structural ageing arising from macro-economic reforms in the 1980s fundamentally changed the economic and demographic landscapes of the case study regions. It traces the demographic consequences of the change from a relative balance between central city, minor urban centres and dispersed rural population within each functional region in 1947, to one of extreme central city dominance by 2011, and examines the long-term implications of these changes for regional policy. The book constitutes the first in-depth longitudinal study over the entire post-WWII period of a varied group of Australian regional cities and their hinterlands, defined in terms of functional regions. It employs a novel set of indices which combine numerical and visual expression to measure the structural ageing process.

This edited volume reviews important contemporary issues through relevant case studies and research in China and Australia, such as the challenges posed by climate change, the development of eco-urban design, research on sustainable habitats and the relationship between ecology, green architecture and city regeneration, as well as, in general, the future of the city in the new millennium. The authors represent a broad selection of international experts, young scholars and established academics who discuss themes related to urban–rural destruction and economic and spatial regeneration techniques, the sustainable reconversion of natural landscapes and eco-urban design in the context of the current evolution of architectural and urbanism practice. The book aims to explain the conditions in which the contemporary debate about urban regeneration and rural revitalisation has developed in Australia and China, presented by different theoretical and methodological perspectives. It also provides a multifaceted and critical analysis of relevant case studies and urban experiences in Australia and China, focusing on environmental disruption, resized urban interventions and the need for more efficient and sustainable forms of regeneration and urban renewal practice in urban–rural contexts. This book will be an invaluable resource for architects, planners, architectural and urban historians, geographers, and scholars interested in modern Australian and Chinese architecture and urbanism.

Drawing on recent academic studies in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, this book is the first international text on homelessness in rural areas. Consisting of fifteen specially commissioned chapters, International Perspectives on Rural Homelessness provides comparative material on the cultural, political and policy contexts of rural homelessness, examining the nature and scale of the issue and the complex local geographies of rural homelessness.

In an era of rapid urbanization, peri-urban areas are emerging as the fastest-growing regions in many countries. Generally considered as the space extending one hundred kilometres from the city fringe, peri-urban areas are contested and subject to a wide range of uses such as residential development, productive farming, water catchments, forestry, mineral and stone extraction and tourism and recreation. Whilst the peri-urban space is valued for offering a unique ambiance and lifestyle, it is often highly vulnerable to bushfire and loss of biodiversity and vegetation along with threats to farming and food security in highly productive areas. Drawing together leading researchers and practitioners, this volume provides an interdisciplinary contribution to our knowledge and understanding of how peri-urban areas are being shaped in Australia through a focus on four overarching themes: Peri-urban Conceptualizations; Governance and Planning; Land Use and Food Production; and Solutions and Representations. Whilst the case studies focus on Australia, they advance a variety of tools useful in discerning processes and impacts of peri-urban change globally. Furthermore, the findings are instructive of the issues and tensions commonly encountered in rapidly urbanizing peri-urban areas throughout the world, from landscape valuation and biosecurity concerns to functional adaptation and social change.

The green transition presents the Pilbara with an opportunity to diversify its economy and improve well-being conditions of its communities, while becoming a strategic player in the global shift towards more sustainable mining. This study offers guidance on how the Pilbara can shape a more inclusive and sustainable development model that supports economic diversification and prioritises improving the living conditions of its communities, particularly First Nations.

"This is a book that recognises that regions matter - what takes place in our diverse regions fundamentally determines the nation's quality of life. It delves behind the headlines and speeches and considers the true state of Australia's metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions, and what can be done to improve their economic, social and environmental wellbeing. This practical book draws upon regional development theory, and national and international experience, to set out the principles and strategies that can be used to establish a stronger future for our regions"-- back cover.

Cultivated Therapeutic Landscapes provides an in-depth and critical explora-tion of the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing. In this book we explore the ways in which gardens and gardening prevent illness and restore wellbeing, and how they improve social and health equity via tradi-tional and innovative mechanisms and across a range of sites. Therapeutic landscapes are relational, reciprocal, and evolving. In this book, leading scholars from across the globe demonstrate how therapeutic landscapes research and practice is expanded through and around the pro-cesses of cultivation. Deliberately interdisciplinary, the book explores how tending and caring for green spaces, collectively and individually, works to pre-vent and restore health and wellbeing, as well as impact upstream factors de-termining social justice and equity. A unique combination of academics, clinicians, and practitioners deliver theoretical and practical insights into wide-ranging health-enabling factors, based on new evidence and autoethno-graphic experiences in home gardens, school, and community gardens, clinical settings, public green spaces, and sites of conservation and wildness. This book pushes concepts of cultivation and horticulture into underexplored spatial, on-tological, and wellbeing territories. Despite long-term practical interest, thera-peutic horticulture is only now establishing a strong theoretical and research foundation. This book provides much-needed critical insights into the impact on the key drivers of health, wellbeing, and social equity, with a focus on practical skills for utilising horticulture or designing for particular health needs. It will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in the areas of health geogra-phy; cultural geography; cultural studies; therapeutic horticulture; environ-mental studies; community development and planning; landscape architecture; social work; health studies; and health policy.

The study is part of the OECD work stream Preparing Regions for Demographic Change, a megatrend that affects several important dimensions of public policy. The following three of them are particular relevant for Korea’s regions and rural places: (i) workforce dimension, (ii) social dimension and (iii) governance dimension. The report consists of three chapters.

This book interprets the predicament faced by Australia's regional people from their own perspective and proposes a means by which they can act together to find a secure future under globalisation. It argues that neoliberalism in combination with its 'real world' effects in economic policy are driving regional Australia further into social, environmental and economic decay. The book will be of great interest to all concerned about the future of regional Australia, and will make a lively and relevant text for students studying the social sciences in the countryside or in the major cities.

Geographical Information Systems, Three Volume Set is a computer system used to capture, store, analyze and display information related to positions on the Earth’s surface. It has the ability to show multiple types of information on multiple geographical locations in a single map, enabling users to assess patterns and relationships between different information points, a crucial component for multiple aspects of modern life and industry. This 3-volumes reference provides an up-to date account of this growing discipline through in-depth reviews authored by leading experts in the field. VOLUME EDITORS Thomas J. Cova The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States Ming-Hsiang Tsou San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States Georg Bareth University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Chunqiao Song University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States Yan Song University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States Kai Cao National University of Singapore, Singapore Elisabete A. Silva University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom Covers a rapidly expanding discipline, providing readers with a detailed overview of all aspects of geographic information systems, principles and applications Emphasizes the practical, socioeconomic applications of GIS Provides readers with a reliable, one-stop comprehensive guide, saving them time in searching for the information they need from different sources