‘My Brunswick, Our Brunswick’ Community Book (Preview)
RMIT PlaceLab set out on this research project with a seemingly simple objective: to understand what makes Brunswick, Brunswick. We hoped to gather rich, personal, and shared insights into both local space-making and cultural practices, and stories (past, present, and emerging) that exist within the Brunswick community. In doing so, we aspired to make tangible the somewhat elusive and intangible notion of ‘Brunswick’s unique urban character’.
Our motivation to do this research was to provide a snapshot of Brunswick community reflections that might be of use as they confront transformative changes: many associated with major infrastructure projects, the climate emergency, and urban gentrification. Academic research tells us that – given the social, economic, and environmental consequences of urban changes – the participation of communities in transparent and rigorous processes of community engagement is a critical determinant in achieving outcomes that are not just economically successful, but also socially- and environmentally- just. However, it is equally recognised that the implementation of effective processes and practices around community engagement remains a problematic fault-line.
In this context, we imagined that, by contributing to the understandings of Brunswick’s unique urban character, we might offer the community a useful mechanism to protect, preserve, or enable things that are essential to the fabric of the area. It is to be seen whether we have achieved even small steps toward this goal.
The information and insights shared in this book are the results of the research we undertook with the Brunswick community over three months: July, August, and September 2023. This included an online survey that was completed by 237 people, walking interviews with eight local community members, and photography trails by commissioning eight Brunswick-based photographers to gather rich Brunswick images. These activities focused on the area of Brunswick bounded by Sydney Road and the Upfield Rail Line.
