Land use change in Brunswick

Our cities are always evolving. They expand and change internally, the old makes way for the new, populations grow and change. This blog looks at an area in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, to determine how land use has changed over the last 100 years. This has been done using the Sands and McDougall directories, as well as personal observation. 

The demise of the corner store

Until very recently the corner store was a ubiquitous presence in Australia's suburbs, particularly in the more established areas. Many of us can remember a time when we used to buy a small bag of mixed lollies from the corner store on the way home from school. Many years ago, most shopping was done locally, often within walking distance of home. Corner stores were scattered across our inner suburbs, meeting the needs of local residents.

But corner stores have largely been relegated to the past. A number of factors have contributed to this, such as the rise of supermarkets and other convenience stores, and more recently, online shopping. This blog looks at the spatial distribution of what I've termed neighbourhood stores in Brunswick over the last 100 years.

Where do international students live?

In May 2020 I published a blog that discussed the impact of COVID-19 on population growth and change in Australia. I argued that the biggest impact would be on the volume of net overseas migration (NOM), but the scale of the impact would depend on how long travel restrictions and the border closure were enforced. Two months later this still rings true. The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria just shows how precarious the situation is, with restrictions likely to remain in place for some time. This blog progresses the themes I presented in the previous blog, but looks specifically at international students and their contribution to population growth and change in Sydney and Melbourne. 

Access to supermarkets in Melbourne

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, panic buying of various household items, such as toilet paper and pasta, was rampant. Social and mainstream media were full of images of people buying large amounts of toilet paper and the resulting empty supermarket shelves. Although the supply chain has largely been restored, it did pique my interest. Where I live, there are at least six major supermarkets within a 10-minute walk from my house. No toilet paper at my preferred supermarket? Not a problem, I made my way to another. Many people in Melbourne were not so lucky. How did these households manage, particularly when they didn't have the options I did?

This blog will look at the spatial distribution of supermarkets in metropolitan Melbourne. Love 'em or hate 'em, they do provide households with a vast array of good and services. However a lack of access to supermarkets may be more symptomatic of wide disadvantage, particularly in these unprecedented times.

Recent population trends in Tasmania

An increase in Tasmania's population growth has been one of the more interesting trends in the last few years. Between 2011 and 2016, the annual average growth rate in Tasmania was just 0.2% per annum, but since 2016 it has been 1.1% per annum. Higher levels of migration, both from interstate and overseas, have been the driver of this change. But are all areas sharing in this growth? This blog will look at historical trends as well as spatial patterns of population change in Tasmania.

Brisbane is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia

Every year around this time the ABS releases population estimates (ERP) for small areas.  This year the data has been somewhat lost in the coronavirus madness.  Despite the seriousness of that situation, there is still a wealth of interesting population data.  This blog will look at spatial patterns of population change in Brisbane, which recorded a growth rate of 2.1% in 2018-19.  This makes Brisbane the second fastest growing state capital city behind Melbourne (2.5% growth rate).

Population trends in peri-urban towns

While much of the popular discourse around population growth focuses on rapid growth in our major cities, very often trends in other areas are overlooked.  Peri-urban is a term generally used to describe the area surrounding a major urban area, such as the interface between town and rural.  However a peri-urban area is diverse and can include towns, semi-rural and rural lots.  This growth looks at population change in peri-urban towns in the area around Melbourne over the period 2006-16.