Our public pools are cherished places: just ask 28 Australians for their recollections. But there was a time when not everyone was welcome in the pools.
More than half of black people in the U.S. live in highly segregated areas.
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com
Black Americans who grow up in racially segregated areas tend to have worse health, education and future economic prospects. Moving out can make a big difference.
Young refugees are at high risk of being homeless in Australia. A five-year study has found re-establishing connections with their communities was the pathway out of homeless for most of them.
From Cape Town to Kisumu and Greater Manchester, cities around the world are seeing the benefits of festivals that celebrate traditions and people.
When neighbourhoods lose their corner stores, they also lose a place where people meet and feel like part of their local community.
Susan Fitzgerald/Flickr
As neighbourhoods lost their milk bars, they also lost a daily point of connection for locals. But all is not lost. In some areas, the humble corner store is making a comeback.
Stop and search and other police tactics cannot address the complicated social problems that are linked to knife crime.
New housing estates on the city fringes might be soulless, cookie-cutter developments, but communities can invest them with layers of meaning that create a sense of place.
Lukas Coch/AAP
A sense of place matters for people and communities. When a suburb is created from scratch, close attention needs to be paid to the cues from the landscape and meanings people attach to the area.
Brexit has pushed many activists onto the streets.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
It’s easy to scorn the gentrifying hipster stereotype, but many inner-city neighbourhoods benefit from the distinctive mix of businesses and activities they pursue. So why should the suburbs miss out?
Though agriculture is a necessity, we rarely take time to understand the realities of the farming industry and the farmers who toil on the land.
Shutterstock
The cities we build in turn shape our society. So when so many of us feel lonely, we should aim to apply what we know about the social impacts of design to help people connect with each other.
The community environment clearly has a large influence on child development, but exactly which factors are most important?
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
Interim Director, UWA Public Policy Institute; Associate Professor & Programme Co-ordinator (Masters of Public Policy), The University of Western Australia