Defining Identity in the Face of Rapid Urban Growth: Changing Times in a Regional Australian City

摘要

The Australian regional city of Ipswich is a place undergoing significant change through rapid urban development and population growth. This article is concerned with testing anecdotal views about the importance of 'community' to Ipswich residents and what that might consist of. It draws on exploratory research into local constructions of Ipswich's identity and how rapid growth may be impacting it. As a first stage in the research process, six local leaders were interviewed about their perceptions of the city in this changing urban environment. Across the sample, Ipswich's identity was defined by its sense of community, heritage and history, social and economic growth, geography of place, and local leadership and vision. Participants described a positive transformation of Ipswich's identity overall. This article illuminates elements in Ipswich's identity viewed by participants as of local importance. Ipswich's sense of community was the element participants talked most about preserving in the face of urban growth. Discussed in this article are the study's findings, limitations and potential research directions.%澳大利亚地区市伊普斯维奇在迅疾的城市开发和人口增长过程中经历了巨变。本文试图求证该市居民对“社区”意义的各种流传观点，以及“社区”概念的内涵。文章引用了对于伊普斯维奇本地认同建构的探索性研究，以及关于迅疾变化之影响的研究。在研究的初级阶段，我们访问了六位本地首领，请他们表达对于城市环境变化的感知。抽样调查的样本谈到伊普斯维奇市认同，都会说到其社区感、传统和历史、社会经济增长、地理区域、本地首领及其愿景。参与者对该市认同变化基本持肯定态度。本文归纳出参与者认为重要的一些认同元素。参与者谈论最多的是在城市增长过程中保持社区感。本文论述了研究结果、局限和可能的研究方向。